In Wartime

“The war in Ukraine was fought at the height of postmodernity, and at first images trumped words and propaganda overwhelmed reality. Yet with time it was a few journalists, the handful of women and men who were willing to travel, learn, and report, who transformed the two dimensions of the screen into the three of life, the clichés of governments into the faces of people. Tim Judah, one of the best of them, does not tell us what to think about war but instead teaches us how: with courage, humility, attention to human detail, and admirable historical intuition.”—Timothy Snyder, #1 New York Times bestselling author of On Tyranny

“Judah has written the first important book about the war in Ukraine, and it should be on the shelf of every diplomat and journalist shipping out to the region.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Vividly clear . . . a portrait of what it’s like living during wartime . . . Judah gives a very helpful overview of Ukraine’s systematic economic difficulties. . . . . Brave, thoughtful, self-effacing, and effective.”—William T. Vollmann, Bookforum

“Judah’s book is full of detailed reporting from both Western and Eastern Ukraine—he covered the conflict with Russia for The New York Review of Books—and although he sympathizes with the attempts to strengthen the government in Kiev and repel Russian aggression, his book offers a nuanced portrait of people on all sides of the conflict.”—Isaac Chotiner, Slate

“Rich and beautiful . . . deep, fastidious, and detailed . . . Judah articulately and comprehensively explains what happened in the region during World War II, and the important connection between history and present-day violence.”—Chicago Tribune

“An important new book . . . fast-paced and very topical . . . Readers won’t forget the pathos and violence Tim Judah has described.”—The Christian Science Monitor

“Judah writes in taut, informative language. . . . Instilling a lasting impression of a nation at once divided in loyalties and in the throes of a war—a real and somewhat bizarre one—a quarter-century after independence from the Soviet Union.”—The Minneapolis StarTribune

“A lively blend of research and personal narratives.”—Las Vegas Weekly

“It is no small trick to convey what life is like for ordinary Ukrainians. . . . Judah succeeds by traveling to these often out-of-the-way communities, poking around neighborhoods and museums, starting conversations with the people he meets. . . . He reveals the links between the current conflict and the history lying beneath the emotions and memories.”—Foreign Affairs

“A compelling and acute piece of contemporary reportage.”—David Edgar, The London Review of Books
 
“The strength of Judah’s In Wartime lies in the depth, range and balance of his reportage and his eye for telling details.”—Tony Barber, Financial Times