Browsing: New releases

“Philipovna: Daughter of Sorrow,” by Valentina Gal. Toronto: MiroLand Publications, 2019.  277 pp.  ISBN: 978-1-77183-369-1 (paperback), $25.
The novel “Philipovna: Daughter of Sorrow” describes how, in the early 1930s, tactics of deliberate starvation and denial of basic rights were used to force the people of Ukraine to surrender to the Stalinist regime.  The story is told through the eyes of a young girl who witnessed the brutal results of what has been called a “crime against humanity.”  In carefully measured prose, Valentina Gal recreates the daily lives of those who suffered – and endured.
Valentina Gal, born in Hamilton, Ontario, is the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants and was born blind.  She is a distinguished graduate of McMaster University.

“A Biography of a Chance Miracle,” by Tanja Maljartschuk, translated by Zenia Tompkins. Kumamoto, Japan: Cadmus Press, 2018. 238 pp. ISBN: 978-4-908793-41-7 (paperback), $20.
The novel “A Biography of a Chance Miracle” tells the story of Lena, a young girl growing up in the bureaucracy-ridden and nationalistic fictional western Ukrainian city of San Francisco. An outcast due to her unwillingness to scorn everything Russian, her propensity for befriending forlorn creatures, her aversion to the status quo and her fear of living a meaningless life, Lena sets forth on a mission to defend the abused, be they canine or human. Armed with an arsenal of humor, stubbornness, chutzpah and no shortage of imagination, her successes are minimal but, in the process of trying to save San Francisco’s humanity, she may end up saving her own.

“Ukrainian Epic and Historical Song: Folklore in Context,” by Natalie Kononenko. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2019. 330 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4875-0263-8 (hardcover) $42.
Ukrainian epics, or dumy, were first recorded from blind minstrels in the nineteenth century, yet they reflect events dating back to as early as the 1300s. “Ukrainian Epic and Historical Song” provides new translations in contemporary English of these songs of family strife, war and human dignity. It also explains the historical events celebrated in epic and other historical songs: fierce battles, rebellion against tyranny, the struggles of captivity and the joys of escape from slavery.

“My Final Territory: Selected Essays,” by Yuri Anrukhovych. Translated by Mark Andryczyk and Michael M. Naydan. Toronto.: University of Toronto Press, 2018. 170 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4875-0171-6. $30-$40, hardcover; $20-$38, e-book.
Yuri Andrukhovych, one of Ukraine’s pre-eminent authors and cultural commentators, is credited with having renewed Ukrainian poetry in the mid-1980s. “My Final Territory” is a collection of 12 of his essays – 10 appearing for the first time in English. Touching on fields including philosophy, history, journalism, political science, sociology and anthropology, they are meant to demonstrate his enormous talent as an essayist to the English-speaking world and provide insight into the Ukrainian experience of nationality and identity.

“How They Made It in America: Success Stories and Strategies of Immigrant Women: from Isabel Allende to Ivana Trump, to Fashion Designer Josie Natori, Plus More,” by Fiona Citkin, Ph.D. Bloomington, IN: Archway Publishing, 2019. 288 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4808-7183-0 (paperback), $19.99.
In “How They Made It in America,” author Fiona Citkin brings a deep understanding to her study of first-generation women immigrants who, like her, came to America in pursuit of something more, with a determination to succeed. As her profiles illustrate, successful women immigrants vary widely in ethnicity, social status, education, profession, aspirations and age at arrival.

“My Dead Parents,” by Anya Yurchyshyn. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2018. 338 pp. ISBN: 978-0-553-44704-0 (hardcover), $27.
The memoir “My Dead Parents” is a journey of discovery for a daughter, Anya, who thinks that she knows her late parents. Through old letters, photographs and journals, Anya discovers that her parents were more than the rigid disciplinarians she knew growing up. She learns stories of a forbidden romance, a loving marriage and the loss of a child. Ultimately, “My Dead Parents” helps us see why sometimes, those who love us best hurt us most.

Dr. Oleh Wolowyna’s “Atlas of Ukrainians in the United States: Demographic and Socio-economic Characteristics” is perhaps one of the first comprehensive Atlases of an ethnic group in the U.S.A. In 380 maps, 15 figures and three tables, the atlas provides a thorough picture of the historical and current demographic and socioeconomic status of the Ukrainian community from the first wave of immigration in 1899 up until very recently in 2010.

NEW YORK – The Ukrainian Museum has announced the release of its latest catalogue, “Full Circle: Ukraine’s Struggle for Independence 100 Years Ago, 1917-1921,” published in conjunction with the exhibition by the same name. The catalogue for “Full Circle,” one of the most important exhibitions ever mounted at The Ukrainian Museum in New York, is an essential resource for anyone who has toured the show, and even more indispensable for those who haven’t.

“The Complete Correspondence of Hryhory Skovoroda: Philosopher and Poet,” by Hryhory Skovoroda, translated by Michael M. Naydan and Eleonora Adams. London: Glagoslav Publications, 2016. 244 pp. ISBN: 978-1-78437-990-2 (paperback), $22.65.

“The Garden of Divine Songs and Collected Poetry of Hryhory Skovoroda,” by Hryhory Skovoroda, translated by Michael M. Naydan. London: Glagoslav Publications, 2015. 134 pp. ISBN: 978-1-911414-03-2 (paperback), $21.40.

“Odessa Recollected: The Port and the People,” by Patricia Herlihy, Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. Brighton, Mass.: Academic Studies Press, 2018. 256 pp. ISBN: 978-1-61811-736-6 (hardcover) $42.

“Contours of The City,” by Attyla Mohylny, translated by Michael Naydan. London: Glagoslav Publication, 2017. 140 pp. ISBN: 978-1-911414-57-5 (paperback), $26.50.