Blockade Diary

by Elena Kochina

English (translation)Original Russian

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Bryan H · Rating 4 out of 5]

While books on history are perceived by many as dry, boring, and factual, "Blockade Diary: Under Siege in Leningrad, 1941-1942" surprises by being both tragic and darkly humorous throughout, in addition to being informative. Elena Kochina's diaries her first-hand experience as an out-of-work Soviet citizen as her hometown of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) was encircled by the Nazis in 1941, leaving her and millions of others trapped inside.

Kochina's prose is very dynamic and even quite modern, especially for something written 80 years ago and then translated from Russian into English. There's a few SAT words here and there you may want to look up if you're a lower-level reader, but otherwise, it is a quick read that flows nicely and is fun to read.

I don't want to give away the comedic moments of the book, but I will say that people acting out of hunger and desperation are funny to read. Like a 1940s version of "Curb Your Enthusiasm", although where the stakes are much higher. Kochina doesn't focus on the mass deaths in the city as much as the attitudes and interactions between other people as people struggle with decreasing food rations and a harsh winter. Kochina's posits herself in the story as sort of the straight man to all the craziness happening around her, although she herself as her moments of strangeness in the story (like I said, "Curb Your Enthusiasm").

The opening "The Blockade World of Elena Kochina-(from the original edition)" by Samuel C. Ramer gives you all of the necessary history that you may need to understand what was happening in the Soviet Union and Leningrad in World War II. It also gives you Elena Kochina's known background, and it details and explains every major event in the diary. If you are reading the book for purely information and don't care about spoilers, go ahead and read this whole section. I did this, and reading the book is a bit like having someone explain the entire plot of a movie to you and then going to watch it -- no real surprises, and you find yourself waiting for each major event to show up as you read. HOWEVER, if you want to read the book for enjoyment and want to avoid any spoilers, I would say don't read past page 10 -- you'll get all of the background on Elena Kochina's life that you'll need without the spoilers. Part of me wishes I had done this instead to enjoy the book a bit more than I did.

I recommend this book for anyone who even has a passing interest in World War II (expertise knowledge definitely not required). This book is also definitely good for anyone who may find Holocaust diaries too sad to read, or want to read about a unique experience during the war they have not heard or known about before.

[Julio A. Cervantes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for anyone interested in the Second World War.

[Katherine Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting first hand account of the horrors that the people of Leningrad had to endure during the blockade of Leningrad. As someone that didn't know much about this before picking this up, it was very eye opening to learn about it. Kochina does a great job of documenting her struggles and difficulties. I came to really feel for throughout this book which is something I didn't feel as much in another book I recently read which dealt with a horrible event that occurred to a community, Testimony The Death of a Guatemalan Village. I am glad this book was assigned to me by my history professor as it showed me a lot. I kind of wish Kochina would have kept on writing. There is so much of her story that needed to be told.

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

could not finish this one.

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just experienced -30 degree weather, I cannot imagine standing outside for four hours in it.

[Emaline Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and incredibly monotonous (which makes sense)