The Unwomanly Face of War by Alexievich

Show Notes

This week, Matt and Cameron pull out their soap boxes and get maudlin drunk as they cover The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich. The Unwomanly Face of War is an oral history of the disparate experiences of Soviet women in World War Two, told in fragmented tales revolving around various themes. Get out your Soviet Union-centered history textbooks, find the appropriate wartime alcohol substitute, and tune in to this...sad, but extremely informative episode.

Major themes: Sad Sake Shots, Oversized Boots, Soapboxes

07:48 - This statistic is pulled from Ishaan Tharoor’s Washington post article “Don’t forget how the Soviet Union saved the world from Hitler.”

09:23 - This is pulled from Eisenhower’s book Crusade in Europe. The quote is included in this PDF copy of an Eisenhower Institute article, “The Soviet Experience in World War Two.

24:11 - The infamous Order No. 227.

33:58 - Actually, I mixed up the sisters’ story with that of another woman. Actually, I’ll read it later in the episode.

The music used in this episode was “soviet march,” by Toasted Tomatoes. You can find more of their work on Bandcamp and YouTube.