Ukraina SOS Vol. 10: My Book, Ukraine Is Not Dead Yet
Pryvit vcim!
It’s been a busy past few months for me as my first book, Ukraine Is Not Dead Yet: A Family Story of Exile and Return, was published in February. A work of literary nonfiction, it uses history, reportage, and memoir to illuminate the fates of my Ukrainian family against the extraordinary circumstances—war, totalitarianism, fledgling independence, and, once again, war—that have defined the country’s recent history.
I wrote virtually of this book before Russia's full-scale invasion, at a time when the events I was writing about seemed distant and improbable. Now, of course, things are different.
I’ve been buoyed that the book has received some attention, including positive reviews in The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. If you’re interested in hearing me talk about the book, listen to this podcast interview I did with Commonweal Magazine.
I’ve also been busy with a number of short pieces linking Ukraine’s recent history with the ongoing turmoil of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Click below to read about:
Displaced Ukrainians reversing Stalin-era deportations and fleeing to western Ukraine in The Virginia Quarterly Review
Echoes of my grandparents’ Siberian ordeal in The Boston Globe
The importance of researching Ukrainian family histories for The Atlantic
Megan’s Upcoming Events
I’ve been delighted to be invited to speak about my book and related topics at a few venues both in person and online in the next two months. Hope to see you there!
Next week! Wed. May 3, 10 AM ET (virtual): Book talk at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Next week! Thurs. May 4, 7 pm ET (virtual): Workshop on how to research Ukrainian family histories with the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
Fri. June 16, 8 pm (New York City): Book talk at The Catholic Worker (36 E. 1st St) as part of their “Friday nights for the clarification of thought.” Juice and cookies afterwards, probably.
Recommended Things to Read/Watch/Listen To
Russia’s war on Ukraine is still very much ongoing. Here are some of the most powerful things I’ve taken in recently:
War Diary by Yevgenia Belorusets. A stunning chronicle of the first weeks of the Russian invasion in Kyiv by one of Ukraine’s leading writers. Published by New Directions.
A House Made of Splinters. A masterpiece of a documentary about an orphanage in eastern Ukraine prior to the invasion.
Next Year in Moscow. A podcast from The Economist explaining how Russia got where it is and how free-thinking Russians are attempting to cope.
“I Cry Quietly”: A shattering short (<5 min) from the NYT about a Ukrainian soldier on the frontline.
How to Help
Donate to the NGO Save Ukraine, which is the main organization addressing one of the most heinous crimes of this war: the abduction and deportation of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Photo: My family in 1956, approximately nine years into their Siberian exile. My grandmother is holding my young mother in the second row.