Stubborn Life
Hardship and Hope in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland
by Franceska Michalska
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Pub Date 5 Nov 2024 | Archive Date 5 Nov 2024
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Description
"Not an easy read, but an important one.” —Historical Novel Society
The end of the 1920s, the author’s first memory: a knock on the door and the arrest of her uncle, guilty of “anti-Soviet activities.” He is to be executed. Born in 1923, a dozen or so kilometers from the pre-war Polish-Soviet border, Franceska Michalska is a citizen of occupied Ukraine. Her family, finding a nest of eggs to eat, miraculously survive the great famine of 1931–32 before falling victim to growing Stalinist terror and the mass deportation of Poles from the region to Kazakhstan. All the while, Franceska dreams of studying medicine. 8,000 km and infinite difficulties later, she enters Poland and becomes a doctor, finally obtaining the Polish nationality she never had. Writing in a heartfelt yet matter-of-fact style, Michalska brilliantly evokes daily life under Russian occupation. Now more than ever, this memoir reads like a warning against history repeating, while at the same time offering a testament to human strength and to hope.
Advance Praise
“Rarely do people write about such great tragedies as calmly as Michalska does—without complaint, without blame. The dispassionate style of the narrative strengthens the impact of the description. This is a story about the will to survive, and about the joy that comes from that survival. Awe-inspiring—I read this incredible recollection in one breath.” —Granice
“A sober hymn to tenacity and courage. This determined woman tells her story in a neutral tone, without pathos, without bitterness, without incriminating or nationalist reproaches. Despite everything, solidarity, dedication, and kindness persist.” —Les Notes
“What a story! Stubborn Life is both a glimpse into all the complexities and cruelties of the Soviet twentieth century, and a sober and powerful account of a life marked as much by the determination to move forward as by ‘the memory of all those (…) who stayed there forever.’” —Passage à l’Est
Marketing Plan
- Tie-in placement in media coverage of current war in Ukraine
- Appeals to readers interested in the Ukraine, history, medical biography, inspiring stories of female empowerment and of resilience
- Advance galleys and digital reader copies
- National TV, radio, print, and online review campaign
- Consumer-facing national advertising campaign on Shelf Awareness, Lithub, NPR, Foreword Reviews, Goodreads
- Book club discussion guide
- Bookstore co-op available
- Excerpt placement
- Social-media campaign & Goodreads Giveaway
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781642861525 |
| PRICE | US$19.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 200 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Jamie C, Reviewer
I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for fair unbiased review of this book. I really like non fiction. I didn't know much about what happened in Ukraine, Krykstan, and Poland in the early years. It was good learning more about the conflicts.
It took me longer to read this book than usual. The chapters are short. So MUCH happens that it is a very detailed book. The book deals with so many tragic events. Sometimes it was too much for me.
The ending is more my style of a book. It looks back at the events. There is hope and love at the end.
I learned a lot from this book. Most of the horrors I know of in the 30s were of the Holocaust. I didn't realize so MUCH horrors happened in other countries in those days.
It is an important book to read. I am thankful for the opportunity to read this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the extraordinary author of this book.
Reviewer 704555
The subtitle is a bit misleading, because at no point does Franceska Michalska make "hope" a crucial element of her lived experience. Instead, what takes centre-stage is the determination she possessed to keep going in times of tremendous social and political adversity. The brusqueness of tone in writing the memoir gives it the sort of edge Elie Wiesel's style gave to "Night": the brutality and cruelty becomes starker for the lack of graphic description.
Eunice C, Reviewer
What an incredible journey of travesty yet overlaid with the stubborness to survive! Definitely this has been a memoir of one who was in survival of the fittest mode.
Author Franceska Michalska tells it like it was, no holds barred. Her story of displacement after displacement with harrowing journeys from Volhynia (Poland Belarus Ukraine), Kazakstan and her native Poland during WWII. The abuse and cruelty of captors, mainly Russian, was exponential. Enduring starvation, fear, sub-zero temps, hard labor, and more, she lived by her wits and managed an education and a medical degree by snips and snaps.
This book has been translated from Polish into English by Sean Gasper Bye. In my opinion it is has been good for me to learn of these things. It feels like the people in these Eastern Europian regions have had it even worse than those in western zones. One would definitely not wish to have this happen all over again. However, this region seems to be so repeatedly hard hit, even now. This book will certainly give clarity on the situation to those readers who care and wish to understand more.
~ Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger ~
June 2024
Disclaimer: This is my own and honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
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