The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Second edition

Rating:
Summary: Cautionary note
Review: Clearly, Wilson's book may not be ignored by anyone who who is interested in the pesky "Ukrainian Question." One must admire his scope (from antiquity to the present, post-Soviet Ukraine--one half of the book is dedicated to post 1991 Ukraine)and the depth of his research. Its greatest merit lies in that it offers an "outsider's" perspective to the traditional russocentric or "nationalistic" readings of the Ukrainian history and identity. On the other hand, its explicit agenda to "debunk myths" and to "set the record straight" proves somewhat too facile and, ultimately, unfair. It is not that Ukrainians are devoid of "mythologies" or that the current post-Soviet Ukrainian elites are not prone to create new myths. But so what? Ukraine's "elder brother," Putin's Russia (or, for that matter, George Bush's U.S.A) does not subscribe to persistent national mythologies. Wilson is correct in sending warning salvos against various self-seving interpretations of the Ukrainian by some national historians, but his determination to completely "de-construct" Ukrainian nationality leads to a dead-end. Thus, despite the many details and frequent insights, in the end Wilson fails to resolve the very question which he set to analyze: what is a "Ukrainian?" This is a central issue that goes beyond Wilson's personal academic interest, inasmuch some 300 years of Russian imperial control, cultural and linguistic repressions, and territorial fragmentation still haunt the national Ukrainian psyche. Timely as this book is, it only raises more questions, which the author fails to resolve with such rhetorical stunts as "supposedly," "could" and "should." That is intellectual cheating.

The reader, therefore, should read this book not only with interest but also with great care and not be swayed by its breezy
prose, implied objectivity and casual arrogance. Even those previous reviewers, whose disdain for President Kuchma and his cronies I fully share, should balance Wilson's model of Ukrainian nationhood with alternate narratives. This is a good book, but it should not be considered definitive.

Rating:
Summary: Cautionary note
Review: Clearly, Wilson's book may not be ignored by anyone who who is interested in the pesky "Ukrainian Question." One must admire his scope (from antiquity to the present, post-Soviet Ukraine--one half of the book is dedicated to post 1991 Ukraine)and the depth of his research. Its greatest merit lies in that it offers an "outsider's" perspective to the traditional russocentric or "nationalistic" readings of the Ukrainian history and identity. On the other hand, its explicit agenda to "debunk myths" and to "set the record straight" proves somewhat too facile and, ultimately, unfair. It is not that Ukrainians are devoid of "mythologies" or that the current post-Soviet Ukrainian elites are not prone to create new myths. But so what? Ukraine's "elder brother," Putin's Russia (or, for that matter, George Bush's U.S.A) does not subscribe to persistent national mythologies. Wilson is correct in sending warning salvos against various self-seving interpretations of the Ukrainian by some national historians, but his determination to completely "de-construct" Ukrainian nationality leads to a dead-end. Thus, despite the many details and frequent insights, in the end Wilson fails to resolve the very question which he set to analyze: what is a "Ukrainian?" This is a central issue that goes beyond Wilson's personal academic interest, inasmuch some 300 years of Russian imperial control, cultural and linguistic repressions, and territorial fragmentation still haunt the national Ukrainian psyche. Timely as this book is, it only raises more questions, which the author fails to resolve with such rhetorical stunts as "supposedly," "could" and "should." That is intellectual cheating.

The reader, therefore, should read this book not only with interest but also with great care and not be swayed by its breezy
prose, implied objectivity and casual arrogance. Even those previous reviewers, whose disdain for President Kuchma and his cronies I fully share, should balance Wilson's model of Ukrainian nationhood with alternate narratives. This is a good book, but it should not be considered definitive.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written and Comprehensive On Current Events
Review: I believe this book was very well-written and fair in its evaluation of Ukrainian history. I based these comments in part on my Ukrainian descent; and my travels and discussions with Ukrainian citizens. The book does a better(and excellent) job of reviewing fairly recent events in Ukrainian politics and demographics; than it does in reviewing Ukrainian history - but that appears to be intentional. As an American, I noticed what appeared to be British colloquialisms in several places that I didn't understand.

Rating:
Summary: The one book to read about Ukraine
Review: I was immensely impressed with Professor Wilson's book on Ukraine. He starts with pre-historic times and ends with the 21st century, showing why this country of 50 million people is important and why it is in a critical period in its history.
Wilson's knowledge is immense, the result of much scholarship, interviews and many visits. His is an objective view that aims to be fair, which means that many members of the Ukrainian political right and left will be displeased with parts of this book.
I found that it filled many gaps in my knowledge and underlined Ukraine's precarious stuation. It is now ruled by a ... elite (read old communist commisars) an elite that has no loyalty to the Ukrainian people. It has tried to plunder the country's resources as quickly as possible. This elite is not interested in the rule of law or fair taxation. ...
So the country has venal oligarchs on the right, supporting Kuchma, and the communist party on the left. It is still powerful in Ukraine's parliament and is oppsed to any real economic reform.
Ukraine needs a miracle or else it will again be swallowed up by Russia, which as Profesor Wilson points out, will not be good for the world. Not onl;y will the attempt mean a civil war but if Russia succeeds it will once again try for empire.
A final note: this is not an entertainment, a fun read, like many books about countries. You have to be seriously interested in understanding modern Ukraine. Look at it more as a textbook. I found it invaluable, especially this new edition which brings it up to 2002.

Rating:
Summary: Required Reading for a Knowledge of Modern Ukraine
Review: If you want to know about Ukraine but don't read Ukrainian, this is the book for you. Beginning with the myths of pre-history and working up through 1999, Andrew Wilson gives the reader a sense of what it is to be Ukrainian. This is no easy task because Ukraine is a diverse place with a west that is totally different than its east, and with many regional differences in between. He calls it an unexpected nation because its ethnic, linguistic, religious and regional diversity makes it hard for many people to think of it as a single nation. He deals with the complex relationship Ukraine has with its eastern neighbor Russia. Many Ukrainians are of Russian descent and Russian is still the language spoken in many parts of the country. Both countries lay claim to Kyiv as their ancient capital and many of their ancient heroes are the same. Ukraine lies on the border between western Europe and Eurasian Russia. Its western people look to Europe for commerce and culture just as its eastern regions favor Russia.

Although its borders have changed as often as its political fate, Wilson does an admirable job of inclusion. He writes about Western Ukraine, the Crimea and the Donbas (eastern Ukraine) as well as the Ukraine of Kyiv. Often this makes the book difficult to read because so many different regions and their unique perspectives must be taken into consideration. Yet this is what ultimately makes the book so rewarding.

Although Wilson makes use of copious footnoting, most of his references are to Ukrainian language sources that will be inaccessible to his readers. He does an admirable job of introducing us to the major players in the shaping of this new nation; yet seeking out more on any particular aspect of the story may be difficult. Wilson does provide a fine Bibliographical Essay at the end of the book to further sources in English or other Western languages that will satisfy the interested reader seeking further information.

The book has many fine black-and-white maps that illustrate the points in the text. Also included are two sections of black-and-white and color plates that bring life to many of the ideas presented. At the beginning of the book is a Chronology with two separate time lines: one for Politics and History and the second for Culture. This helps to put the wealth of information presented into a structured framework.

The author focuses on economic, political and religious power and thought and the literary and artistic expression of these in fine arts and literature. His approach is chronological, working from ancient myths and their modern interpretations, through the history of the region, right on up to the present day and the 1998 elections. It would be marvelous if a new edition would come out that includes the results of the year 2000 elections.

Rating:
Summary: Read this to understand the Orange Revolution
Review: Readers wanting to understand recent events in Ukraine will find this book indispensable.

Rating:
Summary: An Impressive Accomplishment
Review: This book tries to do two jobs, and it does them both very well.

The first task is to explain the history of the Ukrainian national idea. It is not really a history of the nation, but more of a history of how the consciousness that there was a people and nation came into existance. (In other words, he does not go into a lot of detail about cossack revolts and wars and the like, but he shows how these affected the way people thought.) Wilson does a trememdous job here.

The second task of the book is to see what the Ukrainians have made of their independence since 1991. This is extremely important, since the American media has generally ignored Ukraine since independence and focused solely on Russia. I had a little trouble following all of Wilson's material here, since I had so little foundation on what has happened in Ukraine recently. However, Wilson presents his facts clearly, and where possible makes useful comparisons to developments in Russia, Czech Rep., Poland, etc., so I could get a handle on things.

In short, this is simply a superb book, one that will take the reader very far in understanding Ukraine and the challenges before it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book for any person remotely interested in Ukraine
Review: Wow what can I say, Mr.Wilson has written a book that will set the standard for all future works for Ukraine. As a previous reviewer said, this book tells you what it is to be a Ukrainian. At sometimes it is a bit too dry and academic but any serious student should not let that get in the way of this otherwise excellent book>