I Will Die in a Foreign Land

Two Dollar Radio] by happenstance." —Claire Kirch, Publishers Weekly "Debut Novel About Ukraine Receives Attention, Acclaim" (May 04, 2022) "Kalani Pickhart has won the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, given annually to a work of fiction by a writer aged 35 or under, for I Will Die in a Foreign Land." —Michael Schaub, Kirkus "Kalani Pickhart Wins NYPL Young Lions Award" (6/17/2022) I Will Die in a Foreign Land is the winner of the 2022 Young Lions Fiction Award, presented by The New York Public Library. "Established in 2001, The New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award is a $10,000 prize awarded each year to a writer age 35 or younger for a novel or a collection of short stories. Each year, five young fiction writers are selected as finalists by a reading committee of Young Lions members, writers, editors, and librarians. A panel of judges selects the winner." ^PHOTO: The New York Public Library "Do you want to know more about the crisis in Ukraine? Do you want to read a lesbian activist love story? Do you want to know what happens to a KGB spy turned protest street pianist? Then this is the book you're looking for!" —Fisher Nash, Carmichael's Bookstore (Louisville, Kentucky) "I Will Die in a Foreign Land chronicles what Ukrainian protests looked like in 2013 and 2014, as demonstrators pushed for closer ties with NATO and the European Union." —Rina Torchinsky, NPR "Read these 6 books about Ukraine" "Kalani Pickhart's timely debut novel, I Will Die In a Foreign Land, is about the 2014 Ukrainian revolution which provided a pretense for Russia to annex Crimea. The story follows the experiences of several characters whose lives intersect as the country's political situation deteriorates. There's a Ukrainian-American doctor, an old KGB spy, a former mine worker, and others, and these episodes are interspersed with folk songs, news reports and historical notes. The effect—kaleidoscopic but never confusing—provides an intimate sense of a country convulsing, mourning, and somehow surviving." —CBS News, "The Book Report: Recommendations from Washington Post critic Ron Charles" (Watch the full video on CBS News, February 6, 2022). "I Will Die in a Foreign Land tells the harrowing story of the Ukrainian conflict in 2014. Raw and emotional, Pickhart expertly displays the emotional passion and patriotic values at the root of the conflict, centered around the intersection of four main characters... Pickhart does what the media couldn’t: she puts names and faces to the stories of violent conflict. She reminds the reader that every journalist who disappeared is your friend who loudly states their opinion, that every mother is a woman with a backstory of love and life and pain before she moved into her new role... It’s apparent from the beginning that there is an underlying thread, a ribbon of truth connecting them all, and Pickhart makes sure the reader stays on long enough to find out what it is." —Alexandra Barbush, Independent Book Review (Read the full review of I Will Die in a Foreign Land) "Beautiful, complex, and full of history that connects the characters in the Ukrainian protests and fight against Russia in 2013-2014. I read this months before Russia's further invasion, and it feels well-timed and tells the important recent history in a compelling narrative." —Georg Sperle, Annie Bloom's Books (Portland, OR) "Ukraine’s struggle against Russia engulfs the world today, and Pickhart’s novel has proven hauntingly germane in its portrayal of the ever-widening gyre and the innocents destroyed at its center." —Amy Gustine, Cleveland Review of Books "Brevity Creates Breadth: A Review-Interview with Kalani Pickhart on I Will Die in a Foreign Land" "Eight years before the recent Russian invasion, a popular uprising in Kyiv overthrew the old Moscow-backed government in favor of moving toward the European Union—an act for which Russia has been punishing Ukraine ever since. It is those events that inspired Kalani Pickhart’s recent novel, I Will Die in a Foreign Land. Hailed as one of the best books of 2021, it has found renewed relevance in the aftermath of the invasion. In this podcast, she joins New Lines’ Lydia Wilson to discuss what first drew her to the story, the relationship between fiction and journalism, and how the long history of Russian aggression against Ukraine led to the current crisis." —New Lines Podcast, March 11, 2022 "Writing a Revolution: Ukraine’s Maidan Uprising — with Kalani Pickhart" "Everyone should read this book right now. Wow, Kalani Pickhart taught me so much about the complicated and messy recent history of Russia, Ukraine and their neighbors. Told in news briefs, intimate character narratives, old recordings sent to a long lost daughter, “songs” and nonfiction snippets, this is the most unique and touching novel I have ever read. For anyone who wants to know more about the continuing struggles and wars in Ukraine but with the heartbeat if a novel this is the book for you. I Will Die in a Foreign Land, tore my heart out, stitched it back together again and fed my compassion and understanding for people caught up in continuous uprisings and war." —Danica Ramgoolam, Townie Books (Crested Butte, Colorado) "I tore through I Will Die in a Foreign Land. It’s terrific. I’ve been following the alarming news about Putin’s machinations along the Ukrainian border, but nothing has given me such a profound impression of what Ukrainians have endured as this intensely moving novel." —Ron Charles, Washington Post (Read the full review of I Will Die in a Foreign Land) "Pickhart’s story deemphasizes the sequence of political events to focus on the humanity of those who get caught up in them. We feel the pain of a truncheon blow from Ukraine’s Berkut special police, the anxiety when a friend is disappeared by unknown forces and the conflict within a spy forced to betray their people while also trying to save them. ‘I Will Die in a Foreign Land’ carries substantial emotional weight, and I’m glad the universe put it in my hands. It is crisply written, and I flew through the book. It also has helped me to understand better the context behind Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war. If you’re up for a novel that’s as unique as it is of the moment, you should read this book." —Michael P. Ventura, Books on GIF (Review #181: I Will Die in a Foreign Land by Kalani Pickhart) "The book is a reminder that Ukraine’s current plight had a long and bitter gestation." —Suzi Feay, Financial Times, "A round-up of the best debut fiction" (Oct 15th print review coming) —Niamh Donnelly, The Irish Times "These are well-rounded characters whose story arcs underscore cause and effect, the power of the arts, repercussions of bottled-up grief, the brother/sisterhood of humanity, and the importance of love and perseverance in a world of terror run amok." —Lanie Tankard, On the Seawall (Read the full review of I Will Die in a Foreign Land) “Sometimes, fiction does a better job of getting to the heart of a subject than nonfiction. This unusual novel takes place during the 2014 Maidan protests that ended in bloodshed and precipitated the removal of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. It follows several characters as they participate in the protests and learn to live with unimaginable loss in the midst of violent upheaval and repression.” —Eileen Gonzalez, BookRiot “BOOKS FOR UNDERSTANDING RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE” "Rooted in historical events, the novel follows four unforgettable characters finding their way amidst the violence and turmoil, striving to live and not just survive. So gorgeous and oh so very timely." —Literary Hub: Joelle Herr, The Bookshop (East Nashville, TN) "Shelf Talkers: Booksellers from The Bookshop Share Their Favorites"  "Pickhart’s characters are rich and real, flawed and scared, brave and noble. They betray and they are bet