Chernobyl Prayer

One of the most beautiful and devastating books I’ve ever read, Chernobyl Prayer relates the story of the 1986 nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine from the point of view of those most closely involved. Nobel laureate Alexievich’s unique method of using verbatim witness accounts, which she edits into something closely resembling poetry, elevates this to the level of great literature. The Soviet government’s attempts to cover up the scale of the disaster are widely considered to have contributed to the final collapse of the Soviet Union.

The first part of this book—“A lone human voice”—is one of the most unforgettably moving pieces of prose I have ever read. The book is a collage of personal accounts of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and its aftermath, focusing on the experiences of people who lived through it, and are still living with it. These stories testify to the inescapable fact that we a part of nature. To consider our impact on the natural world is to recognize the devastating impact we have on ourselves. The author was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2015 for this book and her other… show more.