writes about war from a young person's view #bannedbyrussia
I am thrilled that Manitoba students have chosen Making Bombs for Hitler as their Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice winner for 2014! Congratulations to Gordon Korman and Joanne Levy, both Honour Book selections. Here’s the link to the official announcement.
Woodstock knows what it’s doing when it comes to parent and teacher involvement! What a lovely crowd it was that came out last Wednesday. Here I am with a local young reader.
Here are all of us MASC presenters, from left to right: Martin Springett, Art Slade, Ruth Ohi, Vikki VanSickle, me, Richard Scrimger, Marthe Jocelyn, Lesley Livingston.
Here is me, with Art Slade, the world’s fastest talker. We were each given 2 minutes to introduce ourselves and Art delivered his auctioneer style. You should have seen the look of awe on the kids’ faces!
MASC was held from Tuesday to Thursday at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum — a FABULOUS venue! On the Monday before, I presented at two Ottawa library branches, plus gave a presentation for the local Ukrainian community.
Writing workshops are so awesomely fun! Thanks Anne Marie Sisti of St. Jerome School in Mississauga for sending me this pic of last week’s writing workshop with your talented students.
by Michelle Ruby, Brantford Expositor.
The release of the third book in a Second World War trilogy by city author Marsha Skrypuch couldn’t be more timely.
The young readers’ novel, Underground Soldier, tells the story of the terrorization, enslavement and killing of Ukrainians by both the Soviets and the Nazis.
The underground army formed by Ukrainians included people of many nationalities and ages with one thing in common — the desire to live in a democratic country.
“This parallels the Euromaidan conflict where regular people of all ages and nationalities took to the streets and proclaimed they would rather die than take the corruption anymore,” said Skrypuch. “It just goes to show how timely history can be.”
Underground Soldier is the story of 14-year-old Luka, who works as an Ostarbeiter in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe, alongside Lida from Making Bombs for Hitler, the second book in the trilogy, which began with Stolen Child.
Desperate to escape the brutal conditions of a Nazi slave camp, Luka manages to break free by hiding in a truck under a pile of dead bodies and joins a group of Ukrainian resistance fighters.
Caught between advancing Nazis in the west and Soviet troops in the east, they mount guerrilla raids, help POW escapees and do all they can to make life hard for the Nazis and Soviets. After the war, Luka must decide whether to follow Lida to Canada or stay in Europe and search for his long-lost mother.
“They were 10 years in the making,” said Skrypuch of the trilogy. “Finishing it feels like a relief but there is also a sadness. The characters were in my head for so long.”
Underground Soldier is the prolific, award-winning city author’s 18th published book.
Skrypuch will be in Toronto on Wednesday as one of five nominees for the $25,000 Kobzar Literary Award for Making Bombs for Hitler. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to Canadian literary arts by an author who develops a Ukrainian Canadian theme with literary merit in one of several genres, including literary non-fiction, fiction, poetry, young readers’ literature, plays, screenplays and musicals.
Although Skrypuch said she has written more on Ukraine than anyone else in Canada, this is her first nomination for the biennial Kobzar.
Most of Skrypuch’s works are fiction but she bases all of her stories on detailed research. Of great help on Underground Soldier, she said, was Peter J. Potichnyj, professor emeritus at McMaster University who was a teen soldier in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and has written extensively about it.
Skrypuch said she is closely following the ongoing demonstrations and revolution in Ukraine.
“I’m so proud of the people. It’s a very civil revolution. All they want is freedom. It’s a wave of democracy. In the long run, it’s the most beautiful thing that could possibly have happened to Ukraine.”
In the meantime, acclaim for Skrypuch’s books continues. The non-fiction One Step at a Time, which is based on Brantford resident Tuyet Yurczyszyn, is shortlisted for the Silver Birch award with winners to be announced in May.
She also has a new young adult novel scheduled for release in August to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. Dance of the Banished is partly set in Brantford.
michelle.ruby@sunmedia.ca
A wonderful night was had by all at the Kobzar Literary Awards. I was honoured to be shortlisted and delighted with Luba’s win.
Thanks, Karen Upper, for this great photo of my signing at the OLA Bookstore at the OLA Superconference! I am surrounded by awesome Near North librarians!
Thank you also, for this great review of Underground Soldier, and the book trailer, and the youtube reading!
The very best moment of the OLA Superconference? It came after the Thursday morning Forest of Reading winners’ panel discussion.
I had spoken of my Ukrainian mother-in-law, who lived through WWII, surviving both the Nazis and the Soviets. Just before she died, asked me to write about her experiences in WWII, because she had never seen them in a book. We usually only see the Nazis as the enemy, not realizing that for Eastern Europeans, there were two genocidal dictators targeting them — not just Hitler, but Stalin as well. She was my inspiration for Stolen Child, which led to Making Bombs and Underground Soldier.
After the talk, many people came up and hugged me, openly weeping. Three sisters, whose late Latvian mother was also subjected to Nazi and Soviet oppression. Thursday was her birthday. They’ve been able to amass much documentation about her life and her community. I want them to write her story. A Bulgarian librarian friend, whose history is similar. Ekaterina, please write your family’s story! My books are their stories as well. We get such a sanitized version of WWII history in the western world, largely because we allied ourselves with Stalin.
And of course, what’s happening in Ukraine now — deja vu all over again. Putin is holding off until after the Olympics. I dread what will happen then.
Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch will be presenting her nominated book
Making Bombs for Hitler
Wed. 7 pm, January 29, 2014• 620 Spadina Ave. tel. 416-923-3318
The author will also be presenting her newest book, Underground Soldier,
a companion to Stolen Child and Making Bombs for Hitler.
Books will be available for autograph and sale, cash or cheque only.
Other readings:
February 16, Sun., 2 pm • Erin Mouré • The Unmemntioable
February 23, Sun. 2 pm• Diane Flacks and Luba Goy• Luba, Simply Luba
March 2, Sun 2 pm• Michael Muncz• Baba’s Kitchen Medicines
March 4, Tues. 7 pm• Barbara Sapergia• Blood and Salt