Book cover of Ukraine: The Forging of a Nation

Book description

'Both pioneering and fundamental. This is the essential history of Ukraine, from one of the greatest Ukrainian thinkers and scholars.'
Timothy Snyder #1 New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of On Tyranny

'Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Hrytsak's vivid, sweeping book lays bare the enduring pride that persuaded his…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Ukraine as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I think Hrytsak’s book–which was a bestseller in Ukraine when it first appeared–is the best single-volume history of Ukraine available in English. I heard Hrytsak speak in Lviv, Ukraine, in 2011, where he teaches at the Ukrainian Catholic University, and was taken by his ability to mix the broad sweep of history with telling anecdotes.

This book showcases Hrytsak’s abilities and reveals how Ukraine emerged over the centuries, how Ukrainian identities developed, and how Ukrainians have created a civic nation since communism’s collapse.

I particularly like his “interludes,” in which Hrytsak breaks up the chronological narrative with short essays about…

If you love Ukraine...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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