Reading Ukraine: 21 new, can’t-miss books about the country

Now two full years after Russia’s invasion, the war in Ukraine still rages on. In that time, our desire to understand the situation and peoples involved has not waned, and the book world has responded.

Below are some of the books published in the past year you can check out on the Libby app to learn about those in the midst of this battle.

Fiction

Forgottenness by Tanja Maljartschuk, translated by Zenia Tompkins

Forgottenness is a poetic novel about exile and displacement, both now and in the history of Ukraine. The novel focuses on a connection between a Ukrainian woman in the present and a Polish man from the turn of the 20th century, born on the same day 100 years apart. Increasingly, the unnamed narrator of the present struggles with anxiety and agoraphobia, which leads her to turn to newspaper histories. In the old stories, she discovers a Polish dissident who advocated for Ukrainian independence, but also fought his own inner battles. This is a literary triumph examining home and statelessness, time and memory.

Additional reading:

• The Ukraine by Artem Chapeye, translated by Zenia Tompkins
• Diaries of War by Nora Krug
• The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk
• Ivan and Phoebe by Oksana Lutsyshyna, translated by Nina Murray
• The Sun Will Rise by Misha Zelinsky
• How Fire Descends by Serhiy Zhadan, translated by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps

Nonfiction

Our Enemies Will Vanish by Yaroslav Trofimov

Based on his first-hand reporting and interviews, Wall Street Journal reporter and Ukrainian-born journalist Trofimov has produced a thorough recounting of the first year of the current war. Harrowing, brutal and detailed, this is as complete an account of the first year as any reader could hope for.

Additional reading:

• The Rooster House by Victoria Belim
• I'll Never Change My Name by Valentin Chmerkovskiy
• The Matryoshka Memoirs by Sasha Colby
• The Boy from Kyiv by Marina Harss
• Ukraine by Yaroslav Hrytsak, translated by Dominique Hoffman
• Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky by Jessie Asya Kanzer
• Diary of an Invasion by Andrey Kurkov
• The War Came to Us by Christopher Miller
• War and Punishment by Mikhail Zygar

Kids & Teens

Who Will Make the Snow? by Taras Prokhasko and Marjana Prokhasko, translated by Boris Dralyuk and Jennifer Croft

Crawly and Purl are twin moles born into an already extensive mole family. Through each chapter following their entrance into the world, the twins learn important lessons about everything from swimming to cheese as they also make friends throughout the forest. One important debate is whether the ancestors of the moles in heaven make the snow, or if perhaps it is the ancestors of the owls. Beautifully written by the Prokhaskos, a husband and wife team, and translated by the American husband and wife team of Dralyuk and Croft, the book also has charming illustrations throughout.

Additional reading:

• A Cool History of Ukraine by Inna Kovalyshena and Galochka Ch, translated by Hanna Leliv
• Brave Volodymyr by Linda Elovitz Marshall and Grasya Oliyko
• Threads by Lina Maslo

*Title availability may vary by library and region.

Borrow these titles and more for free on Libby.

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