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8 OUR LIFE • March-April 2026 what life was like inside the Theater leading up to the bombing, which helped to inform my charac - ters’ narratives. One of my dear former colleagues whose organization was helping evacuate civilians from Ukraine, including those from Mariupol, pro - vided excellent feedback and suggestions based on her knowledge of the events on the ground in Mari- upol at the start of the full-scale invasion. Mariupol has been under russian control since May 20, 2022, so first-hand accounts of the situa - tion are available mostly from those who were able to escape before the occupation. What informed your narrative, especially your descriptions of what happened to Sasha? Many people have asked me whether Sasha is based on a specific individual. He is not. About a week before I published my book, the Washington Post ran an excellent story about a young boy who was abducted from Mariupol shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion. The boy was abducted after his mother was killed in an airstrike. The two spent the night in a basement shelter, and when the boy woke up the next day, his mother had passed away while they were still holding one another. The boy was injured and taken to a hospital, where he was put up for adoption to a russian family. It was only by chance that his grandmother identified him in a russian propaganda video about so-called russian children available for adoption by russian families. His grandmother was able to work with civil socie - ty and human rights groups to locate her grandson and reunite with him. It was an inspiring true story; however, the similarities between Sasha’s circum - stances and those of this little boy are entirely co - incidental. I had already completed my book by the time I read that real-life account. As more children are being rescued and returned home, they are providing first-hand accounts of their unique experiences in the camps. Several re - ports and documentaries have come out this year detailing what they went through. Each child’s ex - perience is unique, but there were several common threads among the accounts. Most described expe - riencing forced labor, being subjected to intense propaganda about the war, being forcibly given rus - sian citizenship (including new names), and being subjected to cruel and inhumane punishment for speaking out or questioning camp administration and teachers. I used this information to inform Sa - sha’s narrative and experiences. What is your target audience? How did you choose that, and why? My target audience is primarily people who do not closely track what is happening in Eastern Europe. Ukrainians, especially those still living in Ukraine or those who have recently left, are all too aware of the atrocities being committed. They are expe - riencing it in real time. Average American citizens, however, are not likely aware. This became very ap - parent to me when USAID’s shutdown received very little pushback from most Americans. I thought if more people knew what our programs were doing, how they were saving children’s lives and reuniting families, maybe they would support foreign assis - tance and push for work in this area to continue. As a mother of young children, the thought of my chil - dren being taken, held captive in a foreign country, and given a new identity and family makes me sick. I thought if others like me only understood what was going on, maybe we could elevate the issue enough to increase support for getting these children back home and to their families. After publishing, I am finding the book appeals to younger audiences as well. In my former job with USAID, I wrote primarily technical pieces, which were very dense, fully of AID jargon and covering very complex issues. I chose to write my book in simple, direct voices to better convey the reali - ty and emotions of the characters, especially the children. I think this style of writing is accessible and appeals to younger audiences. It also has the added benefit of informing a younger generation, especially Americans, of a critically important inter - national issue. If you could choose only one thing, what do you want the reader to know about each of the four main characters? For Mariya, I want readers to understand how deeply committed she is to her children. She would do anything for them, and when their lives are at risk, nothing else matters. I want readers to feel
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