How did the world get here? This list of titles helps shed light on the war on Ukraine. Listeners can dive into Ukrainian history or Putin’s character and his rise to power. For more recent history, I included John Mearscheimer’s take on NATO in the region and a trio of titles from public servants who testified before Congress after Volodymyr Zelensky’s election as President of Ukraine.
Finally, I’ve included a major work from Nobel Prize-winning Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich, a symphonic oral history about the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the resilience of the human spirit that inspires us to hope for peace and healing in the midst of chaotic times.
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Anne Applebaum, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gulag, shows how Stalin exerted control over Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union.
Catherine Merridale’s detailed, heart-wrenching history of what Red Army soldiers suffered—together—in World War II illuminates why the current conflict could be painful and/or demoralizing to the Russian military today.
For listeners curious about how the end of the Cold War devolved into authoritarianism, this title fills in recent history.
Fiona Hill, whom many Americans know for her testimony before Congress, wrote a comprehensive book about Putin and his political tactics.
New Yorker writer Masha Gessen (side note: she provided Russian translations for the TV show The Americans), a lifelong activist for personal freedom, pulls the curtain back on Putin’s life and career.
John Mearsheimer, who is in the news a lot lately about Ukraine, provides a detailed explanation of how the West might have erred in holding out hope of NATO membership for Ukraine. Narrated by the incomparable Noah Levine.
In her own words and voice, Marie Yovanovich describes a life that led her into the foreign service, a career as envoy to Armenia and Ukraine, and her sudden recall to the US after Zelensky’s electoral win in Ukraine.
Born in Kyiv, Alexander Vindman became a distinguished American public servant. His story is ultimately hopeful; America—and Americans—can be a positive force going forward.
A stellar multi-voice performance brings to life the magnum opus of a Nobel Prize-winning author.
