Let’s get acquainted with Ivan Hrushevsky, a 17-year-old young man from Kyiv, who has been a fan of space, the limitless universe, its mysteries and diversity all his life. Since childhood Ivan has always been waiting for news about discoveries in space: new stars, planets, galaxies… But back then he did not even suspect that this summer he would write his own book in English about humanity’s voyage to Mars.
Through the project “Ukraine Speaks English” from NGO “Smart Osvita”, Ivan met Bruce Callow, a Canadian writer about science and outer space, a former communications advisor to a famous NASA astronaut, Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Díaz. During English classes with Bruce, Ivan eagerly shared his knowledge about science, space, and new technology. And that is when the boy was offered to participate in a mentored programme on writing his own book about Mars colonization. We have already written about the first three alumni of the program and their books here.
So, space, Mars, English, and cooperation with a mentor with extensive scholarly experience turned into a dream opportunity for Ivan, and he readily agreed to take it. This is how his story, “Red Sunrise,” became a reality.
“I was shocked, but also very happy to take part in the programme! I did not waste a minute and immediately wrote an email to Bruce, where I shared my thoughts and offered to work together. At the first meeting online we understood each other immediately, and this understanding is based on shared interests, favourite films, and vision of the future. It was very interesting to participate in our meetings where we discussed our ideas, shared our thoughts about the present and were looking for the best ways to write my book,” says Ivan.
You can read the book here.
Ivan wanted more than just tell everyone about Mras, he wanted to create a captivating story that would make readers think about the important questions of the future. Ruthless exploitation of the Earth’s resources, economic decline, disastrous climate change – that is the reality of the main character, Edward Sokol, who lives on our planet in 2077. An energy engineer from suburban Lviv one day sees a leaflet-invitation to participate in a mission to colonize Mars. The idea to escape the decline on Earth for a new life on the Red Planet fans the spark of hope and raises the philosophical question of choice and the right decisions.
“Red Sunrise” is a story that explores the subjects of resilience, hope and unbreakable human spirit. And it also provokes readers to think over their own life and the life of our planet, to agree and to argue with the characters’ deeds and to dream on even when everything around feels hopeless.
“I always liked reading interesting and thought-provoking books when we can think about our lives and values. “One such book is “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell. Its dystopian world made me reconsider freedom and responsibility. In addition to literature, I also like videogames. The Cyberpunk 2077 atmosphere, and the film Bladerunner really impressed me. These creations with their gloomy futurism and visual effects became a source of inspiration when I was writing my book.
Also, I strongly believe in space exploration, this is not just science, it is a way to the future. This is an opportunity to find new resources, new technologies and new ways of life. This is an opportunity to unite people from different countries and cultures around a shared objective. And Mars colonization is not just a dream, but a logical direction where humanity should be headed. Exploration and colonization of this planet will become an important step in our development and will open new doors to the future.”
Ivan says that writing the story became a real adventure for him. It was challenging but extremely interesting. Cooperation with Bruce was one of the brightest experiences in his life.
“He opened new horizons for me, he taught me to be persistent, to believe in myself and he showed me that I am capable of implementing my fantasies, my ideas into life. I am sincerely thankful to Bruce for his support, knowledge, and friendship.
I sincerely believe and hope that my book will be interesting and useful for a wide range of readers. Its aim is not only to entertain, but to make readers think about our future, the future of humanity,” summarizes his experience in writing the story Ivan Hrushevsky.
Follow the news and interesting classes with international volunteers in “Ukraine Speaks English“ project in the project’s telegram channel.
The project is implemented by NGO “Smart Osvita” in partnership with “Classrooms Without Walls“