3.5

A bit impersonal for an autobiography, but very interesting and detailed.

«I wear my uniform with honor. It has the Order of Lenin on it. It has been covered with blood in battle. It is plain to see that with American women what is important is whether they wear silk underwear under their uniforms. What the uniform stands for, they have yet to learn.»...«Not humans, Nazis»

Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a symbol of resistance and struggle. A symbol not only of the Soviet Union and the Red Army under siege but also a symbol of feminism and women’s empowerment. One of the greatest snipers of all time on the battlefield, admired and glorified by the men around her, feared and demonised by the enemy.

A thoroughly enjoyable memoir from a woman who helped shape the art of sharpshooting in World War II. Unfortunately, the depth and breadth of her contribution is questioned to this day as possible propaganda rather than fact. This is complicated by the fact that the memoir seems to exclude portions of her life that she did not wish to share. While it is irrelevant that her first husband was a doctor rather than a schoolmate (thus increasing the inappropriateness of the relationship due to their respective ages), or that she seems to have married for the third time after the war, the question is raised as to what else is missing or has been changed in her account, even unintentionally. After all, Lyudmila Pavlichenko wrote the memoir long after the end of the war. Regardless, a wonderfully informative and engaging read for any history and war enthusiast.

After reading Kate Quinn’s Diamond Eye, I wanted to see how closely her novel followed what Pavlichenko said herself so I borrowed this one from the library. Super interesting

Not for me, but good.

So she was a reluctant war hero with a head full of sniper physics. I forget that Russia was one of the targets for Germans forces during World War II. It was interesting to hear how this was viewed and how Germany wanted to isolate and kill off certain groups whether those be Jewish or Gypsy. Isolate and exterminate seemed to be the code they lived by in order to rewrite and omit people from history. I had some struggles with realizing this was a memoir and not the fiction Kate Quinn book. Strange to think that these events were leading to the iron curtain.