{"product_id":"ordinary-people-dont-carry-machine-artem-chapeye-9781644214596","title":"Ordinary People Don't Carry Machine Guns: Thoughts on War","description":"\u003cb\u003eA reporter and novelist who is also a soldier in the Ukrainian army reconsiders his pacifism and the choices one makes when war is waged against you. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Chapeye represents a modern-day Ukrainian counterpart to classic American writers like Mark Twain or O. Henry, capturing the dignity and respect his characters might not get but nonetheless long for and deserve. . . . --Kate Tsurkan, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eOrdinary People Don't Carry Machine Guns\u003c\/i\u003e, Artem Chapeye reveals his war, intimate and senseless, withholding nothing about his motivations, his nightmares, his new relationship with the world. Here one man, a pacifist turned fighter, a story writer turned soldier considers the reasons for and reactions to war on a very personal level. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eChapeye investigates his role in the Ukrainian people's defense against the Russian army and his responsibilities as a father, a writer, a soldier, and a man of conviction. An avowed pacifist until 2022, Chapeye joined the Ukrainian army in the first days of the invasion. He tries to understand the large-scale decision-making that has a defining impact on both individual citizens and society-at-large: many of his fellow soldiers never considered enlisting before finding themselves at war; others fled the country. He wonders what his young children at home are doing and what they're feeling. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe book has three parts, offering historical analogies and literary references throughout. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"When Darkness Comes\" relates the first days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 when lives and the peace were shattered.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\"It's Necessary to Cultivate Your Garden\" details the experience of the everyday people of Ukraine, workers and peasants, who look forward to returning to simpler lives.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe last section, \"People Aren't Divided into Brands,\" critiques the elitism of those who consider themselves above those who \"simply\" fight.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDeeply thought-provoking, intelligent, and heartbreaking, this is an essential book for anyone who wants to understand the ways that war can change everything.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Artem Chapeye\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1644214598\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781644214596\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Seven Stories Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/08\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 128\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs","brand":"Artem Chapeye","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46603005460735,"sku":"9781644214596","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_9ff1eedf-4e6a-4da5-b138-819fed023494.jpg?v=1739695920","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/ordinary-people-dont-carry-machine-artem-chapeye-9781644214596","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}