Anne K. Howard Author

Adoriana in the bomb shelter (identity blurred)  In the Introduction of Escape from Mariupol: A Survivor's True Story, I briefly discuss how the book was written. I mention that my Ukrainian co-author, Adoriana Marik, emailed me letters written in Russian (the second language of many Ukrainians) which I translated into English and crafted into a narrative. The totality of those letters, along with the research that I added regarding recent Ukrainian history and Russia's current war, comprise the body of the book. In theory, it sounds like a straightforward process. But theory is just that- theory. Reality is something altogether different.   The emails that Adoriana initially sent me from a refugee hostel in the Czech Republic last spring resembled a stream-of-consciousness train wreck. Having lived underground for five weeks during nonstop aerial shelling and gun fighting in the streets of Mariupol, Adoriana's untamed recollection of events reflected the chaos of her tr...

Move over Benji. Step aside, Lassie. There's a new celebrity dog in town. Her name is Yola. She is a Siberian Husky who lived in the once-beautiful port city of Mariupol, Ukraine. Yola is one of the main characters in "Escape from Mariupol: A Survivor's True Story," a nonfiction that I recently co-authored with Yola's owner, Adoriana Marik.   When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Yola sheltered with Adoriana in a dark and freezing cold basement beneath a high-rise building in downtown Mariupol. Yola huddled beside Adoriana as deafening aerial shelling occurred 24/7 while an intense gun battle raged in the streets above. Adoriana risked her life for Yola when she left the shelter one afternoon and stole a bag of kibble from a nearby pet store where other looters searched for pet food.  In the early months of the war, Yola had an important job to do. She needed to comfort Adoriana during many dark and hopeless days and nights underground. She also had to...