83 DAYS IN MARIUPOL

A harrowing account of Ukrainian civilians and their defenders during the 2022 Russian attack and occupation of Mariupol.

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in opposition to international norms and agreements, falsely claimed that ethnic Russians in Ukraine were being persecuted and the country needed “denazification” as a premise for invasion. The port city of Mariupol came under attack days later. Through reports from eyewitnesses, the nightmarish realities of war come alive on the pages. Various aspects of the siege on Mariupol are covered, including Ukrainian reactions, desperate attempts to get to safety, and the last stand at the Azovstal steel plant, where over 3,000 people, civilians and soldiers alike, took shelter. The fighting was bloody and intense, with no hope for escape or help, but the Ukrainians stayed the course until forced to surrender in May 2022. The book doesn’t shy away from presenting the horrors of war—mass graves, rape, child death—and the plight of civilians trying to survive freezing temperatures without heat, electricity, water or food. However, its thoughtful, intentional approach and the muted, monochromatic, sketchlike art that conveys emotional impressions more than graphic, gory details help to convey the traumatic events in a way that teen readers can absorb. The plight of non-White Ukrainian residents who faced discrimination both within the country as they attempted to flee and from other countries where they sought refuge is mentioned.

Succinct, effective storytelling combined with haunting art.