113. Last Witnesses

Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults) Svetlana Alexievich. 2021. 288 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Last Witnesses is a collection of true stories told firsthand by people who grew up in the Soviet Union (present-day Russia and Eastern Europe) and lived through World War II as children. Their accounts of survival range from gruesome and tragic to extraordinarily lucky to—in some cases—even hopeful. All the stories are alarming, as they took place against a backdrop of fearsome war and violence. It is crucial to understand both the geography and the history of the Soviet Union to fully feel the impact of each shocking testimony. On June 22, 1941, the German army invaded the Soviet Union. A titanic battle unfolded. It would last for four years, setting in opposition two countries with a long history of rivalry and antagonism. The battle also brought two ruthless dictators head to head: Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

This is how the book opens:

INSTEAD OF A PREFACE

…ONE QUOTATION

In the course of the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) millions of Soviet children died: Russians, Belorussians, Ukrainians, Jews, Tatars, Latvians, Gypsies, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Armenians, Tadjiks…

People’s Friendship magazine, 1985, No. 5

…AND ONE QUESTION BY A RUSSIAN CLASSIC

Fyodor Dostoevsky once posed a question: can we justify our world, our happiness, and even eternal harmony, if in its name, to strengthen its foundation, at least one little tear of an innocent child will be spilled? And he himself answered: this tear will not justify any progress, any revolution. Any war. It will always outweigh them.

Just one little tear…

Premise/plot: Essentially it is a collection of short vignettes by survivors sharing their memories. Most--if not all--were young children (a few younger, some older). These memories are unique yet seen together as a whole paint a horrific picture of the war.  Most entries are short--a few are longer. I believe the last entry is the longest. 

My thoughts: This was a powerful read. It certainly isn't for everyone. It is a heavy, heavy book in terms of emotional weight and burden. Yet their voices mattered then and now. Their stories need to be heard; heard and not forgotten.

This book has been adapted for young readers. But I think 'young' is a matter of perspective. Young adult would be a good fit even if most of the stories are about younger children. As I mentioned, it's a heavy book.

Quote:

The war ended…I waited for a day, for two days. No one came to get me. Mama didn’t come for me, and papa, I knew, was in the army. I waited for two weeks like that, and couldn’t wait any longer. I got under a seat on a train and rode…Where? I didn’t know. I thought (this was still my child’s mind) that all trains went to Minsk. And in Minsk mama was waiting! Then papa would come…A hero! With orders, with medals.

They had perished somewhere under the bombs. The neighbors told me later—they had both gone looking for me. They had rushed to the train station.

I’m already fifty-one years old. I have children of my own. But I still want my mama.

Zina Kosiak

EIGHT YEARS OLD. NOW A HAIRDRESSER.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews