Ukraine's Rich & Complex History of Empires, Nationalism, War & Political Strife, by History Brought Alive

 

There's a good book in here but you just have to find it. Please note before reading further, in all fairness, I was reading an advance reading copy, ARC, so what I was reading may not be the final version. As it was, at times the writing seemed disjointed, almost as if it'd been written by separate authors and then put together in the whole. It'd be talking about something in the early 1900's, then jump to the more recent history, then in the blink of an eye be back to the, say, 1800s. In other words, while lots of info was given, it was difficult to keep it orderly in your mind due to the skipping around and frequent repetition. I honestly scrolled back the first couple times I encountered virtually the same info, thinking I'd zoned out and somehow gone backward. Nope. 

That said, the overview of Ukraine's history was there. I did like the overall organization of the book. It was broken down into general eras, ranging from Ukraine's early beginnings through the (as of this writing) still current invasion. Situated at a crossroads of sort between frequently warring and ambitious neighbors, it has perhaps seen more than its share of conflict. 

One of the things I found interesting was how many different cultures came together in the Ukraine territory, from early Scandinavians and the Mongols of Genghis Khan, who seem to have brought the onion shaped domes often painted in bright colors and patterns that are still seen today. Christianity spread and had a wide influence on the culture and architecture in particular. For instance, St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev was built in the 11th Century and is still used today as home of the UNESCO Heritage Site. It was interesting to see where the various bits of the culture, art, and architecture I now recognize as distinctly Ukrainian probably originated. 

Despite quite a bit of repetition (which may have been edited out by now), the authors present a somewhat dry but thorough summary of Ukraine's history, it's pivotal moments in that history, and many of the players in the story. That history is also broken down into a political history timeline, which extends through the current attack, giving the basics of how Volodymry Zelensky came to be where he is today, winning election with 73% of the vote. Key figures in Ukraine's past are also highlighted at the end where you'll also find a list of references for further reading. 

Bottom line, while a disjointed, repetitive read, the book did provide me with ample information on Ukraine's history. For that reason, rather than slam it for the issues noted above, I'm going with a 3 star rating. Not one I'd pick up again, admittedly, even to skim through, but if you're looking for the basics of not just why this country is so important to know about and what past events brought us here, it's a beginning. Thanks to #BookSirens and #HistoryBroughtAlive for giving me a peek at an early copy.