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The Language of War

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

‘We were so happy and didn’t know it…’

A thirty-three-year-old writer lives in a quiet European suburb with his wife and his dog. His parents have bought an apartment nearby. On weekends they go out for brunch, cook and see friends. Life is good; it is normal. Then the invaders come.

Language of War is about what happens when your world changes overnight. When you wake up to the sound of helicopters and the smell of gunpowder. When your home is hit by shells or broken into by gunmen, and you spend another night in a basement-turned-bomb shelter. When, even though you’ve never held a weapon before, you realise the only choice is to fight back. It is about things one can never forget, or forgive.

Bringing together Oleksandr Mykhed’s vivid day-by-day chronicles of the invasion of Ukraine with a chorus of other voices – his family, friends in exile, those who have fought and have witnessed unimaginable atrocities – this book is both a record, and a reckoning. Haunting and timeless, it asks how it is possible to find the words to describe a new reality; how you can still make sense of the world when the only language you can speak is the language of war.

©2024 Oleksandr Mykhed (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Essays Europe Military Military & War War
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Oleksandr’s book is honest and thought provoking, taking you through the first 13 months of the war with a unique perspective. It makes you feel like you were there, experiencing each moment and feeling through a warm and considered read.

A clear and gripping account of how the war unraveled in Ukraine. A must listen.

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