Brainstorm 354: Chernobyl stories

This past week marked 40 years since the Chernobyl disaster. I thought it would be an opportune time to share some stories that bring to life what the people living in the area experienced. My full summary and review of each book including any content notes/trigger warnings is down below for those who don’t have access to GoodReads.

Full Summaries/Reviews

Anya Flees the Fallout: a Chernobyl Survival Story (Girls Survive) by Erin Falligant, ill. by Soia Di Chiara Manetti

Anya’s family has a comfortable life in Pripayat where her father works as a firefighter. They are looking forward to the May Day festivities coming up. But when a fire starts at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Anya’s father is called to put out the flames, and no one realizes just how dangerous or serious things are about to get. Soon Anya and her mother and brother are evacuating, leaving behind their stubborn grandfather Dido who refuses to leave his farm and their dog, Bear, who isn’t allowed to evacuate with them. Their father has been sent to Moscow for treatment because of radiation burns. Will they ever be together again or able to return to their home?

This book really brings to life how sudden the evacuation came on the average person in Pripayat and how the repression of information by the Soviet government made it so that people really didn’t understand how much danger they were in. The book has Anya and her mom and brother go to stay with an uncle who is a nuclear scientist and he has insider knowledge of what kind of danger they are in and how to treat their clothing and such to be safer. Anya’s brother so staunchly believes in the government that he refuses to listen to some of the things his uncle tells him. It was a clever way for the author to educate readers on the dangers that the average person wouldn’t have known about and why some would have refused to believe the truth even if they were told. The book ends just a few weeks after the event, so we don’t get to see the long-term effects on residents of Pripayat, but the back of the book touches on them.

Notes on content: Language: None. Sexual content: None. Violence: One of the other firefighters dies off page of radiation poisoning. Ethnic diversity: The characters are all Russian/Ukrainian. LGBTQ+ content: None specified. Other: Anya’s brother is pretty brainwashed by Soviet teaching. Anya’s forced to abandon her pet dog and it is mentioned that soldiers may kill some of the pets left in Pripayat. Anya’s family has to abandon their home without knowing they can never go back.

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

n 1986, Valentina and Oksana barely stand each other at school. Oksana's father has warned her that Valentina is a cheat and a liar like all Jews so she should steer clear. Valentina tries to avoid Oksana's snide comments about her heritage. Both girls' fathers work in the nuclear reactor, and neither came home that morning after the test last night. There's also weird blue smoke filling the sky and a red haze from fires. But everyone knows that nuclear power is perfectly safe and an emergency there is practically impossible. At least, that's what they've been told. As the day goes on, people are increasingly concerned and eventually both girls find out something has gone badly wrong. Soon they find themselves on the run from the radiation, desperate for a place to stay, and forced to go together to stay with Valentina's grandmother. A grandmother she's never met because her mother says she's dangerous.

In 1941, the Germans are closing in on Kiev, and Rifka finds herself on the run, trying to find a safe place in a world that is decidedly unfriendly to Jews. Where's a girl to go when she's separated from her family and the world is at war?

Valentina, Oksana, and Rifka all have things to learn about trust, their personal worth, and seeing people for who they truly are as they look for a home.

This was a fascinating read for the historical tidbits on what it was like for those living in the town around Chernobyl in 1986. The author shares in the back that she has a friend who lived through the experience and her story inspired this story. I loved watching Valentina and Oksana grow under Babulya's care. Oksana's story, especially, was very touching. She blossoms as she learns she is treasured and talented and valued was really touching (she comes from a physically and emotionally abusive home). (There's an important note in the back of the book about abuse and where readers can get help if they experience things similar to Oksana.) It was also heartwarming to hear Babulya share with Valentina why she clings to her Jewish faith, despite it being illegal in the USSR. The way the different time periods had similar themes and eventually come together was done very well. Overall, this is a powerful story of hope in the midst of bleak times, and the way kindness and love can bring down walls and heal hearts.

Notes on content: Language: No swearing, but there is some verbal name calling by parental figures to children (this is portrayed as being very bad). Also Jews verbally attacked. Sexual content: None. Violence: Deaths from radiation poisoning are mentioned. Deaths in WWII are mentioned. Some beating and burning of a child by parental figures is somewhat described (again, this is portrayed as very bad and there is a good note in the back of the book about how this is wrong and where to get help). Ethnic diversity: Jewish and Gentile Ukranians/Russians. LGBTQ+ content: None specified. Other: Alcohol consumption of adults mentioned, usually resulting in worse tempers.

Escape from Chernobyl by Andy Marino

Yuri is an intern at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. He was super excited about the position. He left his home to come live with his Aunt & Uncle and cousins Alina and Lev, but when he arrived he found that it really just means he's a janitor. His uncle is a well known radio announcer who spouts the Party stuff on the radio but lets his children listen to Western radio stations at home and isn't afraid to criticize the powers that be within his own walls. That really rubs Yuri the wrong way, but his Uncle says he'll learn. The one bright spot of his time in Pripyat has been meeting Sofiya, a friend of Alina's whose father also works at the plant. All of their lives will be forever changed on April 26, 1986 when something goes very wrong at the plant.

Marino obviously did his research. He weaves stories of all these various characters so that each of them know different truths about the disaster and how much the government is keeping from the general public and what should be done. You really get to learn what happened in and around the plant in the hours after the disaster from all these various perspectives. Most of the characters Marino made up, while a few are real. It was interesting to have characters on a spectrum of dedication to the government to see how fast each is able to accept the truth of the depth of the emergency and just how brainwashed some Soviets were at this time. There is also a character with severe anxiety who uses music and repetition to try and cope. It was an interesting choice to include such a character in a tense situation, but also makes readers aware that anxiety issues aren't new, that people in the past in these horrible circumstances also often had to deal with ongoing emotional health issues too. This isn't a very easy read, as you know many of the characters aren't going to make it, but there is hope in that some do. Due to the nature of the story and the fact that the main characters range from 12 to 16 this feels like a borderline middle grade/YA book good for those segueing from one to the other. Recommended to disaster story fans, Russian setting fans, and historical fiction fans.

Notes on content: Language: About 2 minor swears as I remember. Sexual content: None. Violence: Radiation poisoning is accurately described and all that happens along with that. Some are severely injured in the explosion and there's some description of a couple of those injuries. There's one shooting that results in an injury. Others are threatened with death or know they are likely not to survive after the levels of radiation exposure they are getting. Ethnic diversity: All characters are Russian LGBTQ+ content: None specified. Other: Sudden upheaval from homes. Yuri is wrestling with the Party lines he's been fed all his life, and the truths his uncle shares with him. One character deals with anxiety/mental health issues.