83 Days in Mariupol: a book discussion

Join us for a discussion of the graphic novel 83 Days in Mariupol:  a War Diary on Monday, October 7 at 6:30pm. 

A companion to September's partner event with Southwestern College's Deets Library, "The Question of Ukraine," the book discussion will include input from Lev Mitin, a Winfield High School student whose family emigrated from Ukraine during the siege of Mariupol. Emily Hedges, librarian at SC's Deets Library, will co-facilitate the discussion. 

Published in January 2023, 83 Days in Mariupol is a young adult graphic novel that captures the complexities of the war in Ukraine, focusing on the siege of Mariupol (February 2022-May 2022) The October 7 discussion is open to adults and teens; copies of the book are available to check out at WPL's front desk.  From the publisher:

A city ruined. In once quiet residential streets, two armies battle, driving people into cellars and basements with little food or water. No lights or heat. Dwindling medical supplies. Shells and bullets deliver cruel, random death to the young and old, men, women, and children. This is Mariupol, a Ukrainian city and early target of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Bordering Russian-occupied territory, the coastal city seemed doomed to a defeat that would come within days, if not hours. Could Mariupol, and Ukraine, survive? As Russian rockets threatened the city, Ukrainians resisted, and with a heroic combination of sacrifice and bravery, the besieged city endured...for months. But it all came at a steep cost. 

With compassion and his keen journalist's eye, Don Brown illuminates the horrors of Mariupol and the depredations of its people not seen in the city since World War II. He also shows that outside of Mariupol, the city's agonies were mirrored by similar events occurring in towns and cities across Ukraine. 83 Days in Mariupol reminds us that the bloody defiance shown at the Alamo, Dunkirk, Leningrad, and Thermopylae isn't confined to the past but has a violent, modern presence. It is the story of senseless destruction, patriotism, and grit against long odds - a brutal battle whose consequences still reverberate across Ukraine and continue to reshape the global political landscape.