Description: A sweeping narrative introduction to the Donbas, I Will Mix Your Blood with Coal: Snapshots from the East of Ukraineexplores the fraught histories and complicated present reality of the country's easternmost regions.
Review Quotes:
"Drawing from archives and interviews with miners and activists, Mykhed tells the human story of the Donbas." --New York Times Book Review
"Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, known collectively as the Donbas, have been major talking points since the start of Russia's war. With Oleksandr Mykhed's I Will Mix Your Blood with Coal, outside observers will have a chance to actually understand these regions from a cultural, people-oriented perspective. This vital book adds essential cultural context, and, sadly, deepens the sense of tragedy surrounding the ongoing war." --Kate Tsurkan, The Kyiv Independent"[I]ts strength lies in a polyphonic approach--presenting the voices of residents, miners, activists, and thinkers rather than a single authoritative perspective. This method reflects the real tensions and ambiguities of the region's history and identity . . . The book does not attempt to provide definitive answers or exhaustive sociological analysis; instead, it offers clues and reflections that allow readers to engage with the emotional and cultural textures of the region." --Homin Ukrayiny
"Oleksandr Mykhed's book is a tour de force of polyphonic reportage and essay. His voice is witty, wise, and empathetic. He approaches his subject matter--the Ukrainian east, at this moment one of the most important and most misunderstood places on the planet--with a rare combination of deep love and unflinching objectivity." --Uilleam Blacker, University College London "This book is about a region which still remains largely obscure and misunderstood. Ukrainian Donbas, a land fading away in time and space, amid history and politics, amid war and reconstruction, is revealed in this book in an unexpected and poignant way. The voices and figures, cities and landscapes represented here portray the Ukrainian East as a place filled not only with trauma, stereotypes, and enforced silence but also with faith, strength, and hope." --Serhiy Zhadan, writer