Once Upon a Time in Ukraine

By Gini Graham Scott

Once Upon a Time in Ukraine is about a time about 35 years ago during the Glasnost years under Mikhail Gorbachev when the Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. I went there on a citizen diplomacy trip in 1989, and I took several hundred photos in Kiev. The book features a portfolio of over 200 photos, a chapter I wrote about visiting the Ukraine from Before the Russian Revolution, and a traditional folktale, The Lord of the Crows. I was especially drawn to the Ukraine since my paternal grandparents emigrated from this area and the neighboring countries in the early 20th century. The photos feature visits to parks, beaches, museums of art and industry, markets, city streets, and more. The photos are also available for individual purchases for editorial use, posters, videos, and other formats to show what life was like in the Ukraine during a happier and more peaceful time.

 

GINI GRAHAM SCOTT, Ph.D., J.D., is a nationally known writer, consultant, speaker, and seminar leader, specializing in business and work relationships, professional and personal development, social trends, popular culture, science, crime, and children's picture books. She has published over 50 books with major publishers. She has worked with hundreds of clients on memoirs, self-help, business books, and screenplays.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Michael Publishing
• Release date: Apr 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223683858

Book preview

ONCE UPON A TIME

IN UKRAINE

A Look Back to a Time When Ukraine

Was at Peace Before the Russian Revolution:

In Photos and Folklore

Gini Graham Scott, PhD

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Published by

J. Michael Publishing

Brentwood, California

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ONCE UPON A TIME IN UKRAINE

Copyright © 2023 by Gini Graham Scott

All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

TESTIMONIAL

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As a Ukrainian-American born in Kyiv, I found Once Upon a Time in Ukraine by Gini Graham Scott to be an insightful visual journey into the heart of Ukraine's rich history and vibrant culture during the transformative period of glasnost and the perestroika era of the 1980s. 

Scott's ancestral ties to Ukraine, as her grandparents hailed from the Odessa area, infuse her narrative with emotional resonance and authenticity. Through her expressive writing and over 200 captivating photos from her trip to Ukraine, Scott creates a tangible link to the past, allowing readers to travel back in time and experience the country's unique traditions and landscapes.

The book concludes with a poignant Ukrainian folktale, The Lord of the Crows, which resonates with the current struggles of the Ukrainian people. This folktale, coupled with Scott's personal experiences and observations, paints a picture of a resilient and proud nation that continues to thrive despite adversity.

In these challenging times of global uncertainty, Once Upon a Time in Ukraine serves as a beautiful tribute to Ukraine's past and a beacon of hope for its future. An essential read for those yearning to grasp the essence of Ukraine and the spirit of its people.

Oleksii Chuiko

Director of Operations

ASIYA Shrine Center - Shriners International #15

San Mateo, CA 94403-1308   

www.asiyashriners.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: A JOURNEY TO THE UKRAINE AS A CITIZEN DIPLOMAT IN 1989

An Evening with a Student Youth Group in Kiev

A Day at the Beach and Exploring Kiev

CHAPTER 2: A PORTFOLIO OF PHOTOS THEN AND NOW

CHAPTER 3: A FOLKTALE ABOUT OVERCOMING AN EVIL POWER

Introduction

The Lord of the Crows

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

CONTACT INFORMATION

OBTAINING PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE BOOK

INTRODUCTION

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Three decades ago, before the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Ukraine was part of that much larger country. This was the time of Glasnost, when Mikhail Gorbachev led the country and instituted a series of reforms to make the Soviet Union more democratic and revive a then sputtering economy. It was a time of transformation and hope for the future, though these reforms soon led to the break-up of the Soviet Union. More recently, this breakup has led to the recent attempts by Vladimir Putin to restore the borders of the Soviet Union. This restoration effort led to the annexation of the Crimea from the Ukraine in 2014 and the war against the Ukraine since February 24, 2022.

I went to the Ukraine and other parts of the Soviet Union in 1987 on trip led by an oil and gas executive and arranged through my law school and when I returned in 1988 on a citizen diplomacy trip, that led to my publishing a book about my experience.  It was a trip where we were not just tourists but met with citizens and stayed in their homes. I also took hundreds of photographs in the form of slides which I showed in several carousels. About a dozen of these photos were later turned into JPGs and published in the book The Open Door by New World Library in 1990. They were later republished in Before the Russian Revolution by my company Changemakers Publishing in 2015, after I got back the rights.  I went back on a second citizen diplomacy trip in 1991,

Once Upon a Time in the Ukraine includes a chapter about my visit to the Ukraine, where we spent several days in Kiev, and the photos in the book are from the collection of photos I took there. 

Also, during my trips, I obtained several books with folktales from different countries, and I turned some of them into children’s picture books. One of them, The Lord of the Crows, features a folktale from the Ukraine about a boy