Six books that explain the history and culture of Ukraine
From gangsters in Odessa to paramilitaries in the Donbas
The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine. By Serhii Plokhy. Basic Books; 395 pages; $29.99. Allen Lane; £25
The author is the most distinguished historian of Ukraine writing in English. “Chernobyl”, his book on the nuclear disaster of 1986, is a masterful account of its causes and consequences. This one covers the many centuries in which the territory of Ukraine was plundered and invaded by powers from all points of the compass. Mr Plokhy shows how Ukrainian language, culture and identity flourished in adversity—which helps explain why, though they have only recently achieved a state of their own, Ukrainians are fighting heroically to defend it.
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