Good, readable books on Ukraine...?

[Anonymous]

So yes, realize it's the topic du jour, but does anyone have any good recs for a book (or sure, movie, podcast, etc. too) about recent history or politics of Ukraine and/or the region?

I wouldn't mind going back a bit, but don't really want to delve into the origins of Kyivan Rus or anything, and bonus for any book that takes us pretty close to the present. And I say "readable" (and chose this forum!) because unfortunately I probably lack the stamina for anything academic or that wasn't written for a popular audience. Don't mind a political/ideological point of view (and doesn't everyone have one, really?) as long as the author is upfront about it...

Was thinking of Red Famine (Anne Applebaum) or Ukraine and Russia: From Civilzied Divorce to Uncivil War (Paul D'Anieri)... if anyone has any opinions on these (come on, share them!)

[Anonymous]

Anne Applebaum is exceptionally good. I know more about the cadre of Russia experts than about Ukraine experts. Anne Applebaum covers both.

[Anonymous]

"Putin's People" by Catherine Belton is a great account of the rise of Putin and and the general takeover of the Russia state by all the various oligarchs, from pre-fall of the Soviet Union through 2021 or so--she's a Reuters reporter who was w the Financial Times for a long time based in Moscow.

There's also a good documentary on Netflix about the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, 2013-2014 -- can see the same kind of fervor and spirit there of the Ukrainians that they're showing now -- called something like "Winter of Fire"

[Anonymous]

Also, the five-part HBO series "Chernobyl" is really riveting -- with Stellan Skarsgaard, Emily Watson, and Jared Harris. Depicts how the accident happened and everything the Russian/Ukrainians had to do to fix as best they could, despite all the repressive bureaucracy. That gives a good understanding of some of the dangers the current conflict poses, given all the nuclear facilities there, how meltdowns occur, what the aftermath could be etc.

[Anonymous]

This goes way back to Hitler and Stalin, but Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder is one of the best books I've read. Not for the faint of heart, as much of the book deals with starvation and what that drives on to do.

[Anonymous]

Thank you DCUM (OP here). Now my only problem is that I think I want to add all of these to my queue...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This goes way back to Hitler and Stalin, but Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder is one of the best books I've read. Not for the faint of heart, as much of the book deals with starvation and what that drives on to do.

+1 for Bloodlands. The Road to Unfreedom is also good.

Also:
Red Famine, Anne Applebaum
The Gates of Europe, Serhii Plokhy
Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible, Peter Pomerantsev
The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Andrew Wilson
Borderland, Anna Reid
In Wartime, Tim Judah
Ukraine Diaries, Andrey Kurkov
Ukraine’s Maidan, Russia’s War, Mychailo Wynnyckij
How to Lose the Information War, Nina Jankowicz

If you're up for fiction:
I Will Die in a Foreign Land, Kalani Pickhart
Lucky Breaks, Yevgenia Belorusets
Death and the Penguin, Andrei Kurkov

[Anonymous]

Just FYI, both Red Famine and Bloodlands (book format) are currently out of stock at Amazon so apparently this is not a unique reading interest at the moment...!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, the five-part HBO series "Chernobyl" is really riveting -- with Stellan Skarsgaard, Emily Watson, and Jared Harris. Depicts how the accident happened and everything the Russian/Ukrainians had to do to fix as best they could, despite all the repressive bureaucracy. That gives a good understanding of some of the dangers the current conflict poses, given all the nuclear facilities there, how meltdowns occur, what the aftermath could be etc.

The book the series was based on is also really good.

[Anonymous]

Not technically what you’re asking, but this war keeps reminding me of the novel “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,” by Anthony Mara. That one’s set in Chechnya, but it draws a memorable picture of life in a similar war zone.

[Anonymous]

I recently read "The Harvest of Sorrow" at the library. Very sobering.

[Anonymous]

"It's a part of my country" by V. Putin

Amazon best seller's list #2,145,789,222

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, the five-part HBO series "Chernobyl" is really riveting -- with Stellan Skarsgaard, Emily Watson, and Jared Harris. Depicts how the accident happened and everything the Russian/Ukrainians had to do to fix as best they could, despite all the repressive bureaucracy. That gives a good understanding of some of the dangers the current conflict poses, given all the nuclear facilities there, how meltdowns occur, what the aftermath could be etc.

The book the series was based on is also really good.

Chernobyl may be my favorite seires of all time. Absolutely incredible filmaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Putin's People" by Catherine Belton is a great account of the rise of Putin and and the general takeover of the Russia state by all the various oligarchs, from pre-fall of the Soviet Union through 2021 or so--she's a Reuters reporter who was w the Financial Times for a long time based in Moscow.

There's also a good documentary on Netflix about the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, 2013-2014 -- can see the same kind of fervor and spirit there of the Ukrainians that they're showing now -- called something like "Winter of Fire"

Just a clarification that Winter on Fire is about EuroMaidan (Revolution of Dignity), not the Orange Revolution.

[Anonymous]

Start with Anne Applebaum.