Voices from Chernobyl (Lannan Selection)

“… Just thinking of all your days to come, the bitterness, the life that rough mankind will thrust upon you. Where are the public gatherings you can join, the banquets of the clans? Home you’ll come, in tears, cut off from the sight of it all, the brilliant rites unfinished. And when you reach perfection, ripe for marriage, who will he be, my dear ones? Risking all to shoulder the curse that weighs down my parents, yes and you too - that wounds us all together.” - Oedipus in Oedipus Rex by SophoclesI was a freshman in college when Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986.I vaguely remember being terrified about the scope of the incident; however, the Soviets were our enemies, so except for being concerned for how it would impact my life, I gave it little thought.When Svetlana Alexievich won the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, Chernobyl was brought back into my life. And for that I will forever be grateful.Ms. Alexievich’s Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster is one of the hardest books I’ve read due to the graphic descriptions of the impact on human life, but it is a book that must be read due to the immense amount of truth it contains.By truth, I don’t mean that it correctly represents the events of the disaster and its aftermath, which it does, but rather, that in the book’s monologues, we as readers are exposed to many of life’s truths. For example:“Only in evil is man clever and refined. But how simple and sympathetic he is when speaking honest words of love. Even when the philosophers use words they are only approximations of the thoughts they have felt” (66).And“… That all our humanistic ideas are relative. In an extreme situation, people don’t behave the way you read about in books. Sooner the other way around. People aren’t heroes” (111).It goes on and on. There is much more to this book than an oral history or a glimpse into the worst industrial disaster of our time.I thought when I read the book, I would be horrified by the accounts of the survivors, but I was more horrified at how I saw in these stories the cost of human behavior and ideologies. Lest you think, however, that these behaviors and ideologies are exclusive to the Soviets, and that their kind have faded into history, think again, as there are many moments in the work that reminded me of current arguments, events, and propaganda in our own time and country.After reading the book, one also must admire the courage of the author! Ms. Alexievich’s work on this project itself was an act of heroism, as she was interviewing people that oftentimes didn’t wish to speak, in a country that still was trying to cover-up what had occurred. Written ten years after the event, Ms. Alexievich solicits the personal reflections of a wide range of those that were witnesses to Chernobyl - villagers, soldiers, scientists, liquidators (those responsible for the clean up), Communist Party officials, mothers, children, widows, and re-settlers.The words in the book are those of the interviewed, but the organization of these “monologues” into a coherent whole is what makes the book much more than a telling of the event and its aftermath. It is this organization and focus that Ms. Alexievich provides, which takes the project to the realm of truth.For me, the moment that I’ll never forget is when I realized how those that survived, whether or not they became sick and died, would never be the same. And I don’t mean they are forever haunted by the events, as no doubt they are, but rather that they could never truly return to society. They were shunned, set apart, and labeled:“I got home, I’d go dancing. I’d meet a girl I liked and say, ‘Let’s get to know one another.’‘What for? You’re a Chernobylite now. I’d be scared to have your kids.’” - Soldier stationed at Chernobyl (46).“Now I look at my kids: wherever they go, they’ll feel like strangers. My daughter spent a summer at pioneer camp, the other kids were afraid to touch her. ‘She’s a Chernobyl rabbit. She glows in the dark.’ They made her to into the yard at night so they could see if she was glowing” - resident of the village of Khoyniki (195).It was this last excerpt that made me think of Oedipus’ speech to his children. Even those that survive will pay for the disaster that was Chernobyl until their deaths.People often say, “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy,” and now that I think about my reaction to Chernobyl all those years ago, I feel ashamed. For even though the Cold War was still a reality in 1986, making the Soviets our enemies, this devastation is exactly that … something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.All of this might tend to push you away from reading the book, but I promise you that there is much more here than shame, horror, and tragedy. For this book, more than any other I’ve read recently, made me think more about “truth” and how I live my own life each and every day.For more of my reviews, visit https://readingwritingreacting.wordpress.com

I knew from the start that this book would be educational but not a light read, but I didn't expect it to be so incredibly moving. Such pain, courage and heartbreak. It's a warning of the cost to health and life for generations to come and all because of a man-made disaster. Very insightful and informative book. Very well written.

Having read a Soviet nuclear engineer's account of the Chernobyl accident (THE TRUTH ABOUT CHERNOBYL), followed by a reporter's pictorial coverage (CHERNOBYL: CONFESSIONS OF A REPORTER); I was still missing an angle of the accident that would bring my superficial education on the subject to a close ... personal accounts from the people who lived through it. With so few resources published on the event, Svetlana Alexievich's VOICES FROM CHERNOBYL stands alone in representing those who quietly and bravely endured the detrimental impact the Chernobyl disaster had (and continues to have) on their lives.With VOICES FROM CHERNOBYL, Alexievich provides a platform that breaks the silence of the Soviet citizens who appeared to dutifully absorb everything the Chernobyl disaster brought their way (shame, bitterness, despair, fear and an unhealthy dose of radiation). The book is organized into three chapters (Land of the Dead, Land of the Living and Amazed by Sadness) with each chapter consisting of monologues (`voices") from those who experienced the disaster from the initial explosion to the lingering effects that exist today. The monologues are honest; with no unnecessary influence or clarification from Alexievich ... they range in size from a few paragraphs to a few pages. Collectively, the monologues represent almost every facet of life affected by Chernobyl: children (now grown), liquidators (the men responsible for "putting out" the nuclear fire), peasant villagers, doctors, scientists, political officials and ordinary citizens. Most all the monologues reflect pain and suffering in some manner and reading them is quite a somber experience.Quite frequently, the monologues refer directly to another deadly occurrence that bestowed another lingering state of suffering to the region ... World War II. That there are so many references to the war illustrates how dire the circumstances were following the Chernobyl accident. Whether it be forced evacuation, a mandatory surrender of property or the land being scorched (by a retreating army or by radiation) ... the parallels are evident to many of those old enough to experience both. Even leaving the region did not alleviate the suffering as many monologues account for bouts of illness possibly brought on by exposure to radiation, the abandonment of pets, homes and belongings or the social pariah of being a transplant from the region (and a potential carrier of radiation). The emotional tone of the "voices" ranges from defeatism to total defiance (including those who bravely returned to their poisoned homes).VOICES OF CHERNOBYL is both sad and eye opening. The raw nature of people speaking their minds on the issue doesn't alleviate the mystery that still looms over the entire event, however. What the book does is allow the reader to peek behind the veil of silence that has be prevalent for 25 years (and counting). Sure there is likely to be some embellishment in some monologues, but the general message is that the Chernobyl disaster has never really "gone away" and the lingering effects are bad enough to draw comparisons to World War II. Unfortunately, VOICES OF CHERNOBYL only serves as a microcosm of the total number of those affected by the Chernobyl accident, but the impact of these few voices is powerful nonetheless.

Lettura scorrevole con tante testimonianze ed interviste di chi ha subito l'evento e le conseguenze a posteriori. Lo consiglio soprattutto a chi é appassionato sull'argomento per approfondire diversi aspetti che normalmente non vengono trattati nei libri di storia.

Me encantó el diseño de este libro, muy buen libro y muy buena editorial. Solo que llegó sin plástico de protección, pero por la parte de la contaminación creo que estuvo bien, como sea, no llego maltratado

This book shares the feelings of people whose sufferings went untold in the HBO Miniseries.Looks a bit Costly but it's worth it.

This book stays with you. Haunting, and well written, it should be read. Tales from people who lived through the disaster, and the doctors and nurses who tried to save them.

I am a big fan of Svetlana and this book just made me realize one more time how important it is to learn from our history. All the pain, all the lies and all the love described so intimate in this book. I highly recommend it to everyone!