Set in Minsk, Belarus. Reread on 2019/01: https://www.instagram.com/p/BtEN0c4nDbm/
The narrative(s) on war, who crafts them, for what purpose and how much we hold them as sacrosanct are most of the time more important and timeless than the actual hostilities. And here #svetlanaalexievich with #theunwomanlyfaceofwar goes on war against those same preconceived and seemingly irrefutable facts and figures and stories. #alexievich wages a war we have not so much seen before, a war on behalf of those not necessarily left behind, but of those swept by the atrocities which they themselves also committed. I think a lot of people will arrive at this book because of the obvious curiosity of reading #womentell their own stories about war. However I was also impressed to notice how Alexievich unlocks the vault in a pandora’s box kind of way and unleashes the humanity and sincerity which ultimately affect all of us. This is something I definitely paid more attention to this time around while #rereading . These stories also help you reflect on two other aspects affecting us all: our #silences and our memories. Reducing these women to silence or ignoring these memories had and continue to have a massive impact on how we talk about war and how we talk about the pain and suffering we are willing to inflict on our enemies. Reading and rereading this book multiples times could be our only hope. #highlyrecommended #minsk #belarus#randomhouse #sovietunion #oralhistory#wwii #nobelprizeinliterature #Алексіевіч#СвятланаАлексіевіч #womensoldiers#femalesoldier #testimony#rereadmarathon
Reviewed on 2018/08: https://www.instagram.com/p/BmcWxdXlVSh/
I might be preaching to the choir here. But in case you needed a reminder, let me tell you that there are books and then there is #svetlanaalexievich. This book is basically the definition of what it means to bear witness by letting people tell their stories with their words and emotions. #tellingthestory in all its glory and also in all of its extraordinary ordinary way with those that literally went through the worst upheavals in our history without even realizing it. #theunwomanlyfaceofwar is the written version of a video #documentary peppered with #oraltestimonies as well as the behind the scenes securing those same testimonies. Several times I had the impression that these #women were standing in front of me talking to me or just their stories were so real that it felt like opening a pandora box. Once open, once heard, it’s difficult to remain the same and oblivious. I can’t recommend this book highly enough to everyone to read. It’s a pressing and insightful read in our warmonger world. #highlyrecommended#alexievich #minsk #belarus#randomhouse #sovietunion #oralhistory#wwii #nobelprizeinliterature #Алексіевіч#СвятланаАлексіевіч #womensoldiers#femalesoldier #testimony
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