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joanna1905's review
2.0
Despite being intensely interested with Chernobyl, this wasn't as good as I hoped. However, I totally respect its purpose and I think it achieves it brilliantly.
A series of monologues from those who lived through Chernobyl, chronicling one of the biggest f**k ups in human history - and how government bureaucracy affected the everyday lives of thousands of people.
The stories from wives of the men involved in the cleanup and mothers of children who were born physically disabled due to the radiation - were particularly heartbreaking.
The fact that they promised workers higher bonuses if they did more dangerous jobs knowing they'd die of radiation poisoning before being able to claim it - was horrifying.
This book further emphasizes the length governments would go to cover up their mistakes, at the expense of thousands of people.
A series of monologues from those who lived through Chernobyl, chronicling one of the biggest f**k ups in human history - and how government bureaucracy affected the everyday lives of thousands of people.
The stories from wives of the men involved in the cleanup and mothers of children who were born physically disabled due to the radiation - were particularly heartbreaking.
The fact that they promised workers higher bonuses if they did more dangerous jobs knowing they'd die of radiation poisoning before being able to claim it - was horrifying.
This book further emphasizes the length governments would go to cover up their mistakes, at the expense of thousands of people.
desireeslibrary's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Holy shit was this heavy.
In Chernobyl Prayer Alexievich writes about her return to Belarus where she collected testimony from those affected by the Chernobyl disaster as they struggle to make sense of it. She compiled a set of curated monologues and interjects her commentary and notes from her experience.
Prior to reading this, I had very minimal knowledge of what happened at Chernobyl. I had heard about it through vague references in media and academia. But, I had no idea the extent of the horrors and the injustice that plagued Belarus and surrounding communities. Reading the accounts of the farmers who were forced to evacuate their land, and seeing how deeply these people have been affected by their experience, and how those effects linger even into 2013 broke my heart. I learned so much through this book, and the way that Alexievich and the translators brought these people and their pain to life gives me chills.
I found myself having to take a lot of breaks while reading this, as I often became overwhelmed by all of the pain. However, this is an extremely important story that I think everyone should learn. Overall, this was one of my most powerful and compelling reads of 2023.
"It may be plagued with radiation, but this is my home.. Even a bird loves its nest."
Holy shit was this heavy.
In Chernobyl Prayer Alexievich writes about her return to Belarus where she collected testimony from those affected by the Chernobyl disaster as they struggle to make sense of it. She compiled a set of curated monologues and interjects her commentary and notes from her experience.
Prior to reading this, I had very minimal knowledge of what happened at Chernobyl. I had heard about it through vague references in media and academia. But, I had no idea the extent of the horrors and the injustice that plagued Belarus and surrounding communities. Reading the accounts of the farmers who were forced to evacuate their land, and seeing how deeply these people have been affected by their experience, and how those effects linger even into 2013 broke my heart. I learned so much through this book, and the way that Alexievich and the translators brought these people and their pain to life gives me chills.
I found myself having to take a lot of breaks while reading this, as I often became overwhelmed by all of the pain. However, this is an extremely important story that I think everyone should learn. Overall, this was one of my most powerful and compelling reads of 2023.
thepaige_turner's review
5.0
When I first learned about what Chernobyl was years and years ago, I was fascinated by the images of the nearby towns that had been evacuated and left empty (some to this day). Urban decay and abandonment has always awed and slightly terrified me.
But buildings don’t speak. Humans do. They’re stories say more than the words on the page.
I came across this book first when I stumbled upon a Twitter thread about a woman who had traveled to Chernobyl in preparation for a book on nuclear war sites that she was writing. This was a book she recommended people read, so I jumped at the chance re-ignited my passion for reading about abandoned places.
And I was shocked at what these stories held. I had never considered the political, social, economical implications that Chernobyl had left, and still leaves, on Russian society today. It's terrifying. Chernobyl wasn't something that happened millennia ago, it was in the late 80s, and so many people were lied to and given false information for the sake of the government and trying to remain a strong and unified people.
Many people didn't understand what radiation was, and when they were told, it was almost as if they understood it even less. So many of these accounts describe it as war. An invisible war that they couldn't fight and couldn't see. They wanted to continue their lives normally and without disruption and be good Communists and good Russian citizens.
But time has passed and things aren't so simple now. Now the truth has slowly come out for some of them, because they see how many of their family and friends have died from the lack of information given to citizens after the explosion at Chernobyl. It's all so terrifying. The accounts of what happened to people's bodies after extreme radiation exposure is terrifying. And as I write this from a very Western/democratic perspective, the idea that a government purposefully hid information and medication and proper equipment from their citizens is also terrifying.
Chernobyl wasn't an isolated incident. It didn't just happen on its own and it's not over. These stories show the humanity and loss and love that surrounded the people who lost more than their homes and loved ones. They lost pieces of themselves and it's both harrowing and horrifying.
But buildings don’t speak. Humans do. They’re stories say more than the words on the page.
I came across this book first when I stumbled upon a Twitter thread about a woman who had traveled to Chernobyl in preparation for a book on nuclear war sites that she was writing. This was a book she recommended people read, so I jumped at the chance re-ignited my passion for reading about abandoned places.
And I was shocked at what these stories held. I had never considered the political, social, economical implications that Chernobyl had left, and still leaves, on Russian society today. It's terrifying. Chernobyl wasn't something that happened millennia ago, it was in the late 80s, and so many people were lied to and given false information for the sake of the government and trying to remain a strong and unified people.
Many people didn't understand what radiation was, and when they were told, it was almost as if they understood it even less. So many of these accounts describe it as war. An invisible war that they couldn't fight and couldn't see. They wanted to continue their lives normally and without disruption and be good Communists and good Russian citizens.
But time has passed and things aren't so simple now. Now the truth has slowly come out for some of them, because they see how many of their family and friends have died from the lack of information given to citizens after the explosion at Chernobyl. It's all so terrifying. The accounts of what happened to people's bodies after extreme radiation exposure is terrifying. And as I write this from a very Western/democratic perspective, the idea that a government purposefully hid information and medication and proper equipment from their citizens is also terrifying.
Chernobyl wasn't an isolated incident. It didn't just happen on its own and it's not over. These stories show the humanity and loss and love that surrounded the people who lost more than their homes and loved ones. They lost pieces of themselves and it's both harrowing and horrifying.
especiallysarah's review
5.0
I didn't entirely know what to expect from this book but I'm so glad I picked it up. It's obviously upsetting, frustrating and sometimes incredibly anger inducing but it also says some amazing things about human behaviour which felt very familiar after a year of Covid 19. If nothing else this was a really good reminder that any history making event is also a life changing event for individuals all with their own very different, very personal stories which are as much impacted by their lives before as they are the moment itself. I'll definitely be looking for some more of Alexievich's books when I can.
deeisabibliophile_'s review
5.0
I am heartbroken. I don’t remember the last time I had cried so much over a book. Every monologue rips open your heart. Everyone else moved on, forgot and never looked back but the people of Pripyat. Those innocent citizens who never knew they would become the direct victims of the global politics and the fascination with the atomic power ended up suffering for generations. They didn’t just lose lives, they lost memories, their land and their identity too with the displacement that still haunts them to date.
As we all are intrigued in exploring their stories within the media, we forget that their wounds are never going to heal. No time, no compensation and no amount of pacification can take those nightmares away from them that have kept them awake as they’re still awaiting for the day when they will no longer be considered as “The Chernobyl People” but ordinary children of Mother Earth.
As we all are intrigued in exploring their stories within the media, we forget that their wounds are never going to heal. No time, no compensation and no amount of pacification can take those nightmares away from them that have kept them awake as they’re still awaiting for the day when they will no longer be considered as “The Chernobyl People” but ordinary children of Mother Earth.
annauq's review
5.0
God, this book. I'm absolutely blown away. It's brilliant as a history project about Chernobyl and its human cost, its social impact and its political significance. It's also completely brilliant as a meta text: how do we record history, whose stories do we tell and how do we tell them? What do we preserve, and how?
Yes, yes, yes.
Yes, yes, yes.