In the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the late 20th century was a time of unprecedented hope for democracy and freedom in Eastern Europe.

Young writers, journalists, and adventurers such as Katya Cengel flocked from the West eastward to cities like Prague and Budapest, seeking out terra nova. Despite the region’s appeal, neither Kyiv in the Ukraine nor Riga in Latvia was the type of place you would expect to find a 22-year-old Californian just out of college. But Cengel ended up living and working in both. This book is her remarkable story.

Cengel first took a job at the Baltic Times just seven years after Latvia regained its independence. The idea of a free press in the Eastern Bloc was still so promising that she ultimately moved to the Ukraine. From there Cengel made several trips to Chernobyl, site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. It was at Chernobyl that she met her fiancé, but as she fell in love, the Ukraine collapsed into what would become the Orange Revolution, bringing it to the brink of political disintegration and civil war. From Chernobyl with Love is an indelible portrait of this historical epoch and a memoir of the highest order.

The book is published by University of Nebraska Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"Big risks and moments of gravity make From Chernobyl with Love both human and heroic—a satisfying and gutsy memoir." (Foreword Reviews)

“A joy to read: lively, informative, and hair-raising in equal measure.” (Vesna Goldsworthy, author of Chernobyl Strawberries)

“A charming, bittersweet story of young love and journalism.” (Karol Nielsen, author of Walking A & P and Black Elephants)