The Oath, Khassan Baiev
The Oath, Khassan Baiev
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The Oath
The Remarkable Story of a Surgeon's Life Under Fire in Chechnya

Author: Khassan Baiev

Narrator: Robert O'Keefe

Unabridged: 14 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 08/03/2012


Synopsis

When Chechen rebels took Moscow theatergoers hostage in October 2002, it tragically highlighted the ongoing conflict between Russia and its breakaway republic, Chechnya-a war that has claimed an estimated 200,000 Chechen lives in the past decade. Yet the true nature of the debacle lies behind the headlines. In The Oath, a heroic Chechen doctor relates his harrowing experiences in the line of fire to bear witness to this international calamity, and illuminates his remarkable people and their culture. In 1994, when fighting threatened to break out in Chechnya, Baiev left his promising career in Russia to aid his countrymen. First, he worked in a Grozny hospital until it was destroyed by Russian shelling. Returning to his hometown of Alkhan Kala, he and his fellow villagers restored a clinic with his own funds, and he soon found himself the only doctor for 80,000 residents in six villages and 5,000 refugees. During the next six years, he worked without gas, electricity, or running water, with only local anesthetics, and at one point dressed wounds with sour cream or egg yolks when supplies ran out. He often donated his own blood for surgeries, and on one occasion performed sixty-seven amputations in forty-eight hours. Although he mainly treated civilians, Baiev also cared for Russian soldiers and Chechen fighters alike, never allowing politics to interfere with his commitment to the Hippocratic oath. He harbored Russian deserters and Chechen rebels at great personal risk and single-handedly rescued a Russian doctor who was scheduled to be executed. For this, Baiev was nearly killed by both the Russian special forces and Chechen extremists. Only when the Russian Army ordered him arrested for treating a wounded rebel warlord did Baiev finally flee Chechnya. Echoing through his memoir is the history of Chechnya, a Muslim nation the size of Connecticut with a population of one million. Baiev explains the roots of the Chechen- Russian conflict, dating back 400 years, and he brings to life his once-beautiful ancestral home of Makazhoi where his family clan goes back generations, steeped in ancient traditions that are an intriguing blend of mountain folklore-including blood vendettas, arranged marriages, the authority of village elders-and Muslim religious rituals. And he writes frankly about the challenges of assimilating into western culture and about the post-traumatic stress disorder that has debilitated him since the war began. The Oath is an important eyewitness account of the reality of the Chechen-Russian conflict, in which countless atrocities have been committed against average Chechens in stark contrast to the Kremlin's portrayal of the conflict. It is also a searing, unforgettable memoir that is certain to become a classic in the literature of war.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Shelley on August 09, 2024

The Oath was mentioned at the end of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. It was just by chance that the library owned a copy. It has only been out 4 times since its purchase in 2003. That should give you a good idea of just how little interest there has been in Chechnya. This is an important book. Wh......more

Goodreads review by MisskTarsis on January 22, 2021

Es la historia de un médico checheno, que salvó miles de vida durante la guerra de su país por la independencia. Fue acusado de traidor por ambos bandos, por salvar vidas tanto de su país como de los enemigos. Nos muestra su vida desde su niñez, como llegó a ser médico, y todas las dificultades que......more

Goodreads review by Michał on March 13, 2022

This man even though being Chechen, for his origin in Russia, got put obstacles in our way. Studied medicine and primus in sport, fell in love in school, gathered money for family and own clinic by doing operations for £200 instead of £1200 (standard price). In First Chechen War he operated and helpe......more

Goodreads review by Karson on January 25, 2021

I thought this book was incredible. For me, it was one of those books that was really hard to put down. The only thing I've heard about Chechnya from the mainstream media is that it is a hotbed for Islamic extremism and terrorism. Beyond that, I knew nothing more. As with any story, once you dig in,......more

Goodreads review by Belle on March 12, 2014

An engaging and important true story of a surgeon operating under the worst of conditions in war torn Chechnya. War is always hell but the Russians definitely are the devil in this book, though he lays plenty of blame on the Chechans also. I knew precious little of this region beforehand and found t......more