23 Stones Under the Scythe

This book helps to shatter a conspiracy of silence and deliberate denial about one of the most terrible tragedies to befall any nation, a catastrophe caused by the workings of a group of fanatical "creators of a new breed of men." The characters in the novel are composites of individuals and the narrative is based on real events the author witnessed as a university student. The story of 15 year old Andriy recreates the fate of millions of Ukrainian children who either perished or barely escaped death in the years of a man-made famine, the "Holodomor," that took the life of every fourth Ukrainian. However, Olha Mak's novel is not a somber story of horrible events. Her characters bear witness to the truth that the human spirit cannot be fully subdued. But this is a truth that needs frequent reminders, for everyone at some point comes to feel vanquished by the brutality that confronts them.