CHERNOBYL, LIFE, AND OTHER DISASTERS

Strong-willed Genya sets her mind to attending art school in 1980s Ukraine, amidst the turmoil of Soviet control, the Cold War, and the unfolding Chernobyl nuclear disaster.Genya ;the nickname of the book ;s author and story ;s protagonist, Yevgenia ;knows from age five that she wants to be an artist. When she turns eleven, she ;ll apply to the same prestigious art school that her mother attended. But making the cut won ;t be easy, especially with the school ;s open-secret rule that no more than 1% of the student body can be Jewish. The years before Genya ;s eleventh birthday bring plenty to distract her. Nothing in Soviet Ukraine is quite as it seems; adults mock the government, but only in private; and her classmates are terrified of American bomb strikes. And that ;s all before April 26, 1986, when Genya ;s police officer neighbor gets called to an emergency in a town she ;s never heard of: Chernobyl. A graphic memoir account of creator Yevgenia Nayberg ;s childhood, Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters is both deeply personal and a glimpse into broader Soviet intelligentsia experiences. Young readers curious about life elsewhere, particularly in the face of disaster, will find ample details to devour, while those dreaming of a creative life will take inspiration from Genya ;s perseverance. Salient and yet often slyly funny, this is a must-read for any graphic memoir fan.