THE LIFE OF TOLKA BY NITIN CHOPRA AND NIVEDITHA PREETH

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BOOK NAME: THE LIFE OF TOLKA

AUTHOR NAME: Dr. NITIN CHOPRA, NIVEDITHA PREETH

GENRE: AUTOBIOGRAPHY

PUBLISHER: POETRY WORLD ORG. 

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/-/hi/Nitin-Chopra/dp/9392507054



BOOK COVER IMAGE





BOOK REVIEW

War is cruel, and though there's always a side that emerges victorious, their victory will always be written with the blood of thousands of innocent lives. The life of Tolka is based on the Russian war on Ukraine, the former slowly invading the latter since 2014. This book is an autobiographical account of the author's life in Ukraine who considers it his second home. He starts his humble journey from India to Ukraine with aspirations of becoming a doctor. But what awaits him is a life-changing event with severe repercussions. The author tries to find peace and hope by fulfilling his medical duties during the war while reminiscing about his good old days.


I fell in love with the quotes in the book that were full of optimism and courage even amid the shambles. The slight repetition at the beginning of the book improved as the story progressed and as emotions took over descriptive language. The book was visually evocative, too, with its illustrations of Ukraine before and during the war.


Like everyone else, I was also initially sceptical about the book as an Indian author writing about the Russo-Ukrainian war felt unauthentic to me. But the book proved me wrong. The author's feelings towards his second home were heartwarming as he recollected his best and worst moments there explaining why he considered it such. It made me reconsider the concept of home and outsider, and I am thankful to the book for making me reflect on it. It was to the point and neatly written, and I wish this book reached more audiences to understand the aftermath of war. But sadly, those who think war is a device for victory aren't mindful readers. 



MY REVIEW: 4/5

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel


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