Describe Appertaining To Books War's Unwomanly Face (Голоса утопии #1)
| Title | : | War's Unwomanly Face (Голоса утопии #1) |
| Author | : | Svetlana Alexievich |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 247 pages |
| Published | : | 1988 by Progress Publishers (first published 1983) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. History. War. Cultural. Russia. Feminism. World War II. Historical |
Svetlana Alexievich
Hardcover | Pages: 247 pages Rating: 4.53 | 15012 Users | 2320 Reviews
Description Conducive To Books War's Unwomanly Face (Голоса утопии #1)
This book is a confession, a document and a record of people's memory. More than 200 women speak in it, describing how young girls, who dreamed of becoming brides, became soldiers in 1941. More than 500,000 Soviet women participated on a par with men in the Second World War, the most terrible war of the 20th century. Women not only rescued and bandaged the wounded but also fired a sniper's rifle, blew up bridges, went reconnoitering and killed... They killed the enemy who, with unprecedented cruelty, had attacked their land, their homes and their children. Soviet writer of Belarussia, Svetlana Alexiyevich spent four years working on the book, visiting over 100 cities and towns, settlements and villages and recording the stories and reminiscences of women war veterans. The Soviet press called the book"a vivid reporting of events long past, which affected the destiny of the nation as a whole." The most important thing about the book is not so much the front-line episodes as women's heart-rending experiences in the war. Through their testimony the past makes an impassioned appeal to the present, denouncing yesterday's and today's fascism...
Define Books In Favor Of War's Unwomanly Face (Голоса утопии #1)
| Original Title: | У войны не женское лицо |
| ISBN: | 5010004941 (ISBN13: 9785010004941) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Голоса утопии #1 |
| Literary Awards: | Angelus (2011), Ryszard Kapuściński Prize (2010) |
Rating Appertaining To Books War's Unwomanly Face (Голоса утопии #1)
Ratings: 4.53 From 15012 Users | 2320 ReviewsAssessment Appertaining To Books War's Unwomanly Face (Голоса утопии #1)
I've never understood why so many historians, both amateur and professional, are obsessed with the intricate details of military campaigns, with the macro strategies represented by the ever shifting physical front lines drawn on political maps, with the lives of the generals removed from combat. Do they want to escape from the horrors of war, the mutilated children, the burned soldiers whose flesh drips off their bones? Would they rather have it be all neat and pretty? I think they're deludingI'm hard-pressed to think of another book that left me this humbled, and also questioning the biases and blindspots in my own formal education. That's a big reason why I choose to read the way I do - to take off the lenses and blinders, break down the constructs and barriers.It raises consciousness to read a book like this one.Alexeivich's polyphonic approach to history has been noted and awarded many times over. These stories of Soviet women during WWII were equal parts inspirational and
I have to say I feel somewhat guilty at not rating this book a little higher out of respect for the brave women whose wartime experiences are chronicled within. Let's face it: Aleksievich poured her heart and soul into the research, travelling to over 100 cities and villages to personally interview hundreds of female WWII veterans. She was eager to get their story recorded for posterity and was careful to keep a diary to make notes on her travels and interviews. The problem is that Russia had
Théodore wrote: "Great review."thank you
The pain gathered between the pages of this book cannot be done justice. There's women in there, women who saw their children, husbands, parents die; women who helped strangers not to die; women who killed other men and women. Women who, decades later, still wake up from hellish nightmares in the sound of bombings. Women who have had their periods vanish for as many years as they were soldiers. Women who couldn't explain to their children what "a father" was... And these stories, Alexievich
I feel like Alixievich held back, didn't ask the right questions to get the whole truth. Considering this book was first published in 1980s, I guess it's understandable she and her censors wanted an emphasis on heroism, self-sacrifice and just the horror of what Russia had to suffer through during WWII. And, believe me, this collection of personal stories illustrates the enormity of what was endured during the war like no fiction account can. And yet, even in the later edition, published in
World War II, the Germans are marching toward Moscow. Men and boys have answered the call to defend the Motherland. War was life...but surprisingly, teenage girls and young women signed up to go to the front. Women served as snipers, traffic controllers, medical assistants, surgeons, anti-aircraft gunners and sappers to name a few wartime jobs. They were doggedly determined to fight for Russia, often insisting on being in the front lines. Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich "...brings together a
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