BOOK NOTES

"Borderland" presents history via collage of varied perceptions

"Borderland: A Journey Through the History of Ukraine" by Anna Reid. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1999, 259 pp., $25 (cloth).

Originally released in the United Kingdom in 1997, Anna Reid's "Borderland: A Journey Through the History of Ukraine" was released in hard cover in the United States by Westview Press in mid-1999. According to David Tobey of Westview Press, a paperback release is planned for summer 2000 that will include an update by Ms. Reid to the book's final chapter.

Ms. Reid, a British journalist who lived in the Ukrainian capital for several years, working as the Kyiv correspondent for The Economist and the Daily Telegraph, tells the story of Ukraine through the eyes of its citizens. The authors paints an image of Ukraine as a borderland that for centuries was also a battlefield.

In compiling this book Ms. Reid spoke with villagers, politicians, political dissidents, Ukrainians, Jews, Russians, survivors of both the Great Famine of 1932-1933 and the Holocaust, and others. The author also delves into Ukraine's history, from its beginnings as Kyivan Rus' to the wartime years and the recent past, and uncovers differing perceptions of the country's history that color and influence its present.

Ms. Reid takes her readers to several Ukrainian cities, among them Kyiv, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Donetsk, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chornobyl.

As noted on the book's jacket, "... the book explores Ukraine's struggle to rebuild its national identity, an identity that faces up to a bloody past, and embraces all the peoples within its borders."

The book has received good reviews. The Financial Times writes: "A beautifully written evocation of Ukraine's brutal past and its shaky efforts to construct a better future. ... Reid succeeds in vividly conjuring up dozens of little-known heroes and villains of Ukrainian history. ... [She] summons up the rogues and poets of Ukraine's past with a deft touch, but her real theme is the tragedy which has been Ukraine's lot for much of its history. ... 'Borderland' is a tapestry woven of the stories of all its inhabitants, recording their triumphs and their conflicts with the fairness of a compassionate outsider."

The Independent (London) writes: "This book takes the reader on a fascinating and often violent odyssey, spanning more than 1,000 years of conflict and culture. She translates her obvious mastery of her subject into an accessible work, which should enrich the experience of any traveler to this new country."

The book, which sells for $25, may be ordered by calling Westview at 1-800-386-5656 or visiting the publisher's website at www.perseusbooksgroup.com.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 28, 2000, No. 22, Vol. LXVIII

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