LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Somewhat randomly Christopher Miller found himself studying and teaching in Eastern Ukraine even before Russia illegally invaded Crimea in 2014. Later as a journalist working for the Kyiv Post he’s in the thick of it - firstly in Kyiv for the uprising, next Crimea and then later the Eastern oblasts where a horrible war rumbles away, only really to grab the full attention of the West on 24th February 2022 when Putin launched a full scale invasion. Over the course of more than a decade Miller seems to have hardly left the country, right up until as recently as December when he returned to Bakhmut at the height of a raging battle between Ukrainian forces and a mostly Wagnerian enemy.
Miller is a brilliant and brave journalist who writes compassionately about the people he meets, and he meets a lot of people. He consistently heads into the heart of the action, finding the characters who will share their stories which are at the centre of a bigger picture. I lost count of how many times he found himself at a checkpoint with a gun in his face using either Russian or Ukrainian to talk his way through. And he has seen a lot of death. Some of it up close - there are a number of occasions where he can count himself lucky to be alive. Needless to say there are horrors within these pages, but Miller never dramatises nor glorifies. Quite the opposite.
In a war of propaganda, lies and betrayals, The War Came To Us offers both context and truth. The early chapters of the book where life is relatively normal, draw you in to the culture of Ukraine and provide an opportunity to sense what peace felt like at a time when the country was progressing away from corruption and towards democracy. It was a time of hope. This hope of course shatters, and when it does Christopher Miller is there to search through the pieces. This is great journalism from a man who knows Ukraine intimately and isn’t afraid to report the reality of what is happening in a country he clearly loves. Riveting, informative and heartbreaking.
Greg Hackett
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| Primary Genre |
History
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About
The War Came To Us Synopsis
A breathtaking exploration of Ukraine's past, present, and future, and a heartbreaking account of the war against Russia, written by the leading journalist of the conflict.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine just before dawn on 24 February 2022, it marked his latest and most overt attempt to brutally conquer the country, and reshaped the world order.
Christopher Miller, the Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and the foremost journalist covering the country, was there on the ground when the first Russian missiles struck and troops stormed over the border. But the seeds of Russia's war against Ukraine and the West were sown more than a decade earlier.
This is the definitive, inside story of its long fight for freedom. Told through Miller's personal experiences, vivid front-line dispatches and illuminating interviews with unforgettable characters, The War Came To Us takes readers on a riveting journey through the key locales and pivotal events of Ukraine's modern history.
From the coal-dusted, sunflower-covered steppe of the Donbas in the far east to the heart of the Euromaidan revolution camp in Kyiv; from the Black Sea shores of Crimea, where Russian troops stealthily annexed Ukraine's peninsula, to the bloody battlefields where Cossacks roamed before the Kremlin's warlords ruled with iron fists; and through the horror and destruction wrought by Russian forces in Bucha, Bakhmut, Mariupol, and beyond. With candor, wit and sensitivity, Miller captures Ukraine in all its glory: vast, defiant, resilient, and full of wonder.
A breathtaking narrative that is at times both poignant and inspiring, The War Came To Us is the story of an American who fell in love with a foreign place and its people - and witnessed them do extraordinary things to escape the long shadow of their former imperial ruler and preserve their independence.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781399406857 |
| Publication date: |
20th July 2023 |
| Author: |
Christopher Miller |
| Publisher: |
Bloomsbury Continuum an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
400 pages |
| Primary Genre |
History
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Press Reviews
Christopher Miller Press Reviews
Christopher Miller has been an indispensable guide to what's been really happening in Ukraine for a decade or more, and his writing has helped show the world the true face of a country that is too often lied about. - Oliver Bullough, bestselling author of Butler to the World, Moneyland and The Last Man in Russia
When I want to know what is happening in Ukraine, I turn first to Chris Miller's reporting. Whether it's the latest information from the front lines of Russia's war against Ukraine, insightful analysis on political manoeuvrings in Kyiv, or understanding into what the average Ukrainian is thinking about current events, Miller always has the inside track. Now in his riveting book The War Came to Us, this foremost expert on the region takes us back over the last 12 years, providing the history, the culture and the context to help us understand where Ukraine is today and what might come next. A must-read for those who want to get beyond the headlines. - Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and author of The New York Times bestseller Lessons From The Edge: A Memoir
Christopher Miller knows Ukraine with unmatchable depth and a fierce intimacy - way before it became the eye of the global storm he was living and studying in this critical country. There isn't a village he hasn't visited and a front line he hasn't crossed. The world is belatedly waking up to the importance of Ukraine. And Miller is the ultimate guide. - - Peter Pomerantsev, author of This Is Not Propaganda and Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible
A penetrating account of the reality of Putin's war on Ukraine... With powerful stories and insightful background, Miller provides a human dimension to a bloody conflict. - Kirkus - starred review
War correspondent Miller's heart-pounding debut describes in gritty detail the frontline fighting and key events preceding Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine...this is frontline reporting at its finest. - Publishers Weekly
Written with love, respect, and the critical eye of a reporter, the book evinces deep dedication to an adopted homeland... The War Came to Us is a detailed, personal, and engaging account of recent transformative events in Ukraine's history. - Foreword
Author
About Christopher Miller
Christopher Miller is an American writer and journalist who has reported from Ukraine and across Eastern Europe for more than 13 years. When he’s not in Kyiv or on the front lines in the Donbas, he lives with his wife and two Ukrainian cats in Brooklyn, New York.
Since 2022, Miller has been the lead correspondent in Ukraine for the Financial Times covering Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. He was previously a world and national security reporter for POLITICO, senior world correspondent for BuzzFeed News, and correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Kyiv. Miller has reported from the front lines of Ukraine’s Euromaidan revolution, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and the Kremlin’s invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. He was part of the Kyiv Post team that received the 2014 Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism for on-the-ground coverage of the revolution.
Miller’s journalism has also appeared in The Times, the Guardian, The Atlantic, the Telegraph, the Independent, Vice News, CNN, and many other publications. He appears frequently as a guest on major television news programs, including those on CNN and MSNBC, as well as podcasts and radio programs produced by the Financial Times, the BBC, RTE, Monocle and more.
Photo Credit BriAnn Wills
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