Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the polyphonic first-person narrative structure of Voices from Chernobyl? What insights does it offer that a standard historical narrative wouldn’t?

Voices from Chernobyl is bookended by two similar monologues sharing a title, “A Solitary Human Voice.” Why do you think Svetlana Alexievich chose these particular monologues to frame the book? What is the significance of their title?

Alexievich’s subjects in the book frequently compare the Chernobyl disaster to war. Is this a fair comparison? How is the disaster similar and dissimilar to wartime atrocities?