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Sasha Vasilyuk honors grandfather’s WWII Ukrainian soldier life and post-war struggles

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Courtesy Bloomsbury Publishing
Sasha Vasikyuk's new novel book cover

Sasha Vasilyuk's new novel, Your Presence is Mandatory is based on historical events that span from WWII until the advent of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Journalist and author, Sasha Vasilyuk shares fascinating insights about her new historical fiction novel Your Presence is Mandatory.

Author Sasha Vasilyuk
Tom Wilmer
Author Sasha Vasilyuk

Sasha’s story based on historical events spans from WWII until the advent of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The spellbinding tale is a riveting story of a Jewish-Ukrainian war vet who clings to a dangerous secret for his entire life.

Sasha Vasilyuk's grandfather Yefim Shulman WWII dressed in his Ukrainian Army uniform
Courtesy Sasha Vasilyuk
Sasha Vasilyuk's grandfather Yefim Shulman WWII dressed in his Ukrainian Army uniform

 Your Presence is Mandatory published by Bloomsbury in the U.S. and Canada as well as Italy, Germany, France, Finland and Brazil is scheduled for release late April 2024.

 Correspondent Tom Wilmer spoke with Sasha about her grandfather who inspired her novel centered on her grandfather’s life and how the Soviet government treated its captured soldiers.

Sasha Vasilyuk
Christopher Michel
Sasha Vasilyuk

Join Sasha’s journey from journalism to fiction, and how she came to meet the recently killed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Sasha Vasilyuk grew up between Ukraine and Russia before immigrating to the U.S. at the age of 13. She earned an MA in journalism from New York University and her nonfiction work has been published in the New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, CNN, Time, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Telegraph, KQED, Narrative, and elsewhere.

The recipient of a Solas Award for Best Travel Writing, a North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Award, and a Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) Fellowship from UC Berkeley, Sasha lives in San Francisco with her husband and children.

In praise of Your Presence is Mandatory:
“Powerful…In masterfully crafted prose, Sasha Vasilyuk examines the harrowing choices her characters have to make to survive during and after the war. With a cast of memorable characters, Your Presence Is Mandatory is a poignant and formidable tale of grit and guilt set against the harsh realities of state-sanctioned cruelty and indifference. You won't be able to put this book down, and it will stay in your heart long after you finish reading. Riveting and unforgettable.”
Elena Gorokhova, author of A Train to Moscow

Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer featured on the NPR Podcast Directory
NPR
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer featured on the NPR Podcast Directory

You are invited to subscribe to the seven-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast DirectoryApple Podcastand more than twenty other podcast hosting sites including iHeartRadio and Spotify

Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer—winner of the Gold Lowell Thomas Award—Society of American Travel Writers
SATW Foundation
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer—winner of the Gold Lowell Thomas Award—Society of American Travel Writers

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.