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A review by bagusayp
The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexiévich
3.0
This book has piqued my interest mainly because of the topic it covers, which is about the horrors of war experienced by Soviet women during World War II. In this book, Svetlana interviewed so many Soviet women who took various roles during the war. It’s simply unbelievable to me at first that there were women who shot German soldiers as snipers.
Oral history is a unique approach to set straight the untold story of women during the war. Rather than presenting historical facts, Svetlana tells the horrors of war by highlighting important points from the women she interviewed. Through this method of retelling, we could see the stories of the war beyond the superficial highlights of many history books. We learn to see the stories from the lenses of ordinary people, and particularly women.
I could understand why this book was attacked by the Soviet establishment during its first publication as it downplays the heroic roles of wartime Soviet heroes and exposes the darkest sides of the war. Much like Remarque in his [b:All Quiet on the Western Front|846136|All Quiet on the Western Front|Erich Maria Remarque|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320450441l/846136._SY75_.jpg|2662852], Svetlana seems to take the stance to see the war itself as the enemy, and not the fascist fronts. Through each story which is interjected by the author’s own commentaries, she tries to paint war from humane’s faces.
Reading this book feels to me like watching a documentary in the form of a book, as has been said by many other reviews. The advantage of the oral history method is that it’s rich in perspectives, as we can see the war from so many different viewpoints. There are funny parts, while also the tragic parts which dominate the whole story. And as expected of women’s experiences, the narratives involve a lot of uncontainable feelings inside. The lack of editorship in this method shows war in its rawest form.
However, I also have some concerns about the lack of flow maintenance and point-catching in this book. There are so many different women interviewed for the book. Even the interview qualities vary greatly from chapter to chapter. Some interviews are really interesting, lengthy, and provide more clear insights as compared to some others. It is difficult for me to maintain my motivation to read this book, as there is no clear timeline from start to end. I was expecting this book to touch more on timeline-based rather than theme-based, but maybe it’s just a matter of preference on my part. Nevertheless, this book is a great addition to learn further insights into World War II and its postwar effects on Soviet women. And especially, the translation of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky has also done its magic again.
Oral history is a unique approach to set straight the untold story of women during the war. Rather than presenting historical facts, Svetlana tells the horrors of war by highlighting important points from the women she interviewed. Through this method of retelling, we could see the stories of the war beyond the superficial highlights of many history books. We learn to see the stories from the lenses of ordinary people, and particularly women.
I could understand why this book was attacked by the Soviet establishment during its first publication as it downplays the heroic roles of wartime Soviet heroes and exposes the darkest sides of the war. Much like Remarque in his [b:All Quiet on the Western Front|846136|All Quiet on the Western Front|Erich Maria Remarque|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320450441l/846136._SY75_.jpg|2662852], Svetlana seems to take the stance to see the war itself as the enemy, and not the fascist fronts. Through each story which is interjected by the author’s own commentaries, she tries to paint war from humane’s faces.
Reading this book feels to me like watching a documentary in the form of a book, as has been said by many other reviews. The advantage of the oral history method is that it’s rich in perspectives, as we can see the war from so many different viewpoints. There are funny parts, while also the tragic parts which dominate the whole story. And as expected of women’s experiences, the narratives involve a lot of uncontainable feelings inside. The lack of editorship in this method shows war in its rawest form.
However, I also have some concerns about the lack of flow maintenance and point-catching in this book. There are so many different women interviewed for the book. Even the interview qualities vary greatly from chapter to chapter. Some interviews are really interesting, lengthy, and provide more clear insights as compared to some others. It is difficult for me to maintain my motivation to read this book, as there is no clear timeline from start to end. I was expecting this book to touch more on timeline-based rather than theme-based, but maybe it’s just a matter of preference on my part. Nevertheless, this book is a great addition to learn further insights into World War II and its postwar effects on Soviet women. And especially, the translation of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky has also done its magic again.