Voices From Chernobyl is a devastating and haunting book, filled with the grieving voices of the survivors of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion in 1986. Svetlana Alexievich recorded the words, bitter, angry, or resigned, of the survivors she had access to, and turned it into a book filled with raw grief, horror, and beauty. Through Keith Gessen’s translation, Canadian readers now have access to this powerful collection of voices.
One of the most striking aspects of this book, personally, was the wide spectrum of ways in which people reacted to this catastrophe. Some interviews contain unrestrained anger and scorn, eliminating no horrific details or strong words. Others reminisce their past heartbreaks in a calm, retrospective way. Others still describe the aftermath of Chernobyl as terrible, but still beautiful. Yes, a survivor of the egregious accident declares life to be still beautiful, even after all that has happened. For me, that was what brought the book together, through the steady resilience that it expressed amid the honest moments of grief. Despite its dark subject matter, this book is powerful and a much-needed work of art for many youths today, a reminder to be grateful for life in such a privileged land.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5. Watch out for graphic details and strong language.
Published through the Teen Review Board of the Hamilton Public Library
Dec 16, 2019
Link: https://hpl.bibliocommons.com/item/ugc/103628125?ugc_id=1545169050
