byrdies 's review for:

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexiévich

5.0

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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This book was emotionally devastating to read. It took the tragedy of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which is most often discussed as an example of the consequences of Soviet self aggrandizement, and placed it at the feet of the survivors. It placed it within the homes and minds of regular, normal, every day people. It forced the reader to confront the fact that yes, the world goes on, but that doesn't mean it wasn't irrevocably changed. At least for the people who lived through it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Chronic illness, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Pregnancy