"Voices from Chernobyl" (by Svetlana Alexievich)

"Voices from Chernobyl" by Svetlana Alexievich is a documentary-style book that compiles personal testimonies from people affected by the 1986 nuclear disaster. Through their stories—ranging from firefighters and cleanup workers to residents and evacuees—it reveals the profound emotional, physical, and social impacts of the catastrophe. The book emphasizes individual experiences over technical details, illustrating how the disaster changed lives, fostered silence and suffering, and exposed broader issues of government secrecy and human resilience. It offers a compassionate, nuanced portrait of a tragedy that continues to resonate deeply.