Customer Reviews

Return to Ukraine (Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Tex.)

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Three books are enfolded into this elegant and readable volume. One is a first hand account of the very first months of Ukraine's existence as a separate state upon the collapse of the USSR. The other is an amusing travelogue through Crimea and the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea. The third is the personal story of daughter-mother relationship, made all the more poignant by the onset of the mother's Alzheimer disease. Savage, an American journalist born during the Second World War in Ukraine which her parents flee before the Soviets, is invited by the still existing Soviet Ukrainian government to teach a course on American journalism. She arrives in Ukraine two days after the aborted putsch put an end to the existence of the USSR. Aware of her mother's illness, she brings her to Ukraine for a short visit, which coincides with the exhumation of the skeletons on the Ukrainian Partisan Army soldiers who between 1941 and 1952 fought both the Nazi Germans and Soviet Russians. Figurative skeletons are skillfully woven into the account, as Savage deftly weaves history, politics, and personal observations into a fascinating tale of the slow disintegration of a totalitarian regime, and an equally slow birth of a new democratic Ukraine. This is much more than a travel book and it covers more than just the Ukrainian experience. Savage gives us a readable introduction to the painful story of how a totalitarian regime could destroy even those who fled it, while at the same time providing us with graphic vignettes of how individuals cope in conditions not of their own making. Savage is able to capture real people on paper, even though she does make a few factual mistakes. But why quibble with a spot, when the overall picture is so good? Martha BohachevskyWashington DC

Having taken a trip in 1990 for a pilgrimage to my grandparents' graves and to see my roots I was really interested in reading Ania's book to see what her impressions were. I had reservations about the ability to stomach reading the boring diary of someone else's trip. Boy was I surprised. I couldn't put the book down. Ania has a very interesting writing style. I didn't have to read dry trip recounting by a "wanna-be" author. I read a professionally written "story" with interesting scenes from her travels. These were presented complete with flashbacks and interspersed with historical facts that helped me understand the situation.

I think that anyone interested in understanding that period of time should read this book. Additionally one of the best uses of the book would be to make it required reading for all the second generation (+) children of Ukrainian parents in North American. Many attend evening or Saturday schooling in Ukrainian and struggle to understand what it's all about. This book would be easier for them to read and comprehend, and could help them immensely.

From the Carpathian Mountains to the Black Sea, a great description of independent Ukraine. Ania Savage has written a wonderful book describing her journey to Ukraine during the time Ukraine was gaining its independence from Russia. The story of her family fleeing Russian persecution when she was six years old and her growing up in the USA with her mother's fond memories of home adds depth to her visit to the towns of her youth. Her description of her visits to both Western and Eastern Ukraine gives the reader a great sense of the cultural and geographic differences in this large Eastern European country. She works in a urban university and a rural school and her descriptions of the people she meets are respectful but insightful. She provides a lot of historic background to the places she visits and her bibliography in the back of the book is a valuable resource for further reading. This is a great book to read if you want to find out about Ukraine at the moment this great country gained its independence. It is a shame that almost eight years have passed between the events described in the book and its publication. The last chapter tries to bring the reader up to date, but it is only able to update us on the characters. It only briefly covers events in the last eight years of Ukrainian democracy and left me yearning for more.

Savage's book taps into the nature of our roots and the unique troubles facing the former Soviet Union as it deals with its own sordid history. The style is conversational without being light, and I was shocked (and taught) by some of the experiences the author had while traveling to and in the Ukraine.

An absolutely engrossing account of life in the Ukraine during the post-Soviet period by a Ukranian-American journalist and writer. Interwoven against the historical background is the author's more personal quest for her roots and a portrait of her family's poignant return to the homeland they fled in the dark days of 1944. Ms. Savage's superb command of history and elegant prose keep one's attention riveted to the very end. A "must read" for anyone interested in Eastern European-American affairs, especially in light of the recent election in Russia.

Excellent book. It gives the reader a mixture of a travelogue and bits of history.Highly recommended for persons that intend to travel to Ukraine, conduct some business and especially for the diplomats, not familiar with Ukraine. There are some minor historical inaccuracies, but in general it is an excellent source for people not familiar with that part of the world.

This is an excellent book, beautifully written and presented. I have not (yet) visited Ukraine, but it is my intention to visit Lvov and Kiev (I have spelt them the 'old way' not the Ukrainian way) in the near future. Mrs. Savage's book conveys a real 'feel' for Ukraine and a real love. Even without interest in Ukraine, her story is a most interesting and compelling one for any lecturer or teacher living in a strange country.

Anna Savage left Ukraine as a little girl during the chaos of World War II and returned as an American journalist shortly after Ukraine became an independent country in 1991 These bookends of her life provide the context for a detailed portrait of life in post-communist Ukraine, historical background necessary to understand that portrait and one family's search for its roots. Ms. Savage is able to combine her journalist's eye for a story with her family's stories about a homeland she scarcely recalls. She is also very honest in depicting the reactions of herself, her mother and her aunt upon return to a homeland that is now less than idyllic.

As a foreigner to the subject of Eastern European Studies, I found Ms. Savage's book to be a noteworthy introduction to Ukraine. Documenting a compelling journey through time, Ms. Savage invites her readers to travel with her round Ukraine. Her passage titled Ukranization of a Ukrainian American, is an effectual commentary, through which any immigrant can relate to the trepidation and awe that overcome us as "strangers" in our homeland. Return to Ukraine recites a compassionate tale of Ms. Savage's personal expedition to identify with her birthplace amidst the historical and political struggles of the post-Soviet lands to independence.

Three books are enfolded into this elegant and readable volume. One is a first hand account of the very first months of Ukraine's existence as a separate state upon the collapse of the USSR. The other is an amusing travelogue through Crimea and the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea. The third is the personal story of daughter-mother relationship, made all the more poignant by the onset of the mother's Alzheimer disease. Savage, an American journalist born during the Second World War in Ukraine which her parents flee before the Soviets, is invited by the still existing Soviet Ukrainian government to teach a course on American journalism. She arrives in Ukraine two days after the aborted putsch put an end to the existence of the USSR. Aware of her mother's illness, she brings her to Ukraine for a short visit, which coincides with the exhumation of the skeletons on the Ukrainian Partisan Army soldiers who between 1941 and 1952 fought both the Nazi Germans and Soviet Russians. Figurative skeletons are skillfully woven into the account, as Savage deftly weaves history, politics, and personal observations into a fascinating tale of the slow disintegration of a totalitarian regime, and an equally slow birth of a new democratic Ukraine. This is much more than a travel book and it covers more than just the Ukrainian experience. Savage gives us a readable introduction to the painful story of how a totalitarian regime could destroy even those who fled it, while at the same time providing us with graphic vignettes of how individuals cope in conditions not of their own making. Savage is able to capture real people on paper, even though she does make a few factual mistakes. But why quibble with a spot, when the overall picture is so good? Martha BohachevskyWashington DC