Angel of Grozny attempts to give an accessible and impartial account of the complicated historical and political forces at play in the Chechen conflict whilst also describing her encounters with combatants and civilians on both sides. The book features an account of her meeting with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov. As well as trying to understand the mindset of the Chechen and Russian people, one of the books key themes is the exposure of corruption in the process of reconstructing Chechnya.
The Angel of Grozny of the book's title is a Chechen woman Hadijat Gatayeva who has turned her home into an orphanage for street children of the war.
One of the key themes may have been the corruption but another theme was more prominent to me. I was saddened to read the stories of the women and children caught up in a society torn apart just trying to survive. It certainly makes me thankful to live in a place where war is not on the doorsteps of our homes and schools. What are we doing to the children of the war zones around the world. My heart bleeds for them.
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It is so hard to imagine children abandoned to the streets. How heartbreaking.
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