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Major Characters

 * Anatoly Kuznetsov (Tolya): The principal narrator and author of the book. Young and scrappy, at the outset of the novel, Anatoly is twelve years old, while at the end, he is fourteen years old—a crucial age as the occupying German army deported boys fourteen and above to Germany. Encouraged by his mother, Anatoly keeps a journal detailing the atrocities of Babi Yar and the population of Kyiv by the Nazis.


 * Fyodor Vlasovich Semerik (grandfather): Born in the Russian Empire and lived through the Russian Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union. At the novel's beginning, Fyodor welcomes the German army as a saving force against the Bolsheviks--whom Fyodor blames for his poor economic circumstances. Once Fyodor realizes the Nazis are just as corrupt and brutal as the Bolsheviks, he welcomes the return of Soviet troops.
 * Martha Yefimovna Semerik (grandmother): A charitable, religious, and superstitious woman. Even though Anatoly describes himself as an atheist, Martha's teachings greatly impact him—going as far as baptizing Anatoly against the will of his parents. Martha dies in the middle of the novel.
 * Maria Fyodorovna Kuznetsova (mother): Becoming a successful primary schoolteacher after the revolution, Maria supports the family (Anatoly and his grandparents) solely on her income. Although she gets divorced from her husband Vasili, she never applies for alimony and secretly hopes he will return. After the war, Maria lives at the same home, 28 Peter-Paul Square. Her salary is never raised as she spent time under the German occupation. She becomes half-blind towards the end of her life and helps Anatoly with the book.
 * Vasili Kuznetsov (father): A revolutionary and member of the Communist Party, Vasili meets Maria while working as a policeman in Kyiv, and his engagement is accepted by Martha's father (Fyodor) after Vasili is elected to the city council. Fyodor dislikes Vasili for the rest of their marriage for being a Bolshevik. Vasili is never seen again after getting a job at the Gorky plant.
 * Titus the cat: Anatoly's pet cat. Titus survives the war even after attempts on his life are made by Fyodor and the German army. Titus was a companion to Anatoly in their homemade shelters.

Structure
The 2023 paperback reissued edition of Babi Yar contains three different typefaces distinguished by the author as follows: Ordinary type—material published in Yunost in 1966.

Heavier type—material cut out by the censor at the time.

Enclosed between square brackets [ ] — material added between 1967 and 1969.

Plot summary
Part one begins with "The End of Soviet Rule" as Soviet troops withdraw from Kiev. Anatoly describes Soviet troops running into homes, tearing off anything that could identify them as a Soviet soldier, and begging civilians for normal clothing. Anatoly and his grandfather build a bomb shelter in their yard. German troops are mostly welcomed by the population of Kiev as a perceived relief from Stalin and the N.K.V.D. As German infantry roll into the city, mass looting begins. Anatoly tries to loot to bring back supplies to his family, but is largely pushed over by the adults. He manages to scrounge for a lamp and some brushes.

After introducing members of his family, the narrator, Anatoly, switches voice to address readers in the present. Kuznetsov warns readers in heavier type, "I say to you: THE PERSON WHO TODAY IGNORES POLITICS WILL REGRET IT. I did not say I liked politics. I hate them. I scorn them. I do not call upon you to like them or even respect them. I am simply telling you: DON'T IGNORE THEM."

Anatoly writes that on September 19, 1941, the German command began to occupy the Kreshchatik, the office and living spaces of former Communist party and secret police officials. Anatoly then describes the deadly explosions that took place along the Kreshchatik on September 24th. Sporadic explosions destroyed the avenue killing many German officials and three-times more civilians. Although never admitting responsibility, Anatoly writes that it was well known that the N.K.V.D. left incendiary bombs underneath the Kreshchatik, aggravating the Germans against the population of Kiev.

Four days later during the arrival of Ivan Svinchenko (a family aquitance of the Kuznetsov's) from the front, Anatoly's grandfather comes in from the street and announces that the Germans have issued a deportation order for all Jewish people in Kiev. Blaming the Jews for the Kreshchatik affair, the Germans issue the following order: All Yids living in the city of Kiev and its vicinity are to report by 8 o'clock on the morning of Monday, September 29th, 1941, at the corner of Melnikovsky and Dokhturov Streets (near the cemetery). They are to take with them documents, money, valuables, as well as warm clothes, underwear, etc.

Any Yids not carrying out this instruction and who is found elsewhere will be shot.

Any civilians entering flats evacuated by Yids and stealing property will be shot. Anatoly reflects on the Jewish people he knows. He thinks about the Jewish people that live nearby on the collective farm in squalid conditions. He questions his grandfather's enthusiasm for the order thinking that the whole Jewish population should not be punished for a few people's actions. Momentarily, Anatoly agrees with his grandfather's antisemitism because his Jewish friend, Shurka, had stolen some books. Concluding that Shurka and Jewish people are actually good, Anatoly travels to the police station to witness the Jewish migration. On the street Anatoly sees a procession of Jewish people being jeered and spit at—some even being robbed by onlookers. He recalls that many of the Jewish people were debating about their fate and were confused to what was going on. From his house, Anatoly recalls hearing machine gun fire from Babi Yar. During the night a young boy of fourteen pleads for help as he had escaped from Babi Yar. The Kuznetsov family plans to hide him but the Germans find him before they can do so.

Dina Pronicheva's Narrative
The novel briefly transitions from Anatoly's account of Babi Yar to Dina Pronicheva's (one of the few survivors of the Babi Yar massacre). Dina's heritage was Jewish but because she had married a Ukranian and looked like a Ukrainian, she decided to transport just her parents to Babi Yar—not knowing its true purpose as an execution site. In the morning Dina picked up her parents and helped them carry their luggage. The procession is long and slow, at which point Dina decides to walk ahead and see what is going on. Asking strangers, Dina does not know what is going on but can see that peoples luggage is being confiscated. Along with Dina, most people being led into Babi Yar feel that something is wrong, but choose to believe int he hope that they are just being deported.

Quickly being led into a slim corridor Dina and those around her are beaten with clubs. The Jewish prisoners were order to take their clothes off and those who did not comply had their clothes stripped from them. Dina's parents tell her that she should try to escape since she does not look Jewish. After telling a policeman that she was not Jewish, Dina is led off to the side, to be dealt with later. Dina does not yet see the Ravine but can hear people being beaten, stripped, and shot.

Dina is led off after the first group of Jews are executed and can see a pit of bloody, naked bodies, some still alive. Dina is led to the edge of the ravine and jumps in as soon as the Germans begin to fire. She is tossed into a pit of warm bodies with fresh blood spurting on her. Making sure that everyone is dead, a police officer approaches Dina's body and begins to punch her genitals—miraculously she stays limp.

Crawling through the ravine Dina meets a young boy who also survived the machine gun fire. They each crawl to find a way out. Dina sees German troops leading two Ukrainian girls down to a ditch, where they are raped and killed with bayonets as to not be heard. Dina and the boy make their way out of the ravine while hiding in bushes. Suddenly, the boy is recognized and killed by German guards. Dina survives and makes it to a barn where the owners call the Germans. Captured again, Dina makes her final escape by rolling off a transport truck while in transit, and she finds her way to family.

Anatoly's Narrative Continued
After Dina's chapter Anatoly continues the narrative with a summative history of Ukraine's plight under Soviet Rule—especially the man made famine, the Holodomor. Anatoly writes about accounts of cannibalism when describing the Holodomor. The book then provides official documents given by German officials about the city of Kiev and its population.

Anatoly and his family are forced to pick up odd jobs in order to survive. For a while Anatoly makes money by up-selling cigarettes and food. He also works for a butcher who uses horse meat for sausage. Eventually when the war takes a turn, the Germans evacuate at the end of the 1943 Battle of Kiev, along with ordering citizens to leave too. Anatoly and his mom stay behind by hiding. Their home is then used as barracks for retreating German soldiers. Anatoly and his mother survive intense aerial bombardment.

Anatoly ends the novel with descriptions of how the massacre at Babi Yar continued to be denied by the Soviet government—going as far as building a dam on top of the ravine (known as the Kurenivka mudslide), which eventually collapsed and killed thousands. Anatoly pleads with readers to not forget what happened at the site of Babi Yar, and reminds readers that the massacre metaphorically happened yesterday compared to the span of history.

Anatoly finishes with these lines: What new Babi Yars, Maidaneks, Hiroshimas, [Kolymas and Potmas], in what places and with what new, more advanced methods, lie hidden in the future, just biding their time? And which of us now living is already perhaps marked out for them?

'''I wonder if we shall ever understand that the most precious thing in this world is a man's life and his freedom? Or is there still more barbarism ahead?'''

With these questions I think I shall bring this book to an end.

I wish you peace. [And freedom.]