It is on the train from Russia to Ukraine that the moment I have been waiting for finally comes, and Billie refuses to use the toilet, point-blank. Maria Tumarkin is an Australian writer of memoirs and cultural histories. Her books and essays tend to include oodles of fascinating things about the nature of memory, change … Continue reading Otherland | Maria Tumarkin #UnderstandingUkraine
Tag: Ukraine
Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future | Svetlana Alexievich #ReadtheNobels
I don't know what to tell you about. Death or love? Or is it the same thing. What should I tell you about?... Prologue: A Lone Human Voice I'm so very glad I read Chernobyl Prayer. I really appreciate the type of history Svetlana Alexievich has captured in her books. It's oral history, or more … Continue reading Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future | Svetlana Alexievich #ReadtheNobels
Understanding Ukraine Mini Reviews
Part of understanding what is happening in Ukraine right now, obviously involves understanding the shared and heavily intertwined history of Ukraine with Russia over time. After reading Sheila Fitzpatricks's great catch-up book, The Shortest History of the Soviet Union, I went back in time to the Russian Revolution, October (see below) followed by another shortest … Continue reading Understanding Ukraine Mini Reviews
Understanding Ukraine Master Post
It's not easy to find unemotive reports about what is happening in Ukraine right now. The history of Europe and the West with Russia is a long and complex one and the seeds of the current war can be found in this historic relationship. Modern day leaders, politicians, oligarchs, journalists and historians all play a … Continue reading Understanding Ukraine Master Post
I Stand For Peace Reading Event May – Sept 2022
The unfolding situation in Ukraine is distressing and worrying for so many of us. When my home state of NSW is not in the middle of another major flooding event, our news is full of what is happening in Eastern Europe. The what and where is easy to see. But it's hard to get a … Continue reading I Stand For Peace Reading Event May – Sept 2022