Cynthia LeBrun smiling at the camera, while outside and wearing earrings, glasses, and a black blazer with a blue shirt underneath.

Cynthia LeBrun is the award winning author of Black Sunflowers, published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

This immersive novel tells the story of one family's survival during the Holodomor, Stalin's terror famine in Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s.

Drawing from personal testimonies and extensive historical research, this book is more than just a narrative: it is a heartfelt exploration of courage, love, and the enduring spirit of the Ukrainian people. This gripping tale will capture your heart and linger with you long after the last page.

Black and white photo of Cynthia LeBrun doing an author reading at an event.

About Cynthia

Cynthia grew up in Kelowna, British Columbia and studied to be a teacher at Simon Fraser University. She taught in a northern one-room schoolhouse west of Fort St. John, in the isolated logging camp of Phillips Arm, and finally in Campbell River. Her novel, Black Sunflowers, is inspired by the vivid memories of her mother-in-law, who grew up in Soviet Occupied Ukraine. Cynthia now lives and writes in Prince George, BC, where she enjoys being outdoors and observing bears, moose, and deer strolling through the yard.

Black Sunflowers is her first novel.

Cynthia won the 2022 International Peterson Literary Emerging Writers Grant for Black Sunflowers.

The Peterson Literary Fund logo in grey with a blue and gold book graphic.
The cover of the book, Black Sunflowers, written by Cynthia LeBrun, with a dark sunflower in the background, sprinkled with yellow and blue colours and a photo of a little Ukrainian girl on the front.

Black Sunflowers

The award winning, heart wrenching story of the Ukrainian people's struggle to survive under Stalin and Hilter.

An old photo of a group of four people sitting outside a building with a baby and a man standing playing a piano accordion.
An old photo of two children peering out from a structure with wooden slats.
An old photo of an Ukrainian girl wearing a blanket as a shawl and a head-wrap, with a goat walking behind her and a fence and old brick building in the background.
An old photo of a man with a large rifle and many people behind him, with suitcases and their belongings.
An old photo of a family leaving their residence with a cart containing their belongings.

“I will die, I will die.
And nobody will know my grave.
And nobody will come and remember, Only the nightingale will sing.”

Inspired by a real-life story, Black Sunflowers illuminates one of the darkest times in Ukrainian history: the Holodomor or “death by hunger.” The book begins in 1928, in Soviet- occupied Ukraine, where Veronika and her family live on their farm in the close-knit village of Kuzmin. Life is good, despite the Soviet occupation, but soon everything they have known and loved is not just altered, but demolished. Told in two voices—Veronika’s and her father, Janek’s--Black Sunflowers is a vivid account of the brutal realities of life in Ukraine under Stalin. Veronika and Janek’s story is a haunting yet uplifting testimony to the strength and humanity of the people of Ukraine.

Reviews

What people are saying about Black Sunflowers

“A significant moment in Ukrainian history brought to light in an accessible, moving, and personal way.”

Kirkus Reviews

The most trusted voice in book reviews since 1933

“Cynthia LeBrun's immersive first novel reveals one family's struggle to survive the Holodomor, Stalin's death-by-starvation plan to wipe out Ukrainians. Inspired by her family's experience, Black Sunflowers gives context to Russia's current genocidal war.”

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Author of Winterkill and Making Bombs for Hitler

Black Sunflowers is a riveting novel of one close-knit family’s survival, resilience, and perseverance under two invading totalitarian regimes. Historically accurate, it takes place during the Soviet occupation of Ukraine from the early 1920s into Nazi Germany’s invasion in 1941. It is vividly described through the experiences of a young girl and her father exposed to the injustices of two dictatorships determined to subjugate the population. At the core of the story is the Holodomor genocide. Veronika’s father guides her, teaching her life skills to survive the Holodomor with humanity. This moving and engaging page-turner is suitable for students in middle years through to adulthood.”

Valentina Kuryliw

Director of Education Holodomor Research and Education, University of Alberta

Book Tours

Please check back regularly or follow me on Facebook to stay up to date as new events are added. If you would like to book me for a speaking engagement please contact me.

Nanaimo, Nanaimo Museum - October 10, 2024

Author Reading & Book Signing - 1:00 - 3:00pm

Victoria, Victoria Ukrainian Canadian Cultural Society Library - October 9, 2024

Author Reading & Book Signing - 7:00 - 9:00pm

Campbell River, Campbell River Public Library - October 6, 2024

Author Reading & Book Signing - 1:30 - 2:30pm

Courtenay, Courtenay Public Library - October 5, 2024

Author Reading & Book Signing - 2:00 - 3:00pm

Qualicum Beach, Qualicum Beach Library - October 4, 2024

Author Reading & Book Signing - 2:00 - 4:00pm

Vernon, Vernon Museum - September 21, 2024

Author Reading & Book Signing - 1:00 - 3:00pm

Reserved Seating - Limited to 30 people. Open to the public.

Kelowna, Kelowna United Church Hall - September 20, 2024

Author Reading & Book Signing - 6:30 - 8:30pm

Open to the public.

Kelowna, Okanagan Jewish Community Synagogue - September 19, 2024

Luncheon, Author Reading & Book Signing

Private Event for Women's Club Members.

Prince George, St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church - August 24, 2024

Author Book Signing Event - 11:00am - 2:00pm

Guest Speaker | Comox Rotary Club - September 2023

A Story that Became a Book

Cynthia shared the challenges of writing from creating characters you feel you know to getting published.

Author’s Events & Photos

Cynthia LeBrun and a woman smiling at the camera while at a table with copies of her book, and a large poster in the back reading "author book reading event".

Prince George, St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church August 24, 2024

A Celebration of Ukraine’s Independence Day

Cynthia LeBrun attended a vibrant celebration of Ukraine’s Independence Day at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Prince George, sharing Black Sunflowers with attendees.

Newspaper Article | Comox Valley Record - October 2022

Comox Valley Author Wins International Literary Award

Courtenay author Cynthia Lebrun has just received considerable recognition for her historical fiction manuscript about Ukraine.

Contact Me

If you have any questions or want any additional information, send me a message. I’d love to hear from you!