Chernobyl, Life, and other Disasters by Yevgenia Nayberg
Publisher: Neal Porter Books/Holiday House
Format Read: E-ARC
Number of pages: 146 pages
Published: April 14th, 2026
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss+
Opening Lines: "It's 1968 and it's going to be an interesting year."
At eleven years old, Yevgenia (nicknamed Genya) finally gets the chance to apply to the prestigious National Secondary School of Art in Kiev, she has dreamed of attending since she was five years old. Like her mother, Genya's lifelong ambition has been to become a professional artist. Yet acceptance will be a major challenge as the school has notoriously limited the number of Jewish students to a 1% of its admissions.
To prepare, Genya receives intense tutoring alongside her friends Kolya and Vera, endlessly practicing the same assigned scene to try and impress the judges. Meanwhile, her family life has also undergone dramatic changes, her father has left for America, and they are forbidden to speak of or see him again. Her mother marries Leon and is soon expecting a baby with her new stepfather.
Then the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster occurs. Genya fails her first attempt at the art school exam, and everyone is worried about the invisible threat of radiation. Despite Kyiv being many miles from the power plant, her mother decides to evacuate. The family moves in with Aunt Elena in Volgograd. There, Genya continues practicing her art, hoping one day to return home, but for now all her dreams are shattered.
Eventually Genya succeeds in entering art school and realizes her lifelong ambition of being an artist. Chernobyl, Life and Other Disasters is Yevgenia Nayberg's powerful graphic memoir of her childhood amid the turmoil of the Cold War, Soviet rule and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. What really stuck with me about the story was its unique and evolving art style. A thoughtful collage that mixes childlike stick-figure drawings, with lovely, colorful watercolor cityscapes of Kyiv, ending with a self-portrait from her art studio. Each panel vividly reflects what life under Soviet control was like, the muted earth tones of their clothing, the everyday oppression and fear of radiation. The illustrations beautifully show Genya's evolution as an artist. I also loved her inclusion of elements of humor, such as the moment Genya has to cut off her beloved long braid, which took her forever to finally grow, because it set off the Geiger counter. Read this if you enjoy graphic memoirs, want a window into the Chernobyl disaster or are interested in a child's perspective on the events.
**A huge thank you to Holiday House for the E-book access via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review**
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