Best General Belarus & Ukraine Travel Guides of 2025

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World (Politics of Place) by Tim Marshall is a New York Times bestseller that uses ten maps of crucial regions to explain the geo-political strategies of world powers. The book examines how the physical characteristics of countries affect their strengths, vulnerabilities, and the decisions made by their leaders. Marshall explores why Putin is obsessed with Crimea, why the US is destined to become a global superpower, and why Europe will never be united. The book offers a fresh perspective on geopolitics and is a concise and useful primer on the subject.

The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations by Daniel Yergin is a must-read for those interested in the intersection of energy, climate change, and geopolitics. The book offers a comprehensive account of how the shale revolution in oil and gas has transformed the global economy and the challenges it poses to the low-carbon future. Yergin's storytelling and expertise make this book a master class on how the world works. Overall, The New Map is a well-researched and insightful book on a timely and important topic.

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham is a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence. The book provides a powerful investigation into the Chernobyl disaster, exploring how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the history’s worst nuclear disasters. Higginbotham brings the disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand, drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives. This book is a riveting, deeply reported reconstruction of a complex, human, and terrifying event that changed history.

Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine is a hauntingly powerful account of one of the most horrendous crimes of the twentieth century. Anne Applebaum's book delves into the devastating famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in the early 1930s, arguing that it wasn't an accidental result of a bad policy but a deliberate act of genocide by the Soviet state. Applebaum's narrative is compulsively readable, and her extensive research makes the book a definitive account of the tragedy. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Soviet history and the consequences of totalitarian regimes.

The Beauty of Ukraine: Landscape Photography is an opulent illustrated book that showcases the beauty and diversity of Ukraine's landscape through the lens of the young and award-winning Ukrainian photographer, Yevhen Samuchenko. The book captures the unparalleled scale, out-of-this-world colors, and unique landscape shots from above, making it a tribute to the beauty of the Ukrainian landscape. The book is a declaration of love for Ukraine, which is currently facing dark times due to the ongoing war with Russia. This book is a must-read for anyone who appreciates landscape photography and wants to discover the beauty of Ukraine.

Gulag: A History is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book that offers a comprehensive and fully documented portrait of the Soviet concentration camps. Anne Applebaum intimately re-creates the life of prisoners in the Gulag, linking it to the larger history of the Soviet Union. This magisterial work of scholarship is an essential read for anyone who wishes to understand the history of the twentieth century. The book has been praised for its lucid and detailed account of one of the greatest evils of the 20th century. It is an important and moving read that should not be missed.

The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World (4) (Politics of Place) is a follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Prisoners of Geography. Using ten maps, Tim Marshall explains the challenges faced by world powers and how they indicate a volatile future. The book explores regions that are set to shape global politics, from the Middle East to Europe's next refugee crisis. Written with wit, clarity, and insight, Marshall's book is "an immersive blend of history, economics, and political analysis that puts geography at the center of human affairs" (Publishers Weekly). Overall, it is an insightful and comprehensive guide to the modern world and an outstanding contribution to historical geography books.

The Ukrainian Picture Dictionary Coloring Book is an innovative and fun way to learn Ukrainian. With over 50 detailed illustrations containing almost 1,000 images to color, readers can learn Ukrainian words and phrases while engaging in a creative activity. The book also includes challenging quizzes and an in-depth basic Ukrainian guide, making it a comprehensive and effective learning resource. The unique concept behind this book makes it stand out from other language learning materials, and it is a must-have for visual learners of all ages who want to learn Ukrainian.

Retracing the Iron Curtain: A 3,000-Mile Journey Through the End and Afterlife of the Cold War is an engrossing people's history of the Cold War that spans 3,000 miles and eight decades. Timothy Phillips travels the full length of the Iron Curtain to uncover the remarkable stories of everyday people forever imprinted by life in its shadow. The book reveals the profound impact of the Iron Curtain on our world today and punctures the fault lines we draw. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the Cold War and its aftermath.

The "Smachno: Ukrainian Coursebook and Culture Guide" is a unique language textbook and culinary guide that provides an in-depth understanding of Ukrainian cuisine and culture. The book includes English translations, real-life dialogues, vocabulary sections, and exercises to help readers learn Ukrainian while exploring the history, role, and recipes of popular Ukrainian dishes such as borscht, varenyky, syrnyky, and pampushky. Additionally, audio and video courses are available upon request. Overall, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in Eastern European literature books and wants to learn more about Ukrainian culture and language.