Product Description

The Ukraine is one of the most neglected countries in the world. It has a population of 52 million - larger than Britain's - and a land mass the size of France; it also has Chernobyl, and after Russia is the largest nuclear power. The word 'Ukraine' means 'borderland' and for most of its history the lands that make up present-day Ukraine have been a collection of other countries' border regions. Prior to Stalinism and Nazism, Ukraine was ethnically extremely diverse, including Russians, Poles, Jews, Greeks and Armenians. Their ghosts linger in language, literature, and architecture, quite distinct from Russia's.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22862 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

From the Back Cover
Borderland tells the story of Ukraine. Centre of the first great Slav civilisation in the tenth century, and divided between warring neighbours for the next thousand years, Ukraine finally won independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Bigger than France and as populous as Britain, it has the potential to become one of the leading states of Europe. Talking to peasants and politicians, rabbis and racketeers, dissidents and paramilitaries, survivors of Stalin's famine and of Nazi death camps, Anna Reid combines historical research and her own experiences to dissect the bloody and controversial past of this little-known land.

'If you think you couldn't be interested in Ukraine - and I thought I couldn't - you should read this book' Matthew Parris, A Good Read, Radio 4

'A beautifully written evocation of Ukraine's brutal past and its shaky efforts to construct a better future…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' Financial Times

PHOENIX
NON-FICTION/HISTORY
UK £7.99
CAN $17.95

Cover photograph: [Details to follow]

Isbn: 1 84212 722 5

About the Author
Anna Reid has a master's degree in Russian History and reform economics from London University's School of Slavonic and East European Studies. She was the Kiev correspondent for the Economist and the Daily Telegraph from 1993 to 1995.

Customer Reviews

Good read overall
I am a Ukrainian from Kyiv myself and I purchased the book while searching for a guide to my country for some friends of mine, who plan to visit. I would like to commend the author on her good work - the book is well-written and quite captivating (I started flipping through the pages and ended up reading the entire book). Also, it is clear a lot of background research went into it. Finally, I am thankful for the book as such as there is so little popular information on Ukraine published yet. Couple of clarifying remarks are still in order, in my opinion. Firstly, the depiction of Ukraine in the book is quite dated. Kyiv, for one, has changed dramatically since ten years ago (when the material of the book was gathered) - mostly for the better. Also, invariably for a non-scientific history book, a lot of views and perceptions of the author are subjective. That's what makes the book interesting and readable, but also that is why the book should not be used as a proper guide to a Ukrainian history (The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation by Andrew Wilson is one of my picks, apart from the classical history books published by Ukrainian historians). My final comment is that Anna Reid seems to have discovered many Ukraines - Polish, Russian, Austrian, Jewish, Romanian ones (reflecting my country's history and the wonderfully diverse ethnic and cultural heritage), but I feel that Ukrainian Ukraine is yet to be fully discovered and appreciated by the author... Perhaps Anna should come and visit Ukraine again and update the book?

A Must-Read for anyone wanting to know about Ukraine
If you are looking for an introduction to Ukraine, and Ukrainians, then this is the book for you. It's well written and not too heavy to digest. It's also peppered with some amusing insights from the author's time in Ukraine. A welcome diversion from the heavy academic tomes usually on offer.

History rather than Travel
I bought this book thinking it was a travel book, expecting to find descriptions of mountains, forests and adventures with bears and strange people. Instead it is a comprehensive history of an eastern European crossroads, an area that has been involved in very many political expansions, empires and revolutions. I'd never before seen this important chunk of history centred on this part of the world; I was amazed at how Anna Reid's very readable account made sense of many events about which I'd previously read as peripheral events.