Books at the Institute

Books at the Institute is pleased to host the New York book launch and an evening with James Verini, award-winning magazine journalist and author, as he discusses his latest publication, The Theater: Courage and Survival in the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War.

Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 6:30 PM
2 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075

Mr. Verini will be joined in conversation by Sebastian Junger.

Book signing and light reception to follow.

General admission: $25 / UIA Annual Friend: $20 / UIA Member: $15

On March 16, 2022, Russian forces unleashed devastation upon Mariupol, Ukraine, targeting the Donetsk Regional Drama Theater where thousands of civilians were sheltering. The bombing remains the single deadliest act of mass killing in the Russo-Ukrainian War – a defining atrocity that James Verini documents with unflinching precision and profound humanity in The Theater.

This essential work tells the story of ordinary Ukrainians – workers, teachers, actors – who transformed a historic drama venue into a lifesaving refuge. Before tragedy struck, they built a shelter fueled by audacity, humor, and an indomitable will to protect their own. Through meticulous reporting and intimate interviews, Verini introduces us to these unsung heroes: a physician improvising an infirmary beneath spotlights, a resourceful teenager crafting flashlights from Christmas bulbs and salvaged wire, a young boxer arriving with only her medals and determination.

We encounter them first as full human beings – flawed, courageous, and vibrantly alive – before witnessing how their sanctuary became a tomb. Mr. Verini captures the horror with searing clarity: the moment a boy identifies his mother by her pink nail polish on a severed arm; the anguished search through rubble; the haunting image of “children” painted in Cyrillic letters across the building’s exterior – a plea for mercy that went unheeded.

Yet, The Theater is far more than documenting tragedy. It reveals how individuals endure impossible circumstances with resilience and grace, how ordinary people become extraordinary through necessity, and how a young nation fights for its very survival. James Verini’s straightforward prose and compassionate eye create an authoritative account that will leave readers inspired, devastated, and forever changed – a crucial testament to Ukrainian courage and Russian aggression that demands to be witnessed.

What others are saying about The Theater:

“The Theater is a shocking book … It’s the best kind of war reporting: you can’t bear to read it but you really can’t bear to put it down. Future journalists will study this book for lessons on how to do their jobs.”
— Sebastian Junger, New York Times bestselling author of In My Time of Dying

“Impeccably reported, fantastically detailed, humane. Verini’s book makes you care deeply about these people … He distills the full obscenity of Putin’s invasion down to a single catastrophic moment.”
— William Finnegan, Pulitizer Prize–winning author of Barbarian Days

“An essential read to understand the human cost of the largest war in Europe since 1945.”
— Serhii Plokhy, author of The Gates of Europe

James Verini writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and National Geographic, among other publications. His journalism has received a National Magazine Award and a George Polk Award. He is the author of They Will Have to Die Now, about the battle that brought down ISIS.

Sebastian Junger is the New York Times bestselling author of In My Time of Dying, Tribe, War, Freedom, A Death in Belmont, Fire, and The Perfect Storm, and codirector of the documentary film Restrepo, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He is also the winner of a Peabody Award and the National Magazine Award for Reporting.

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To have a copy of the book signed, The Theater: Courage and Survival in the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War will be available for purchase ($28.00) at the Ukrainian Institute of America the evening of the event.

By purchasing a book from the UIA, you are supporting its continued cultural and educational programming and the further enjoyment of its unique events by our friends and community along New York’s Museum Mile.

For further information: Please contact the Ukrainian Institute of America at (212) 288-8660 or info@ukrainianinstitute.org.

Photo of James Verini courtesy of the author. Photo of Sebastian Junger by Peter Foley. All rights reserved.

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Title: The Theater: Courage and Survival in the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War
Author: James Verini
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 19, 2026)
Hardcover: 208 pages
ISBN-10: 1668062208
ISBN-13:  978-1668062203
Item Weight: 1.06 pounds
Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.38 inches