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A review by doritobabe
The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexiévich
5.0
This book is so powerful. So emotional and transcending and encapsulating and it's like a wrench finds its way between your ribs to twist on your heart and force a lump in your throat and you just
want to reach out to offer comfort and cry, cry, cry, alongside these women.
"Happiness is beyond the mountains, but grief is just over your shoulder..."
There is a reason why this book won a Nobel Prize thirty years after its initial publication. There is a reason why this book has resurfaced all of these years later (with a brilliant English translation done by Pevear and Volokhonsky) and -- in my opinion, which is not so humble regarding this text -- is more relevant than ever.
Alexievich is a historian for the human soul. Initially, readers may find this to be quite the grandiose statement, perhaps a bit too self-aggrandizing, but she and her oral history are anything but. This text is comprised of over 500 interviews of women who were involved directly and indirectly with the Soviet Union's armed forces during World War II. While there is no linear timeline represented through the collection, readers are transported through the main four years of war through varying professions and perspectives. Alexievich's goal was to capture a different side of the war; to highlight the women who worked in the trenches alongside many men, and who were later forgotten, or shamed, for their heroism.
This book is so haunting, so beautiful, and so unique in that --I feel-- it shows a side of war that one may not normally be told. I haven't read very many non-fictions about WWII, I usually just stick to biographies, but I feel that using the example of [b:The Miracle of Dunkirk|855509|The Miracle of Dunkirk|Walter Lord|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387751531s/855509.jpg|2550748] by Walter Lord is perhaps a fair juxtaposition in terms of how women's tales differ from that of men. In reading The Miracle of Dunkirk I was inundated with FACTS about the war -- types of machinery, army lines, geography, famous names, actions, etc.-- and whilst Lord has also captured several perspectives of war (i.e. military positions, Allied and Axis interviews, etc.) the emotional tone and resonance is hardly "human" compared to what one would read here. Lord's telling leaves readers understanding an outline of the actions of war; Alexievich focuses on individuals doing them.
I believe that the impetus behind this text is far more important than one's typical war history. The author dedicated years of her life (1978 - 2004) collecting these stories and meeting these veterans. Her action and collection is essential in terms of historical documentation -- how often do we get to read something so authentic and unaffected by those who have written history for the future? I can honestly say that I think about war differently than I did before.
Don't miss this. I love this book. I love the women who are a part of this book. I will honestly never forget some of the things that I have read within these pages.
want to reach out to offer comfort and cry, cry, cry, alongside these women.
"Happiness is beyond the mountains, but grief is just over your shoulder..."
There is a reason why this book won a Nobel Prize thirty years after its initial publication. There is a reason why this book has resurfaced all of these years later (with a brilliant English translation done by Pevear and Volokhonsky) and -- in my opinion, which is not so humble regarding this text -- is more relevant than ever.
Alexievich is a historian for the human soul. Initially, readers may find this to be quite the grandiose statement, perhaps a bit too self-aggrandizing, but she and her oral history are anything but. This text is comprised of over 500 interviews of women who were involved directly and indirectly with the Soviet Union's armed forces during World War II. While there is no linear timeline represented through the collection, readers are transported through the main four years of war through varying professions and perspectives. Alexievich's goal was to capture a different side of the war; to highlight the women who worked in the trenches alongside many men, and who were later forgotten, or shamed, for their heroism.
This book is so haunting, so beautiful, and so unique in that --I feel-- it shows a side of war that one may not normally be told. I haven't read very many non-fictions about WWII, I usually just stick to biographies, but I feel that using the example of [b:The Miracle of Dunkirk|855509|The Miracle of Dunkirk|Walter Lord|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1387751531s/855509.jpg|2550748] by Walter Lord is perhaps a fair juxtaposition in terms of how women's tales differ from that of men. In reading The Miracle of Dunkirk I was inundated with FACTS about the war -- types of machinery, army lines, geography, famous names, actions, etc.-- and whilst Lord has also captured several perspectives of war (i.e. military positions, Allied and Axis interviews, etc.) the emotional tone and resonance is hardly "human" compared to what one would read here. Lord's telling leaves readers understanding an outline of the actions of war; Alexievich focuses on individuals doing them.
I believe that the impetus behind this text is far more important than one's typical war history. The author dedicated years of her life (1978 - 2004) collecting these stories and meeting these veterans. Her action and collection is essential in terms of historical documentation -- how often do we get to read something so authentic and unaffected by those who have written history for the future? I can honestly say that I think about war differently than I did before.
Don't miss this. I love this book. I love the women who are a part of this book. I will honestly never forget some of the things that I have read within these pages.