A Brief History of a Long War

“The book ultimately presents Ukraine’s history not as a cycle of victimhood but as an ongoing assertion of national identity … A vital work of graphic history and essential reading for those seeking context on the Russia–Ukraine war.”—Library Journal

“A work of illustrated nonfiction that will awaken and haunt anyone who reads it.”—Ron Charles

“Informative and inspiring … Artists Vus and Kypibid’s delicately shaded, innovatively paneled pencil work makes room for just one color: orange—not only for accents, but for backgrounds, walls of flame, and entire crowd scenes. The effect suggests a people inseparable from their drive for freedom. This packs a punch.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Ukraine’s history of conflict with Russian invaders is explored with graphic specificity … The book paints a powerful picture of a country with a centuries-long mandate to defend and define itself.”—Kirkus Reviews

“An insightful glimpse into the current lives of Ukrainians under the Russian invasion, as well as the history leading to it … a thorough and easily accessible resource to help understand a complex situation.”—Booklist

“A splendid graphic chronicle that places the reader in the middle of the brutal present and stretches back to the tenth century… . Readers will understand Putin’s invasion is only the latest effort to subjugate Ukraine and why a population that has been starved and persecuted for so much of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries remains so bravely resilient today.”—Air Mail

Mariam Naiem is an Afghan-Ukrainian scholar, activist, and journalist dedicated to educating the broad English-speaking community on the cultural and historical context of the Russian war in Ukraine. Through keynote speaking engagements, conferences, her own award-winning podcast, lectures, and more, Naiem’s objective is to decolonize the discourse on Ukraine and center Ukrainian voices by deconstructing the colonial and racial aspects and practices of Russian culture.

Yulia Vus and Ivan Kypibida are illustrators and cover designers based in Lyiv, Ukraine.

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