83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary - by Don Brown

About the Book

"A city ruined. In once quiet residential streets, two armies battle, driving people into cellars and basements with little food or water. No lights or heat. Dwindling medical supplies. Shells and bullets deliver cruel, random death to the young and old, men, women, and children. This is Mariupol, a Ukrainian city and early target of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Bordering Russian-occupied territory, the coastal city seemed doomed to a defeat that would come within days, if not hours. Could Mariupol, and Ukraine, survive? As Russian rockets threatened the city, Ukrainians resisted, and with a heroic combination of sacrifice and bravery, the besieged city endured. But it all came at a steep cost. 83 Days in Mariupol reminds us that the bloody defiance shown at The Alamo, Dunkirk, Leningrad, and Thermopylae isn't confined to the past but has a violent, modern presence. It is the story of senseless destruction, patriotism, and grit against long odds--a brutal battle whose consequences still reverberate across Ukraine and continue to reshape the global political landscape."--

Book Synopsis

A young adult graphic novel that captures the complexities of the war in Ukraine, focusing on the siege of Mariupol (Feb '22 - May '22) and the brave people who stayed to defend their city against Russian forces as well as the resulting effects on global politics.

A city ruined. In once quiet residential streets, two armies battle, driving people into cellars and basements with little food or water. No lights or heat. Dwindling medical supplies. Shells and bullets deliver cruel, random death to the young and old, men, women, and children.

This is Mariupol, a Ukrainian city and early target of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Bordering Russian-occupied territory, the coastal city seemed doomed to a defeat that would come within days, if not hours. Could Mariupol, and Ukraine, survive? As Russian rockets threatened the city, Ukrainians resisted, and with a heroic combination of sacrifice and bravery, the besieged city endured . . . for months. But it all came at a steep cost.

With compassion and his keen journalist's eye, Sibert Honor creator Don Brown illuminates the horrors of Mariupol and the depredations of its people not seen in the city since World War II. He also shows that outside of Mariupol, the city's agonies were mirrored by similar events occurring in towns and cities across Ukraine.

83 Days in Mariupol reminds us that the bloody defiance shown at the Alamo, Dunkirk, Leningrad, and Thermopylae isn't confined to the past but has a violent, modern presence. It is the story of senseless destruction, patriotism, and grit against long odds--a brutal battle whose consequences still reverberate across Ukraine and continue to reshape the global political landscape.

Read more books by Don Brown:

Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 AttacksFever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees

Review Quotes

★ "An important piece of history in progress is captured here, and readers will not fail to be moved." -- School Library Journal (starred review)

★ "Bolstered with robust source notes, this is a flawless book about a senseless atrocity." -- Booklist (starred review)

★ "Brown offers up an intensely powerful graphic novel that humanizes an overwhelming tragedy. [His] masterful composition layers the emotional impact throughout, utilizing each element of the graphic novel format to function much like a documentary, chronicling the violence, terror, and bravery seen in the 83 days of intense battle." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

★ "Here's a rare chronicle of a contemporary, ongoing war. This powerful work of graphic nonfiction concludes with source notes and a bibliography."
-- Horn Book (starred review)

"A harrowing account of Ukrainian civilians and their defenders. Succinct, effective storytelling combined with haunting art."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"Brown urgently captures the harsh realities of the war in Ukraine in this viscerally illustrated work." -- Publishers Weekly