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1986: The human story behind the nuclear tragedy
The Sky Unwashed
What you need to know before your trail
Early on an April Saturday in 1986 in a farm village in Ukraine, widow Marusia Petrenko and her family awake to a day of traditional wedding preparations. Marusia bakes her famous wedding bread-a korovai-in the communal village oven to take to her neighbor’s granddaughter’s reception. Late that night, after all the dancing and drinking, Marusia’s son Yurko leaves for his shift at the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl.
Travel Guide
Inspired by true events:
The story of Chernobyl and those who lived nearby in 1986
Marusia Petrenko lives in a small house in the village of Starylis on the outskirts of the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Her son works at the nearby plant which employs practically everyone who lives here. This and villages like it are for the workers and they have very long shifts.
But there is an air of darkness hanging over this landscape – a bitter metallic tasting one. Everything happens so quickly, and now one understands just how devastating and far reaching the tragedy of the explosion was for everyone.
But before that even happens the everyday work at the plant is evoked with raw graphic detail – it was a horrible place to work for many – brutal and cold, and very very dangerous. The landscape where it was – Ukraine – was as brutal and raw
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: The Sky Unwashed
Author/Guide: Irene Zabytko Destination: Chernobyl Departure Time: 1986
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