Execution by Hunger: The Hidden Holocaust is a gripping and haunting account that delves into the appalling atrocities carried out by Stalin during the Holodomor in Ukraine. The author, Miron Dolot, vividly describes life in his Ukrainian village during this period, showcasing the brutal decisions made by Ukrainians in order to survive the devastating famine. Through personal recollections and eye-witness experiences, the book sheds light on the dark and tragic events that unfolded, revealing the cruel and murderous nature of the Soviet regime. The writing style is poignant and thought-provoking, offering a deep dive into the horrors of the Holodomor and the resilience of the Ukrainian people in the face of unimaginable suffering.

Writing/Prose:

The author employs a compelling and emotive writing style that balances personal storytelling with analytical insights.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative unfolds through personal recollections of devastating experiences during the Holodomor, emphasizing Communist tactics and the impact on Ukrainian culture and farmers.

Setting:

The narrative is set in Ukraine during the Holodomor, highlighting the rural environment and the sociopolitical turmoil of the time.

Pacing:

The pacing is intense and engaging, compelling readers to continue despite the heavy subject matter.

I GREW UP in a typical Ukrainian village, in the county of Cherkasy, some hundred miles south of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. My village stood on the north bank of the Tiasmyn River, one of the ...

Genres:

nonfiction

historical account

memoir

Topics:

holodomor

soviet union policies

Notes:

The author, Miron Dolot, shares his eyewitness experiences growing up in a Ukrainian village during the Holodomor.

The Communists used lies, coercion, and brutality to gain control over the Ukrainian people.

The book details the stages of Communist control and their use of double speak to confuse the population.

There was a systematic goal of mass extermination targeting primarily Ukrainian farmers.

Different tactics were used for cities compared to rural villages during the famine.

The Communist regime confiscated food, livestock, and other possessions from the people.

Dolot recalls losing contact with his mother and brother while fleeing from the famine.

The book serves as a historical record of a largely overlooked tragedy in human history.

Holodomor refers to the man-made famine in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that led to millions of deaths.

The emotional tone of the book is both gripping and painful, making it hard to put down yet difficult to read.

The cruelty faced by the Ukrainian people included gunning down pets and hunting the national symbol, the nightingale.

There is a strong call to remember these atrocities to prevent history from repeating itself.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include graphic descriptions of starvation, trauma, death, political violence, and overall themes of suffering and oppression.

From The Publisher:

Seven million people in the "breadbasket of Europe" were deliberately starved to death at Stalin's command. This story has been suppressed for half a century. Now, a survivor speaks. In 1929, in an effort to destroy the well-to-do peasant farmers, Joseph Stalin ordered the collectivization of all Ukrainian farms. In the ensuing years, a brutal Soviet campaign of confiscations, terrorizing, and murder spread throughout Ukrainian villages. What food remained after the seizures was insufficient to support the population. In the resulting famine as many as seven million Ukrainians starved to death.

This poignant eyewitness account of the Ukrainian famine by one of the survivors relates the young Miron Dolot's day-to-day confrontation with despair and death-his helplessness as friends and family were arrested and abused-and his gradual realization, as he matured, of the absolute control the Soviets had over his life and the lives of his people. But it is also the story of personal dignity in the face of horror and humiliation. And it is an indictment of a chapter in the Soviet past that is still not acknowledged by Russian leaders.

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Execution by Hunger: The Hidden Holocaust

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