Overview

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.

Full Product Details

9780823462780

Table of Contents

Reviews

The rare and artful sort of story that finds the brilliant in the banal, the hilarious in the harrowing, and universal in the personal. —Daniel Nayeri, award-winning Author of Everything Sad Is Untrue Yevgenia Nayberg shares the charming adventure of her life during one of the most interesting periods of our world’s history with moments of humor, melancholy, and beautiful honesty. I absolutely adored this book. —Dan Santat, National Book Award–winning author of A First Time for Everything Nayberg’s younger self longs to be a professional artist. Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters makes it clear that she reached her goal—with a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about growing up under the shadow the Chernobyl disaster, deeply empathic and bursting with humor and personality. I loved it so. Genya is an artist to be reckoned with. —New York Times–bestselling author-illustrator Lisa Brown This middle grade graphic memoir never loses sight of the kid at its heart. At once singular and universal, Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters powerfully demonstrates that there’s nothing quite like the fallout—of being eleven years old. —Joshua S. Levy, National Jewish Book Award–winning author of Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop Yevgenia Nayberg’s Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters focuses on one specific part of a young person’s life, yet deftly weaves in current events and family dynamics. The book is full of magic—the writing and drawing seems almost dreamlike, but anecdotes and sequences are carefully arranged to fall right into place. The color palette is muted but still somehow lively, with sketchier illustrations alongside more fully rendered art. To top it all off, the book made me laugh, especially with the constant theme of the word ‘banal.’ Bravo, Genya! —Malaka Gharib, journalist and Arab American Book Award-winning author of I Was Their American Dream

Nayberg’s art makes subtle but striking growth as the book progresses. . . . A strong and beautifully rendered addition to graphic memoir and nonfiction middle grade collections. —School Library Journal The rare and artful sort of story that finds the brilliant in the banal, the hilarious in the harrowing, and universal in the personal. —Daniel Nayeri, award-winning Author of Everything Sad Is Untrue Yevgenia Nayberg shares the charming adventure of her life during one of the most interesting periods of our world’s history with moments of humor, melancholy, and beautiful honesty. I absolutely adored this book. —Dan Santat, National Book Award–winning author of A First Time for Everything Nayberg’s younger self longs to be a professional artist. Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters makes it clear that she reached her goal—with a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about growing up under the shadow the Chernobyl disaster, deeply empathic and bursting with humor and personality. I loved it so. Genya is an artist to be reckoned with. —New York Times–bestselling author-illustrator Lisa Brown This middle grade graphic memoir never loses sight of the kid at its heart. At once singular and universal, Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters powerfully demonstrates that there’s nothing quite like the fallout—of being eleven years old. —Joshua S. Levy, National Jewish Book Award–winning author of Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop Yevgenia Nayberg’s Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters focuses on one specific part of a young person’s life, yet deftly weaves in current events and family dynamics. The book is full of magic—the writing and drawing seems almost dreamlike, but anecdotes and sequences are carefully arranged to fall right into place. The color palette is muted but still somehow lively, with sketchier illustrations alongside more fully rendered art. To top it all off, the book made me laugh, especially with the constant theme of the word ‘banal.’ Bravo, Genya! —Malaka Gharib, journalist and Arab American Book Award-winning author of I Was Their American Dream

Nayberg’s watercolor and collage art brilliantly mirrors Genya’s emotional landscape. . . . Nayberg’s depictions of her mother . . . and of friend dynamics feel wholly authentic, while the portrayal of Soviet-era antisemitism, environmental catastrophe, and casual cruelties never overwhelms the intimate story of a girl finding her voice through art amid chaos. An utterly unforgettable, achingly honest, and spectacularly crafted graphic memoir. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)` Nayberg’s voice creates an easy connection with history and Genya's culture while still resonating with the familiar perspectives and priorities of contemporary 11-year- olds. So, too, the art finds a way to hold both the deceptively simplified forms of a child’s art along with a scope, accuracy of environments, and palette that offers immediacy and nuance. —Booklist (starred review) [A] powerful graphic novel memoir. . . . The creator plants subtle hints about the social and political pressures of living in the U.S.S.R. . . . Frenetic snarls of scribbled pencil strokes—visible beneath muted watercolor and collage artwork produced on paper that seems purposefully creased—suggest that confusion and unrest lie beneath idyllic slice-of-life depictions of Nayberg’s childhood, and emphasize the narrative’s contrasting tones. —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Nayberg’s art makes subtle but striking growth as the book progresses. . . . A strong and beautifully rendered addition to graphic memoir and nonfiction middle grade collections. —School Library Journal The art is exceptional, a mostly washed-out palette of city tones with occasional lush full-page representations of the beauty of Kyiv. Much is told in dramatic body postures within the panels, sometimes mirroring and often exaggerating the text. . . . Genya’s pre-art school coming-of-age story is well-told, memorable, and historically resonant on its own. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books The book’s own art is stylized and lovely, whether portraying dreamy Kiev cityscapes or reflecting subtle differences among children’s drawings. Humor and childhood charm are also a feature. . . . —Foreword Reviews The rare and artful sort of story that finds the brilliant in the banal, the hilarious in the harrowing, and universal in the personal. —Daniel Nayeri, award-winning Author of Everything Sad Is Untrue Yevgenia Nayberg shares the charming adventure of her life during one of the most interesting periods of our world’s history with moments of humor, melancholy, and beautiful honesty. I absolutely adored this book. —Dan Santat, National Book Award–winning author of A First Time for Everything Nayberg’s younger self longs to be a professional artist. Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters makes it clear that she reached her goal—with a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about growing up under the shadow the Chernobyl disaster, deeply empathic and bursting with humor and personality. I loved it so. Genya is an artist to be reckoned with. —New York Times–bestselling author-illustrator Lisa Brown This middle grade graphic memoir never loses sight of the kid at its heart. At once singular and universal, Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters powerfully demonstrates that there’s nothing quite like the fallout—of being eleven years old. —Joshua S. Levy, National Jewish Book Award–winning author of Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop Yevgenia Nayberg’s Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters focuses on one specific part of a young person’s life, yet deftly weaves in current events and family dynamics. The book is full of magic—the writing and drawing seems almost dreamlike, but anecdotes and sequences are carefully arranged to fall right into place. The color palette is muted but still somehow lively, with sketchier illustrations alongside more fully rendered art. To top it all off, the book made me laugh, especially with the constant theme of the word ‘banal.’ Bravo, Genya! —Malaka Gharib, journalist and Arab American Book Award-winning author of I Was Their American Dream

The rare and artful sort of story that finds the brilliant in the banal, the hilarious in the harrowing, and universal in the personal. —Daniel Nayeri, award-winning Author of Everything Sad Is Untrue Yevgenia Nayberg shares the charming adventure of her life during one of the most interesting periods of our world’s history with moments of humor, melancholy, and beautiful honesty. I absolutely adored this book. —Dan Santat, National Book Award–winning author of A First Time for Everything

Author Information

Yevgenia Nayberg is an award-winning illustrator, painter, and set and costume designer. She has received multiple awards for her picture book illustrations, including a Sydney Taylor Honor and two notable recognitions. She is the author and illustrator of the picture books A Party for Florine, Anya's Secret Society, Typewriter, Mona Lisa In New York, and I Hate Borsch!, and the illustrator of Drop by Drop by Jacqueline Jules, among other collaborations. Born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, she now lives in New York City.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available