Жовтий метелик: Зворушлива історія війни, миру та сили віри (огляд книги)
By: Alla Bronishevska
The Yellow Butterfly by Oleksandr Shatokhin was chosen as April’s read for NP’s staff book club. Hosted monthly, our book club is an invitation for our staff to come together and discuss ideas and concepts related to Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) from different lenses.
Why The Yellow Butterfly Resonates with Our Mission at Nonviolent Peaceforce
Our staff selected this book because it appeared to convey a deeper, more personal experience than many traditional novels. The Yellow Butterfly reflects NP’s core values of nonviolence, dignity, and belief in the resilience of the human spirit. UCP can take many forms, often showing up through presence and solidarity. It offers civilians protection not through weapons, but through trust, meaningful engagement, and a deep commitment to nonviolence.
Like the butterfly, UCP is a gentle yet transformative force, helping communities reclaim their safety and rebuild their lives with dignity. The Yellow Butterfly explores a child’s experience following the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Suitable for kids and adults alike, the book creates a different kind of reading experience, as the book is illustrations only (no text).
A Novel That Becomes Your Own Story
Its silence invites us not just to observe, but to feel, to reflect, and to engage with our own emotions. In my opinion, this is not a story crafted by the author — it becomes our own story.
The Yellow Butterfly can be seen as a personal journal — a silent, emotional diary for every individual who has faced adversity. Each page becomes a reflection of one’s inner world, reminding us that no matter what happens in life, there is always a reason to believe in goodness, in justice, and in joy.
With each page, readers are free to interpret the journey in their own way, to bring their personal memories, thoughts, and feelings into the spaces between the illustrations. It’s a quiet invitation to explore the contrast between darkness and light, between fear and hope, between obstacles and inner strength.
The Yellow Butterfly reminds us that challenges will always appear in life. But it also teaches us that with belief — in ourselves, in the good, in the possibility of peace — we can overcome anything. This book encourages us to believe that no matter how difficult the journey of life is, everything will be okay. That we can find our way through the darkness, guided by something as small and beautiful as a yellow butterfly.
This book gently whispers: Everything will be okay. Not because life is easy, but because the human spirit is resilient. If we hold on to belief — in kindness, in truth, in beauty — the yellow butterfly will always return. Tragic moments may arise, but we are not meant to stay in the dark. We are meant to welcome the light. And the butterfly, quiet and golden, always finds its way back to us.
Alla Bronishevska has been working as a Safeguarding and Accountability Advisor with our team in Ukraine for almost a year.