Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, had a glorious history and at one time was the capital of ancient Rus'. Yet the Ukraine gained independence only upon the collapse of the Soviet Union. Oppressed by both Poland and Russia/Soviet Union, many Ukrainians felt resentful and hostile towards both Poles and Russians. During World War II, the Soviet Union and Poland fought on the allied side, so an enemy of the Soviet Union, such as the UPA, became an enemy of the West. While the Ukrainians fought heroically both for the Soviet Union and against, they obviously had no monopoly on heroism. There is also some reliable evidence of the UPA members killing innocent Polish and Jewish civilians. Unfortunately, some Poles retaliated against the UPA atrocities in a revengeful manner. This is an important book, which should be read by all those interested in the war on the Eastern Front during World War II.

This book is the memoirs of Maria Savchyn who spent 15 years of her life (from the ages of 14 to 29) in the Ukrainian underground army fighting for freedom against first the Nazis and then the Soviets. It is an exciting story of strength and determination in the face of overwhelming opposition.

In 1925 Maria Savchyn was born in a Ukrainian village east of the city of Lviv. At that time this was a part of Poland. Ukrainians living in this part of Poland formed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) to seek independence from Poland, but in 1939 the partition of Poland put Western Ukraine under Soviet control. The OUN continued their activities for independence during this early Soviet occupation, and they formed the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) when the Nazis gained control early in World War II.Fighting first against the Nazis and then the Russians until the mid-1950s, the UPA resisted the occupation forces and fought for an independent Ukraine 50 years before the country actually gained its independence in 1991.

Maria joined the youth division of the OUN in 1940 when she was 14. Later she married a prominent leader of the group. She was an active member until 1954 when she was captured by the KGB. Involved in propaganda, Maria talks more about the day-to-day life of the underground than armed resistance. She gives a remarkably detailed account of her life in the UPA. This includes the names of the towns and villages she stayed in and the names of the people she worked with in the underground.

Its a sad story to read since during the period covered most of her fellow rebels were either captured or killed. Maria herself lost both her children to stay with the rebels. For the last nine years of the resistance she and her allies spent every winter in underground bunkers which were cramped, moist, and dark.

Yet for anyone interested in Ukrainian history or in resistance movements this is essential reading. Few members of the UPA have lived to tell their stories so Maria's book opens the door on a chapter of history long hidden from view. This is, however, not a history of the OUN and the UPA. That book remains to be written and will probably require access to KGB records.

I only wish this book came with a map that detailed the region and the villages mentioned in the text. Most English-language readers will not have sufficient geographic knowledge of the region to follow Maria's exploits without a good map.

This is a story of astonishing courage, resilience, resourcefulness and dignity in the face of the overwhelming resources of the totalitarian Soviet mammoth. The story is told plainly and simply, almost matter-of-factly about a struggle against all odds, a struggle to prevent Ukraine's being drowned in the poisons of Sovietism. Perhaps most striking is the calm dignity with which the author and her colleagues in the Ukrainian underground faced death almost daily, and their quiet determination to continue their mission, well into the 1950's, to fight for some semblance of normalcy in Ukraine no matter what the personal and familial costs to the author and those with whom she served so nobly. This is a stunner.