A long-awaited English translation of the groundbreaking oral history of women in World War II across Europe and Russia—from the winner of the Nobel Prize in LiteratureNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • The Guardian • NPR • The Economist • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel • Kirkus ReviewsFor more than three decades, Svetlana Alexievich has been the memory and conscience of … more than three decades, Svetlana Alexievich has been the memory and conscience of the twentieth century. When the Swedish Academy awarded her the Nobel Prize, it cited her invention of “a new kind of literary genre,” describing her work as “a history of emotions . . . a history of the soul.”
In The Unwomanly Face of War, Alexievich chronicles the experiences of the Soviet women who fought on the front lines, on the home front, and in the occupied territories. These women—more than a million in total—were nurses and doctors, pilots, tank drivers, machine-gunners, and snipers. They battled alongside men, and yet, after the victory, their efforts and sacrifices were forgotten.
Alexievich traveled thousands of miles and visited more than a hundred towns to record these women’s stories. Together, this symphony of voices reveals a different aspect of the war—the everyday details of life in combat left out of the official histories.
Translated by the renowned Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, The Unwomanly Face of War is a powerful and poignant account of the central conflict of the twentieth century, a kaleidoscopic portrait of the human side of war.
THE WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
“for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time.”
“A landmark.”—Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
“An astonishing book, harrowing and life-affirming . . . It deserves the widest possible readership.”—Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train
“Alexievich has gained probably the world’s deepest, most eloquent understanding of the post-Soviet condition. . . . [She] has consistently chronicled that which has been intentionally forgotten.”—Masha Gessen, National Book Award–winning author of The Future Is History
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This is an oral history of Russian women’s participation in World War II. Not a novel, but a compilation of women’s accounts of their service. It demonstrates their ability to strive and persevere and endure, and it packs a wallop. The author invented her own narrative style, for which she earned a Nobel prize in literature. Take a look at a slice of humanity you haven’t seen before.
What every woman and man on earth should know about war. The Nobel prize-winning author records the oral history and brings the experiences of individuals forth.
Behind the statistics of WWII emerge the heroic females: those ordinary women and girls of The Soviet Union who took part in the fighting as snipers, partisans, and sapper miners.
Women’s spirit, vanity, and sacrifices are voiced by the interviewed. Their memories are raw and inspiring: everything between birth and the tomb.
Reserve a truckload of tissues as you read. Tears will flow. One of the best books I’ve ever read!
Heartbreakingly beautiful
I think this was an interesting read because it gave the reader a chance to hear women talk about their own experiences (albeit through a translator). If you want more books about women’s history, this is a cool historical read!
A glimpse into a completely different aspect of WWII from what Americans are used to reading.
This will give you more respect for what Russia went through in WW II. History they don’t teach in school. Excellent read.
Told of a side to World War II that I had never read about before.
Good story
Shows the ugly guts of war.
Good war history but a bit repetitious.
Shows how brutal WW2 was for Russia
Pretty interesting .
WOMEN ALWAYS GET THE DIRTY END OF A WAR.
Heartrending, gut-wrenching, moving and absorbing, this book is a collection of personal accounts by Soviet women who fought in World War II. “The Unwomanly Face of War” is not a history; it is a collection of recollections by individual women, now elderly, of how, as idealistic teenagers, they struggled to join in the defense of their country and how they experienced the blood, death, degradation and horror of war. Alexievich has done these women the supreme service of memorializing their contribution to the war, which is often overlooked.
Fascinating. So much Soviet history. Oral history from a female viewpoint. Incredible women.
Tremendous book about the horrors of war, mainly from women who fought and lived through it.
Read this book.
Excellent WWII history
I have read so many WWII nonfiction and fiction books that I almost did not download this one. But What I would have missed! Did not know that Young Russian girls fought in every aspect of warfare. They were not celebrated until 40 yrs after the war. The book is written from their views instead of a military male view. Wonderful!
A searing oral history of a multitude of Soviet women and their roles and privations during WWII.
This is a wonderful classic that I read recently to understand the play better. It is one of his more well-written plays and the language is beautiful. Definitely worth the read.