Borderland: A Journey Through The History Of Ukraine (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
This is one of those books that if you write a review to it, you are likely to get counter-reviews from someone out there that belive you should have the same opinion on this book as they have.As all the postings and appraisal of Anna Reid's book reflects this is a very good popular introduction to Ukrainian history. That is with stress on both *good*, *popular introduction* and *up to 1997*. If you have already read several histories of Ukraine, chances are slim you will find much new here. If you need an update on the orange revolution, you will simply not find what you look for here. If you find another book to cover the orange revolution, it might even be an advantage that it is published in 1997, in the sense that it is likely to focus more on the Kuchma era and describe what Ukraine was like in the 1990s than a book published more recently will.It is not unlikely that you anyway will enjoy here anechdotical introductions to each chapter though, using personal experiences as illustrations to the different regions and historical periods of the country. To illustrate the strenght and the (less important) weakness of this style of writing, I could tell you about my reading of her book as preperation for a 3 weeks journey though Ukraine. Like a similar incident after reading Kapuscinski's story about Pinsk in Belarus, Reid has made me get off the train at 5 o'clock in the morning after a though night in the restaurant wagon caused by reading her chapter from this region - Chernivtsi is simply somewhere that you have to see before you die. The truth is a bit more complex. I guess what I try to say that her writing is better litterature than travel advice (read, to see what I mean).I would like to add a few lines of why I think this book is as good as it is.As I see it, A good history of Ukraine aknowledges the following 3 things that Ukraine is, 3 things that Ukraine is not and 3 things as not important.3 things you necessarily needs to find in a history of Ukraine is that-It's history is above everything else multicultural and about a peasant culture-The by far most significant building-blocks of Ukrainian national identity is to be found in the 1800s and 1900s.-It is primary Ukraine itself that created the economic and political disaster of the 1990s (unlike in the 1920s, when Ukraine recovered after, say, 7 years of economic crisis the neo-Brezhnevism corruption is what probably makes the big difference)Second to a cover picture of an Ukrainian peasant with a Russian bureucrate and a Jewish merchant on each side, the picture chosen for the front page is the perfect choice! Read the book and understand why. I am very surprised why someone have objections to the photo. What ever is the basis of their objection it is not Ukrainian history.As of other peoples included in multicultural Empires in Eastern Europe up to World war I, national identity came late to Ukraine. Anna Reid gives a good and balanced understanding of this.More important than any other explaination to the political and economic disaster of the 1990s was the policy of Ukraine itself. Anna Reid manages to give a good introduction to this not-so-proud recent past.3 things you necesary *not* will find in a good history of Ukraine is:-that Ukraine is an acient Eastern Slavonic Nation-a history of Ukraine that is not closely related to Russian history-a place in Ukraine that represents "real Ukraine"Middle-age settlements in the Eastern Slavonic region was highly autonomious, there was several of them both in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and Kiev was an important but not the oldest of them.The southern and Eastern Ukraine is both a crucial part of Russian and Ukraine and Ukrainian-Russian history. The Ukrainian impact on Soviet history and the great importance of the Soviet Union for Ukrainian national identity. Reid gives a good and balanced understanding of this. I take the objection of some reader that she puts to little emphasis of the collectivisation and starvation as a sign that she succeeds to present Ukraine as much more than victims of starvation. Also important, Ukraine was the politically most priviledged republic after the Russians in the Soviet Union.3 things a history of Ukraine will reflect that is not important is-whether you prefer to write Kyiv or Kiev-what Ukraine really means-what place is the orign of Eastern Slavonic civilisationAnna Reid does not make a big deal out of any of this. Combined with good writing and the successful use of anecdotes from her personal experiences and research you have the reason why it is so interesting to read her book.
My knowledge of history is generally shaky and even more so with that of Eastern Europe and former Soviet countries. For one like me, this is a good book to start with on Ukrainian history. It is both a crash course on history and a travelogue. It's like show and tell: not very academic but you'll learn something at a rudimentary level while having fun. Not that Ukrainian history is fun. The fun i'm referring to is more about the travel that the writer experiences and the little anecdotes that arise from it. In a word, Ukrainian history is depressing. Living here, I now understand just a bit more why the people are the way they are here. I understand why food is so precious and people thoroughly enjoy it. I understand the often fatalistic and defeatist mentality that prevails. When one reads about the centuries of invasions, wars, famines, and genocides that happened to a peoples, one gets an idea. But still Ukrainians are resilient. I understand how it is that a people can survive after so much oppression and historical atrocities. It is the sheer stubbornness of Ukrainians that prevails over any attempts at squashing the Ukrainian spirit. Reid does a good job of going over all of the major points in Ukrainian history: Taras Shevchenko, Cossacks, Jews, the war, the great famine, etc. Living in Ukraine, I've seen a lot of streets named after people like Bodgan Khmelnitsky, Ivan Franko, and others. In fact, almost every town has the same street names. And some towns are named after such people. And despite the ubiquity of such nomenclature, I've never really known who these people were and why they were the namesake of monuments and streets. Now I know. In that way, this book does a good job of highlighting all the major points and people in Ukrainian history. And for doing it in less than 250 pages, I'd say it's done pretty well.
What do You think about Borderland: A Journey Through The History Of Ukraine (2000)?
I enjoyed this book. Of course, for me it was especially fascinating because I've just spent four weeks doing genealogical research in Ukraine and will be returning again in a couple of months. I also found distant relatives with whom I'm establishing a relationship. Ms Reid's exhaustive research was enlightening and interesting to me and will help as I do more research. I did find some of the references tedious and I was chagrined at some of the flagrant typos--the editing was not good. All in all, though, I enjoyed this book and am now looking for similar books.
—Robert Mulkey
While in Ukraine a few months ago, I asked the editor of the Kiev Post to name the best book on her country. "Borderland," she replied. "It was published in the last 90's, but it will tell you who we are." Anna Reid writes ten chapter on eight different cities. She describes centuries of cultural influence, war, subjugation and trauma. And then - in each city - she describes the breath of the Ukrainian people and the depth of their soul. Interestingly, while published in 1997 and updated in 1999 and 2000, she presciently predicts actions by Russia, Europe and the west when Ukraine faced their most recent challenge. What "Invisible Nation" is to those who want to understand the Kurds, so is this book a must read for those who want to understand Ukraine's search for their statehood and their nationhood.
—Mark Hertling
While there are certainly some interesting facts on Ukrainian history in this book, the author's research is lacking. The first chapter skims over hundreds of years of Ukrainian history while offering no real insight into any era of it. Her observations of "present-day Ukraine," while interesting, are no longer representative of modern-day Ukraine, and the book is not even 5 years old. The book reads more like a journal article than a history book, which makes for quick reading, but that may also be attributable to lack of depth.This book is decent if you know nothing about Ukraine or Ukrainian history and want an intro. If you know anything about Ukraine today or Ukrainian history, skip it.
—Anne
