Yashka

Yashka is the autobiography of Maria Botchkareva a young Russian woman who bravely took up arms first against the Germans in World War One and then opposed the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution of 1917. Maria describes a hard upbringing as a member of the Russian peasantry. Married at sixteen to her first husband Afanasy it wasn't long before his charms were replaced by physical abuse; Maria soon fled. She applied for work as a servant girl only to discover that the man advertising actually owned a string of brothels; she was promptly sent to the town of Sretensk to work in one. Such harsh experiences in youth nevertheless built a certain determination and toughness in the young Maria. When war broke out in 1914 she applied to join as a soldier - facing verbal abuse and sexual harassment from the outset she nevertheless took to military life with eagerness and courage. The soldiers nicknamed her 'Yashka' and a measure of respect was slowly gained as she demonstrated great bravery.