Voices from Chernobyl
Subtitle: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
By: Svetlana Alexievich
Edition: 1st [American] ed
Publisher: Dalkey Archive
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Normal, Ill
Language: eng
Format: paperback
Number of pages: 240
Subjects: Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Chornobylʹ, Ukraine, 1986 -- Personal narratives; Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Chornobylʹ, Ukraine, 1986 -- Health aspects -- Belarus; Belarusians -- Interviews; Belarusians -- Health and hygiene
Genres: Personal narratives; Interviews
Work titles: Tchernobylskaïa molitva.
Description: On April 25, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl. Until now, all of the books published in English focused on the facts, names, and data. Voices from Chernobyl presents first-hand accounts of what happened to the people of Belarus and the fear, anger, and uncertainty that they lived through. In order to give a voice to their experiences, Svetlana Alexievich--a journalist by trade--interviewed hundreds of people who had been affected by the meltdown. From innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucial document of what happened and how people reacted to it. Alexievich presents these interviews in monologue form, giving readers a harrowing inside view into the minds of the affected people untempered by government spin, accusations, or judgements, leaving the reader with just the life-shattering pain of living through such an event and its aftermath.
Notes: "First published in Russian as Tchernoblyskaia Molitva. [Moscow] : Editions Ostojie, 1997. Copyright 1997 by Svetlana Alexievich; translation c2005 by Keith Gessen."--T.p. verso.