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The Ukrainian: A Memoir of a Putin Casualty
Not yet published
Expected 23 Feb 27Katia Sinchenko shares her harrowing experience of the Russian invasion of Ukraine alongside a deeply personal history of a country with a long legacy of resistance and resilience.
February 24, 2022, was supposed to be an ordinary day. Slightly tipsy and walking home from a party the night before, Katia Sinchenko watched as the sky lit up orange and crash echoed through the dawn. Somehow, instinctively, she knew she was one of the first witnesses to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What follows is a memoir of a woman who grew up in a country constantly forced to reform and rebuild as empires rise and fall around it. Sinchenko takes us through her youth spent learning to assemble a rifle in PE class to an adulthood in exile trying to find a way to fight for her country. But The Ukrainian is also a story about cycles of power and corruption, and how those who ultimately pay the price for these failures are everyday people. Women struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy, children coming of age in the shadow of war, and so many men lost to the frontlines.
With a confident and singular voice, Sinchenko turns her eye as a journalist and documentarian inward and examines what it means to be an ordinary individual fighting for the right to exist in a world that keeps trying to erase both you and your country. This is not a hero’s journey, but heroes are not the only ones who can imagine what freedom feels like.
February 24, 2022, was supposed to be an ordinary day. Slightly tipsy and walking home from a party the night before, Katia Sinchenko watched as the sky lit up orange and crash echoed through the dawn. Somehow, instinctively, she knew she was one of the first witnesses to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What follows is a memoir of a woman who grew up in a country constantly forced to reform and rebuild as empires rise and fall around it. Sinchenko takes us through her youth spent learning to assemble a rifle in PE class to an adulthood in exile trying to find a way to fight for her country. But The Ukrainian is also a story about cycles of power and corruption, and how those who ultimately pay the price for these failures are everyday people. Women struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy, children coming of age in the shadow of war, and so many men lost to the frontlines.
With a confident and singular voice, Sinchenko turns her eye as a journalist and documentarian inward and examines what it means to be an ordinary individual fighting for the right to exist in a world that keeps trying to erase both you and your country. This is not a hero’s journey, but heroes are not the only ones who can imagine what freedom feels like.
- GenresMemoir
230 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 23, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to the author for an advance reader copy.
This is an excellent read.
This memoir is compelling and informative, intimate and historical. The author conveys her unique experience within a broader context, which showed me how little I know of Ukraine and gave me the impetus to learn more. The memoir is at once a clear and candid explanation of a complex historical and geopolitical background, a heartbreaking and courageous portrayal of a woman's struggle, and a hopeful love letter to a beloved country and culture. Sinchenko describes and dismantles stereotypes of her country, while revealing the ways the Soviet Union influenced Ukrainians and how Ukrainians have, in turn, resisted its influence. It is also deeply personal and beautifully written. Everyone should read this fascinating, heartfelt book.
This is an excellent read.
This memoir is compelling and informative, intimate and historical. The author conveys her unique experience within a broader context, which showed me how little I know of Ukraine and gave me the impetus to learn more. The memoir is at once a clear and candid explanation of a complex historical and geopolitical background, a heartbreaking and courageous portrayal of a woman's struggle, and a hopeful love letter to a beloved country and culture. Sinchenko describes and dismantles stereotypes of her country, while revealing the ways the Soviet Union influenced Ukrainians and how Ukrainians have, in turn, resisted its influence. It is also deeply personal and beautifully written. Everyone should read this fascinating, heartfelt book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone publishing for the advanced copy.
Like the title suggests, this is not a book about the current war, this is a memoir about a country and a culture that have been fighting for survival for a very long time. The author talks about her own experience growing up in post independence Ukraine and the struggles her country has been through. She also talks about her own relationship with Russia and Russian people, about her guilt for being privileged enough to leave Ukraine. It’s a really tough read, I loved her honesty about her own feelings. And I love that she doesn’t sugarcoat anything, her country is not perfect and she’s not pretending it is, you don’t need to be perfect to be a victim.
At a time when propaganda is more powerful than ever (Russian bots are productive), it’s so important to hear from Ukrainians themselves.
Like the title suggests, this is not a book about the current war, this is a memoir about a country and a culture that have been fighting for survival for a very long time. The author talks about her own experience growing up in post independence Ukraine and the struggles her country has been through. She also talks about her own relationship with Russia and Russian people, about her guilt for being privileged enough to leave Ukraine. It’s a really tough read, I loved her honesty about her own feelings. And I love that she doesn’t sugarcoat anything, her country is not perfect and she’s not pretending it is, you don’t need to be perfect to be a victim.
At a time when propaganda is more powerful than ever (Russian bots are productive), it’s so important to hear from Ukrainians themselves.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Ukrainian: A Memoir of a Putin Casualty is a very intimate memoir that affected me in ways I wasn't expecting. Reading this book feels like entering Katia Sinchenko's private thoughts and getting to know the events I see in the news from a different perspective.
This book is fundamental to understanding what's happening to the lives of those affected by war on a very deeply personal level. What people affected by war have been going through is unimaginable to most of us in the West, and I'm glad I decided to pick this one up. The book features very mature themes, from the author's personal experience as well as from other people she spoke to, which shows that this is a raw memoir that doesn't try to hide the horrors of what's happening. I'll admit some segments were difficult to read.
I deeply recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about what's going on in Ukraine as well as the life of those who witnessed firsthand the fall of the Soviet Union and everything that happened afterwards. It's completely different from what I read in my history books.
I want to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.
This book is fundamental to understanding what's happening to the lives of those affected by war on a very deeply personal level. What people affected by war have been going through is unimaginable to most of us in the West, and I'm glad I decided to pick this one up. The book features very mature themes, from the author's personal experience as well as from other people she spoke to, which shows that this is a raw memoir that doesn't try to hide the horrors of what's happening. I'll admit some segments were difficult to read.
I deeply recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about what's going on in Ukraine as well as the life of those who witnessed firsthand the fall of the Soviet Union and everything that happened afterwards. It's completely different from what I read in my history books.
I want to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
It was a very well written and impactful narrative.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews