A perspective from the author living in Ukraine during the first stages of the invasion by Russia.
It gives an interesting account of life continuing despite regular bombardments, with children living in the underground station and civilians helping their local military units with supplies.
The book gave very little information from a military perspective nor any real accounts of any of the action that had taken place.
The book ended rather abruptly with no real direction which was a shame,

Serhiy Zhadan is a writer I constantly recommend - a great amongst contemporary Ukrainian writers, and I fully support his work. I will buy this book to continue to support him and the work that he does.

"I'm not trying to say that the war has become part of our memories or part of history. It hasn't become part of anything yet; it goes on, taking our lives, time, and energy. Nevertheless, imprints remain in our memories, they remain, like voices from the platform that comes afer a black tunnel. After all, the city, protected by Ukrainian forces and market by Ukrainian flags, remains."

It feels unfair to give a numeral rating to a book that is, essentially, the first-hand account of a war that is not yet over. How do you rate lived experieces, things that at the time of writing were not yet memories? I have to commend Costigan-Humes and Stackhouse Wheeler for their work on the translation. The language feels dynamic, lived-in, and you can certainly see why Zhadan is one of Ukraine's contemporary greats.

This book only recounts the first four months of the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, starting on the 24th of February and the last entry dated on the 24th of June. It's far from a complete story, of course. But as you look at the dates, you are met with a sober reminder of the atrocities that were revealed, the destruction, the inhuman violence. I found that the tempo resembled the way time felt in February not that long ago – the days seemed to drag slowly at first, all clouded in uncertainty, and then, before you knew it, it was spring, and then summer. And we know now that an autumn followed, then winter, then spring again, but who could have been certain back then?

Another thing this book had me thinking about the importance of preserving digital media. While internet feels infinite and we love saying that once something is online, it's there forever, the matters of preserving digital archives are far more complicated. Having this account in print, rather than just on a Facebook account that may someday vanish, is vitally important today as it will be in the future, when Zhadan's accounts will certainly serve as a primary source in discussions about this senseless invasion.

I did not realize that this book was just social media posts. I spend enough time reading social media without reading a whole of posts. I am very sympathetic to the Ukrainian cause because my grandparents came from that area, but I did not like the style of writing.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, acclaimed Ukrainian writer Serhiy Zhadan turned to social media to coordinate a network of resistance, to send message of support, encouragement and comfort to his fellow Ukrainians and to link together all those opposing the Russian invasion. What began as a local effort soon became international as more and more people began to follow Zhadan’s messages and pledge their support. It’s a remarkable chronicle of on-the-spot writing, giving a first-hand day-by-day account of life on the ground in those first terrible months, accompanied by many haunting photographs. Although originally posted on Zhadan’s Facebook page between February 24 and June 24th 2022, the posts have lost none of their impact and immediacy. Who could have thought that the fight would tragically still be going on over a year later?

„Tomorrow, we'll wake up one day closer to our victory“.
Sky Above Kharkiv is essentially a diary of the Ukrainian activist, writer, poet, and musician Serhiy Zhadan. The book consists of the author‘s Facebook posts since Russia‘s full-scale invasion of his country began last year in February. Through them all you can feel the very true Ukrainian spirit itself. It‘s not just Kharkiv, the whole of Ukraine resists like that. Stubbornly, helping and looking after each other, encouraging themselves and fighting back the aggressor trying to occupy their home. While this war is still ongoing, pain and destruction are immeasurable, Ukrainians don‘t give up and stand strong. Posts are full of strength, positivism and humanism, which is an inspiration to read. A good read for anyone who is trying to understand the Ukrainian spirit and daily resistance to outside violence.

“Ukrainian flags flutter above the city” is the constant triumphantly and defiantly optimistic refrain in Serhiy Zhadan’s posts from Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, mercilessly shelled by the Russian aggressors who are claiming to have “come here to liberate us from us.”.

“Rest up, my friends. Tomorrow, we’ll wake up one day closer to our victory.”

Sky Above Kharkiv is a translated collection of Facebook posts by Serhiy Zhadan, Ukrainian writer and musician who stayed in Kharkiv and daily wrote about the war. Kharkiv, the city that happened to have the terrible lack of being right next to the border with Russia - the country that, hiding under blatant lies, invaded Ukraine to bring the so-called “Russian world” there through murdering civilians and soldiers alike, committing countless crimes against humanity, all in the blind rage that another country dared to try to decide how to live its own life.

“Bottom line: this isn’t a war between countries. This is a genocide of Ukrainians.”

Zhadan’s posts detailing the resilience of Kharkiv people, the generosity and bravery of volunteers, the reports on what the donations have helped procure for the volunteer brigades, the effect of the war on the city and the people — they are not grim, panicky or depressing but rather focus on inspirational resilience and hope, although with realistic mindset.

“These days, the whole city is a potential target. And the worst thing is that it’s mostly civil- ians getting killed. Someone going outside to get some fresh air. Someone who decided to go for a walk with their kid. For the Russians, we’re all targets. They don’t care whether we’re armed or not—they’re annihilating us simply because we’re here, because we live here, because we’re Ukrainian.”

But life goes on, and the city withstood, and someday - hopefully soon - Russians will be made to get the hell out of the country that is not theirs. As my grandmother said, she wishes for Russians to experience exactly what they are doing to the Ukrainians, no more and no less, and then maybe they will understand the extent of the monstrosity of their actions.

“Reminds me of the Second World War. I’m referring to the occupiers’ ideology and moral imperative, first and foremost. They’ve come here to liberate us from us. They don’t even have a compelling narrative for those with weak stomachs. They simply want to destroy us, just in case, just because.”

5 stars. Glory to Ukraine!

“And I’ll say it again, just so you don’t have any doubt—Ukrainian flags flutter above the city. :)
Rest up, my friends. Tomorrow, we’ll wake up one day closer to our victory.”
———
“Greetings to you all from Ukrainian Kharkiv.”


——————

Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Incredible insight into the lives on the ground during the war in Ukraine. The facebook posts tell the story of the struggle to support those around Kharkiv, but also gives hope around the strength and relationships of people during a crisis.

Timely social media posts about the Russian assault on Ukraine by Ukrainian writer-activist Serhiy Zhadan show the real cost of this brutal war. Portraits of people not leaving their country in spite of almost insurmountable odds show us the resilience and bravery of the Ukrainian people. Excellent account!

This is an interesting account of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the perspective of a poet, writer, musician and resident of Kharkiv, over the four months from February 2022 to June 2022. The book is in the form of journal-like pieces taken from the author’s Facebook page. Most of the entries are general encouragement for other Ukranians, with a few snippets about what volunteers were doing at the time. It serves as an important first-person record of the war.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Yale University Press.

I'm giving this a 5 stars rating because, as always, I'm not sure how we're supposed to rate our "enjoyment" of someone recounting their real and still current struggles.

There is something really uncanny about reading a book like this one as the war is still ongoing. Literally as I was thinking of how to write this review and almost mindlessly scrolling my socials (in May 2023), I read a post by an acquaintance detailing the recent destruction and loss of life in her city (Kherson) and I was left with almost a sense that this stuff shouldn't be in a book already.

The book is a collection of Facebook posts so unlike a diary they were always intended to be seen by at least some people and there is a sense that most entries were curated at least to some extent. There are a few phrases that are repeated many times throughout the book and they sometimes give a sense of defiance and hope that will not give up and sometimes a sense of grim resignation or anger when the curation mask seems to slip a little. The result is often emotionally devastating but there's never any sense of defeatism, so it doesn't get depressing.

Zhadan does a fantastic work of conveying his love for his city and its people and what it means to him, and it make the entire thing very easy to relate to (well at least if you love your city) which in turn makes it all even more emotional.

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Translations of the author's writing on facebook during the first months of the war. I'm so glad this was put into book form. It took me awhile to get into it but it was so worthwhile. I wish there'd been a bit more context supplied around some of the entries, and maybe some additional writing of his beyond just the facebook posts. He's really a wonderful writer, and his intro essay was excellent. I'd love to see a more polished collection from him. The pictures were beautiful too. Everything will be alright, everything will be Ukrainian! :)

You want to experience the Russia Ukraine War, read this book. That is all I can say about it. Incredible, fantastic, gripping, heartfelt, surreal. Just a book that is written with a lot of love and a lot of incentive to get the story out there.

4.5⭐

Sky Above Kharkiv: Dispatches from the Ukrainian Front comprises a series of social media posts written by Ukrainian writer-activist Serhiy Zhadan (translated from the original Ukrainian by Reilly Costigan-Humes and Isaac Stackhouse Wheeler) through which he documents the first four months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Originally posted on the writer’s Facebook account between February 24 and June 24, 2022, these segments provide a first-hand account of life in Kharkiv during the first four months of the Ukrainians’ armed resistance against the Russian onslaught and a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of civilians and servicemen in a city being ravaged by war. Zhadan writes about his city and his homeland, the atrocities of war and the devastation he witnesses day in and day out while driving around the city with his friends and associates, arranging and providing humanitarian aid to civilians, assisting in evacuations from bombed areas as well as sourcing gear and other supplies for the servicemen, the Territorial Defense Forces. The writer, also a musician, also writes about organizing concerts with his band in the subway where people are sheltering to provide some moments of respite amid the chaos all around.

Zhadan expresses immense pride in the bravery and the resolve displayed by the men and women of his city who chose not to leave despite the constant fear of being annihilated. The author talks about their efforts to support one another and their attempts to restore a sense of normalcy in their lives - cleaning debris from the bombarded streets, and opening up shops and markets whenever there is a lull in the attacks, despite food shortages and constant shelling and bombardment. Zhadan also is effusive in his praise for medical professionals and first responders. He shares heartwarming anecdotes revolving around random acts of kindness, kinship and humanity in the face of war. The author’s tone varies between emotional and deeply personal and reflective to matter-of-fact and irrespective of how devastating the event of the day might have been he concludes most of his posts on a hopeful note with either “Ukrainian flags flutter above the city.” or “Tomorrow, we’ll wake up one day closer to our victory.” Interspersed throughout the text are a handful of photographs that captures the indomitable spirit of the city and its people. This isn’t an overly lengthy book, but it is vivid and informative. This is not a light read but definitely is an important book that I would not hesitate to recommend.

Many thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley and for the much-appreciated digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on May 16, 2023.

"Ukrainian flags flutter above the city. Tomorrow, we'll wake up one day closer to our victory."

These are two of the enduring refrains of Zhadan's war diary. Written in the first four months of war, "Sky Above Kharkiv" offers up a glimpse into a besieged city. Zhadan is a writer, not a fighter, but he and many of his friends stayed as bombs rained down upon the city because, as he says, "we have a lot of work to do" (loc. 56*). In the months following the Russian invasion, he took daily to Facebook to provide updates as he roamed the city, collecting and delivering supplies and checking in on troops and civilians alike.

"Don't forget one thing, my friends. History isn't just being rewritten right now. It's being written in Ukrainian." (March 8, 1:48 p.m.)

This is, again, a war diary: The individual posts were written for publication on Facebook, but not intended for broader distribution. Read with that in mind—many characters show up once and not again, and there is no easy ending, and in fact there is no ending at all. But Zhadan writes with a poet's sensibility (and enduring sky-and-wheat patriotism) even in short posts. The war drones on, but Ukraine continues on as David against Goliath.

"To put it simply, I feel fortunate to live in this city. The residents of Kharkiv have shown so much courage, so much strength, and so much humanity over the past few days. I've never seen anything like it anywhere. Everything will be all right, everything will be Ukraine. Ukrainian flags flutter above the city." (March 16, 2:24 p.m.)

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

*I read an ARC, so quotes may not be final.

Ukraine / sky above kharkiv / serhiy zhadan

I've read my fair share of ww2 diaries, and this book feels like a modern day version of those. As russia invades ukraine on 24 feb 2022, writer and poet serhiy zhadan starts posting on facebook regularly to update the outside world on the situation in kharkiv, a ukrainian city near the russian border. The posts that he wrote in the first few months of the war have now been translated and collected in this book.

Zhadan often writes with a wry humour - jabs at the russians and the inactivity of international politicians - which genuinely made me chuckle, but I also had goosebumps throughout most of this book. It is a day by day description showing every horror of a war zone. As zhadan writes his posts on facebook, the war in ukraine is in it's first 4 months. As he writes the introduction, it's getting closer to 6. As i read his words in april 2023, it's been more than 12 months since russia has invaded ukraine. This book is an important reminder of that. Sky above kharkiv makes painfully clear what atrocities have been - and are still being - committed since the start of this war, but also how the people of ukraine have come together to protect their loved ones, their city, their country. Slava ukraini! To use zhadans own words: tomorrow you will wake up one day closer to victory.

Sky above kharkiv is out on 16 may 2023. Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for this eARC!