Elena Pedigo Clark, "Trauma and Truth: Teaching Russian Literature on the Chechen Wars" (Academic Studies Press, 2023)
The collapse of the USSR was relatively bloodless. The Chechen Wars were not. A tiny nation on the edge of Russia, Chechnya brought one of the largest armies in the world to its knees. Elena Pedigo Clark,\xa0Trauma and Truth: Teaching Russian Literature on the Chechen Wars\xa0(Academic Studies Press, 2023) examines significant works about these wars by some of Russia\u2019s leading contemporary war authors, including Anna Politkovskaya, Arkady Babchenko, and Zakhar Prilepin. Combining close reading of the texts with descriptions of the authors\u2019 social and political activities and suggestions on how to teach these challenging authors and texts,\xa0Trauma and Truth\xa0traces the psychological effects of the wars on their participants, and concludes with a discussion of what this means for Russia today.\nJeff Bachman\xa0is Senior Lecturer in Human Rights at American University\u2019s School of International Service in Washington, DC.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies