Editorial Review

The recent war in Bosnia re-ignited ancient hatreds and led to acts of brutalitythat echoed World War II atrocities: large-scale massacres and "ethniccleansing". Bosnian Serbs, aided by Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic,systematically murdered, raped, and terrorized Bosnian Muslims as they strove to create aGreater Serbia. Now, journalist Tim Judah provides some perspective on the horrors ofthe Bosnian conflict with Read more

Reviews (29)

Miserable propaganda
Throwing usnuported by the facts claims about Serbs and intentionally distorting the truth - are the only marks of this book. Good for garbage bin, as somebody already mentioned here.

Devoid of historical seriousness or journalistic integrity
It is necessary to correct the current trend of public commentary, which tends, systematically, not to understand events in the former Yugoslavia but to construct a propagandistic version of Balkan rivalries, designed to validate the existing post-modern myths and prejudices. This book faithfully reflects the post-modern blinkers that its author has helped first create and then perpetuate in his "coverage" of the Wars of Yugoslav Succession. This book reflects his (and their) belief that the Orthodox nations of Southeast Europe - embodied in "the Serbs" - are The Other vis-a-vis "The West" in the Huntingtonian sense. The author's assumptions are prejudiced in a coarse, primordial manner.
just the facts
mythomaniacs?
Read more

Subjects:  1. Balkan Peninsula - History    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Serbia    8. Serbia and Montenegro    9. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    10. Civil war    11. Croatia    12. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    13. History / General    14. History of specific racial & ethnic groups   

Editorial Review

On the morning of July 16, 1995, after storming the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, Serbian militiamen massacred hundreds of Muslim civilians. They buried their victims in a mass grave in a wheat field on the outskirts of town, after having been congratulated by their general, Ratko Mladic, who told them, "Finally, the time has come to take revenge on the Turks." Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent
This is an amazing book, detailing evidence collection by the ICTY war crimes tribunal at two mass grave sites - Srebrenica, a predominantly Muslim town in eastern Bosnia; and Vukovar, a mixed Serb-Croat town in eastern Croatia (contrary to the view of the previous reviewer, Vukovar is neither Muslim nor Bosnian).The photos are phenomenal.After a wrenching reading, one comes away with a few scattered thoughts.Namely: 'never again, and 'thank god there is an international tribunal to carry out prosecutions for these events when domestic courts are unwilling to do so'. Sickeningly beautiful; tough to take but necessary
This is a hard book to rate, for any number of reasons.For one thing, it's not nicely rounded; it doesn't tell a complete story, but provides ablistering snapshot of a small slice of history and an investigation stillin process.For another, its photos and text don't work closely together,but provide approximately parallel looks into the same awful tale.Hardestof all is the stunning vividness of the photography by Gilles Peress, andthe nagging suspicion that we share some small portion of blame forthis. Powerful, Powerful Account of War Crimes
Stover and Peress, through searing words and photographs, have created a record of the twogreatest war crimes in the conflicts that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia.The sack of the eastern Croatian town ofVukovar in 1991 by Serb forces, and the subsequent mass murder of over 200patients and staff from the local hospital is still a powerful and pivotalevent, not only because of the sheer magnitude of the atrocity, but alsobecause it was the first.Vukovar came before the siege of Sarajevo, therape and torture camps in Prijedor and Foca and elsewhere, before thedestruction of Mostar bridge, and the massacre at Srebrenica.Vukovar setthe standard for the atrocities that were to come, and eight years afterits destruction, the town is still a hollowed-out ruin with weeds pokingthrough shattered buildings and one-fourth of its prewar populationclinging precariously to subsistence in a destroyed economy. The siege andfall of Bosnia's Srebrenica in 1995, engineered by indicted war criminalRatko Mladic has been amply documented elsewhere, but this book is not amilitary history or the reconstruction of the crime.Rather it is aboutthe search for the missing and the identification of bodies pulled frommass graves.The authors follow the forensic specialists, theanthropologists and physicians who have created a sad but necessaryspecialty in this field.The exhumations are part of the search for thetruth, not only for the half-grieving, half-hopeful survivors who cling torumors about their loved ones, but for all people of compassion who hopethat finding some finality, and perhaps some justice, at the bottom ofthese graves will serve both the living and the dead. The exhumations andidentifications are carried out according to strict forensic standards sothe results can be used as evidence at the Hague war crimes tribunal.Ifwe are to forge any positive legacy from these atrocities, it may lie inallowing the children of both the victims and the executioners to leadnormal lives, free from fear and revenge and poisonous hatred.Memoriesare long in this region, and vengeance can take decades.The woman whoruns an orphanage for young Srebrenica survivors observes, "What isimportant now is the message the international community sends to theseboys and what they then tell their own children.If you say to a child,`Look, that man there killed your father, and now he lives in your house.' What kind of message is that going to send?But if you say, `That mankilled your father and that is why he is in prison.'The message is verydifferent.So, for now, there might not be a lot of hatred or revenge, butif we don't find a way to punish those responsible for these crimes, itwill surely be something we can count on in the future."To date, neitherMladic nor the "Vukovar Three" are in the tribunal's custody.For thechildren's sake, we can do better. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. Eastern Europe - General    3. History    4. Military - Other    5. Photoessays & Documentaries    6. Photography    7. Political Discontent And Violence    8. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    9. Politics/International Relations    10. War Crimes And Criminals    11. Bosnia-Herzegovina    12. Croatia    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. The Holocaust   

Reviews (5)

Difficult...
I purchased this book based on customer reviews posted at that time.Some of the reviews were posted by Croatian scholars and they were very positive.I was under the impression that I would be provided with an unbiased history of Croatia and its conflicts.The reviews also indicated that the book would highlight only the most significant historical details.

Subjects:  1. Croatia    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)   

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Military    5. Military - General    6. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    7. History / Military / General    8. Warfare & Defence    9. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Editorial Review

Left in tatters after the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, the new country of Croatia has served as a troubled crossroads between East and West since the Dark Ages. Veteran journalist Marcus Tanner set out to write the recent history of this nation, but found it impossible to cover the 1990s without referring to World War II, and impossible to write about that period without going back even further. So he begins his account in the 7th century, covers Croatian history in a brief but thorough manner, and spends the final third of his book describing how Croatia regained its sovereignty in 1992. A glut of books on the Balkan War give short shrift to this intriguing story. Tanner corrects this problem with a fine and unique contribution. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Where's the bloody stains of Jasenovac?
Many leaving reviews for this book are taking time and space to re-write history.It would be humorous if it weren't so sad that grandiose national insecurity complex of Croatia.Always the victim to the Serbs.To clarify a quick matter, no gun was put to the head of Croatia at the conclusion of WWI to join up with Serbia as a kingdom of Serbs, Croats & Slovenes.This was a willful act of their intellegencia, but, as history shows us, it was not backed by their masses influenced by their hate filled demagogues.This was the conception of Yugoslavia.
good but lacking
This is a decent book which provides some insight into the struggle of the Croatian people. But it fails to provide the most important information. That is, the background of how Serbian and communist domination and hegemony forced all people of the former Yugoslavia to want to break free from oppresion. I lived in Zagreb in the late 1980s and the fact is that Serbs dominated Police, Military, Education, Politics, Diplomacy throughout Croatia. The fact is that Croatia, a fairly developed republic had to give most of its income to the YU government in Belgrade. The fact is that the Croatians were not allowed to show any national (not nationalistic) pride. How would we Americans feel if we were not allowed to display our flag, sing our anthem or criticise the governemt. That's how it was. The YU constitution allowed for separation of the individual YU republics if so elected in a public poll, which 94% of Croatian inhabitants did. Croatia offered Belgrade a loose confederation at first but Belgrade replied with terrorist attacks. On a personal basis Croats don't hate Serbs. They just wanted their own country, flag, governemtn and peace. If you look at the history, Croatia due to its natural richness and location, was constantly under attack or occupation. Including by the Serbs. But since the Serbs were the ruling republic, they wrote the history books. Why do you think Croatia is always singled out as an ally to Italy/Germany and Serbia isn't? Serbs wrote the history. Serbs were allies with Germany as well. They had brutal forces like the chetniks who killed tens of thousands of Croatians and Bosnians. But that is not common knowledge. Butthe anti-Nazi uprising started in Croatia, not Serbia. That's something to think about. So, this book is good, but lacks deeper explanations of the reasons behind the conflict.

Seems Good, But Hard To Tell!
My fiancee and I were both really eager to read this book, we'd heard good things about it and are planning a trip to Croatia. Unfortunately, it's so poorly typeset that it's a real struggle to read! We both got about 15-20 pages into it and just couldn't continue, we were getting headaches (no joke). The problem is that the text is just too densely set, there's no breathing room whatsoever. Yale Press has a done a real disservice to the author. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Balkan Peninsula - History    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. General    4. History - General History    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Croatia    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. History / General    10. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Reviews (1)

Don't leave home without it
The Visible Cities Guidebooks are consistently the best guidebooks in the market.They are well-informed, up-to-date and easy to use.The Dubrovinik Guide is a must-have for those who are fortunate enough to spend time in this lovely seaside town.The guided walks are a terrific feature and help you see the city through a native's eye.The book is beautifully written and is one of the few guidebooks that can be read cover to cover.Well worth the investment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Europe - Eastern    3. History Of Civilization And Culture (General)    4. Medieval    5. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    6. Travel    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Croatia    9. Travel & holiday guides    10. Travel / Europe / Eastern   

Reviews (21)

A great look at the Yugoslav conflict.
Personally, I think that Misha Glenny is one of the best writers on the Balkans.I have spent three years living in the Balkans so I know something about the area.I highly recommend reading his work The Balkans first as it gives great insight into the region.However, if you are only interested in the war than this work can certainly stand alone.The book chronicles events from August 1990 to June 1993.In addition, an epilogue was added in 1996.While it does not cover the most recent aftermath for the time it covers the book is excellent.
A very good account of what happened in the Balkans
Misha Glenny's book offers a really good account of the forces which shaped the Balkan conflict. I have a much clearer idea now of the causes of the conflict, and of the various turning points and missed opportunities. This book seems very unbiased. The author seems apalled by the crimes that take place, but does not focus on attempting to list or catalog them. I do think that you will need another book to fully understand the high-level forces at work (US. UN, NATO, etc.) Perhaps Death of a Nation by Laura Silber (which I haven't read). Deliver Us From Evil, by William Shawcross does a really good job of explaining those things in the context of other events happening at the same time (Somalia, Rwanda, etc.). Also, Glenny's book is a bit dense, so it's not exactly an easy read

Uninterestingly Interesting........
I find it Unintelligently interesting how the world are now masters at our own history, especially the English,
Read more

Subjects:  1. Politics/International Relations    2. Civil war    3. Croatia    4. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    5. Slovenia    6. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (3)

Straight-forward if Somewhat Repetitive
V.P. Gagnon present a refreshing analysis of the breakdown of state structures in Yugoslavia and the rise of so-called "ethnic wars". It is a much needed diversion from the heavily skewed and highly inaccurate appraisals of Balkan societies as portrayed by Robert Kaplan's Balkan Ghosts or even Mischa Glenny's the Fall of Yugoslavia, in which the jouralist-writers portray the entire region as a place awash in ancient hatreds, pre-modern superstitions, and primitive tribal communities.
the Yugoslav wars were not inevitable
Gagnon's argument can be understood, in part, as explaining that the Yugoslav wars of the 90s were not inevitable. He suggests that to some extent, the wars were deliberately due to various politicians stirring up groups within Yugoslavia. Where, alas, these groups were often demarcated on ethnic grounds, primarily as Serbs, Croats and Bosnians.
A start
Gagnon's book is an essential source of information on and serious analysis of the role of elites in manufacturing nationalist "hysteria" in Serbia and Croatia.The only major flaw is the book's untested assumption that Yugoslavia was poised for a smooth transition to liberal democracy, which was derailed by a nationalist "de-mobilization".This claim seems facile in lieu of a serious analysis of what exactly it was that nationalists were trying to suppress.Would Yugoslavia be merely another Poland today if the nationalists had failed, or something radically different?Writers like Gagnon tend to overlook that Yugoslavia was never a communist bureaucracy in the tradition of the Soviet puppet states, but an experiment moderating elements of socialism with a relatively open market.It is too easy to chalk it up as just another repressive communist authoritarian structure which bred a popular movement for liberalization.Nonetheless, Gagnon is to be commended for moving far beyond the typical "ancient ethnic hatred" explanation for conflict in the Balkans. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Causes    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Eastern Europe - General    4. Ethnic Studies - General    5. General    6. History & Theory - General    7. History - General History    8. Military - Other    9. Political Science    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Yugoslav War, 1991-1995    12. Croatia    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Serbia   

Subjects:  1. Bosnian    2. Bosnian language    3. Croatian    4. Croatian language    5. Education    6. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    7. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    8. Grammar, Comparative    9. History: World    10. Language Experience Approach    11. Serbian    12. Serbian & Croatian    13. Serbo-Croatian    14. Slavic Languages    15. Slavic Languages (Other)    16. Sociolinguistics    17. Grammar & vocabulary    18. History / Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union)   

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Architecture    2. 20th century    3. Architecture    4. Architecture Of Specific Structures    5. Architecture, Modern    6. Criticism    7. History - General    8. Middle East - Egypt    9. Religious Buildings    10. Albania    11. Albanien    12. Algeria    13. Algerien    14. Andorra    15. Architecture / General    16. Architektur    17. Architekturgeschichte    18. Archtitectural History    19. Bildband    20. Bosnia Herzegovina    21. Bosnien    22. Croatia    23. Egypt    24. France    25. Frankreich    26. Greece    27. Griechenland   

Reviews (2)

St. Blasius, Middle Age Mystic
Robin Harris has demonstrably added to what has been called "The Pearl of the Adriatic"'s historical foundation in a delightful way.Not only is "Dubrovnik" well researched, it is also a joy to read, particularly passages describing the complexity of Dubrovnik's trade until the Napoleonic Wars.One travels to Dubrovnik, looks at history -Harris has done much to shed light on Dubrovnik's great walls and its rich cultural preserve.
A Must Have Book!
Simply put this is a must have book for any person interested in Croatian history, especially the city of Dubrovnik (the Croatian Athens). The author pulls together his information from an exhaustive list of mostly non-English resources and puts them together in a very orderly and interesting manner. The author brings life to the history of Dubrovnik (not that he would need to) which makes for a very interesting and easy read. I personally loved this book from beginning to end and can only hope the author produces more books on Croatian history (perhaps the next one could tackle the history of Split?). Overall, an excellent piece of work and a great price for a book that should be in every serious Croatian historian's library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dubrovnik (Croatia)    2. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Croatia    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. History / Europe / General    10. History / General    11. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Croatia    3. Dalmatia    4. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    5. Europe - Italy    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Istria (Croatia and Slovenia)    10. Italians    11. Italy    12. Territorial questions    13. World War, 1939-1945    14. Ethnic studies    15. European history: from c 1900 -    16. Genocide    17. History / Italy    18. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    19. Second World War, 1939-1945    20. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Reviews (2)

A land steeped in centuries of tradition and lore
Croatia: Travels In Undiscovered Country by Tony Fabijancic is a superbly written, personal memoir and eye-witness travelogue of what it was like to experience the land and people of Croatia as both an ancestral home and an undiscovered country. Transporting the reader on one man's journey into a rich and varied landscape, Croatia: Travels In Undiscovered Country is a vividly written, deftly informative, and memorably presented experience of a land steeped in centuries of tradition and lore. Croatia: Travels In Undiscovered Country is especially recommended reading for armchair travelogue adventure enthusiasts and anyone thinking of a trip to Croatia for themselves.

Review of Croatia: Travels in Undiscovered Country
A terrific book. I have found no other book on Croatia that offers such insight into the country's current way of life and historical emblems, without becoming trite or resorting solely to political fact listing. Reveals the fragile beauty of a an undiscovered country in the midst of economic and cultural change. A wonderful travel book. Accessible and imaginative writing. Very well done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1966-    2. Croatia    3. Croatie    4. Description and travel    5. Eastern Europe - General    6. Essays & Travelogues    7. Europe - Eastern    8. Fabijancic, Tony,    9. Fabijanéciâc, Tony,    10. History    11. History: World    12. Travel    13. Travel - General    14. Voyages    15. Travel & holiday guides    16. Travel writing   

Reviews (4)

Misleading Propaganda
Having studied Eastern European history for a number of years now it pains me to have witnessed the slow decline of professor Fine's writings.He managaed to keep his biases under control somewhat earlier in his carreer but since the break up of Yugoslavia the level of vindictiveness in his writings have increased exponentially. This breathtaking piece of propaganda is a throwback to communist era chauvinism which will ring all too familiar to those who lived through those dark times.
Such a Waste
I was tempted to give this book 2 stars due to the wealth of sources used but unfortunately the author had a tendency to use only snippets of information which seem to support his thesis.However, most of his sources when read in its entirety directly contradict his conclusions, i.e. that a Croatian "nation" did not really exist until the national awakenings of the 19th century.
Disapointing
Some of the more specific problems I have with this particular book is the constant distinction the author makes between Croats and Slavs.Are not the Croats themselvs slavic, or atleast culturally slavic?If so then why such wonderment that historical sources used the terms interchangeably?Many still refer to all Eastern Europeans as slavs and Croats today often use the english form of their name when talking to foreigners rather than the native form "Hrvati".That they did the same in the middle ages is hardly surprising.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1527-1918    2. Croatia    3. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    4. Ethnic Studies - General    5. Ethnicity    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Medieval    10. National characteristics, Croatian    11. Renaissance    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    15. History / Medieval    16. Yugoslavia & former Yugoslavia   

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    2. Eastern Europe - General    3. Ethnic Studies - General    4. General    5. History & Theory - General    6. History - General History    7. Military - Other    8. Political Science    9. Politics/International Relations   

Subjects:  1. History / Europe / General    2. Illyrian letters,correspondence,Illyrian provinces,Bosnia,Herzegovina,Montenegro,Albania,Dalmatia,Croatia,Slavonia,Arthur John,Evans   

Reviews (1)

A very innovative treatment...
of the comparative historical grammar of the Slavic languages. The complicated phonological changes are presented in taut and concise fashion. The morphology, as often happens, is more resistant to a satisfactory,integrated presentation. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. Inflection    3. Language    4. Phonology, Comparative    5. Phonology, Historical    6. Proto-Slavic language    7. Slavic languages    8. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Subjects:  1. 1925-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Croatia    7. Diaries    8. Historical - General    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Personal narratives, Croatian    11. Soldiers    12. Springer, Zvonko,    13. World War, 1939-1945    14. Biography: historical   

Reviews (14)

The Bone Woman
This was an excellent book. Eye opening, educational and well written.
Disappointing but worth reading
The author had amazing and horrifying rich experiences from which to draw her truth, but it got lost amid a lot of random and irritating other bits.Nevertheless, she describes things that most of us will never have the chance to experience ourselves and we can definitely learn from, so I wholeheartedly agree with the last paragraph of the Laura Secor review printed above: "less than fully realized..." "compelling and worth reading"

Look Beyond Mere Storytelling...Focus On the Main Theme
I have read many reviews where reviewers misinterpret Koff's frustration over the bureaucracy that took place during her field assignments as her being self-centered and "full of herself." These reviewers need to understand that though she wrote and published the book several years after, I believe, she was only 23 years old at the time of the Rwandan field operation. At that critical period between girlhood and adulthood, emotions can run high, particularly when one's placed in pressure-laden situations, and any little thing can set off one's frustration, so it behooves us to take that into consideration when looking at the experience as a whole. With that said, I found the book to be quite informative. I think it's a perfect book, not only for first-year anthropologists, but for anyone wanting a deeper insight into their world. The over-arching theme of the book, however, is that mass-misunderstanding mixed with propaganda can, in fact, lead to mass-murders, if not, genocide. We as Westerners can become quite comfortable with the fact that we have strong, stable democracies where such things as mass-murders can never transpire on our soil, but this book warns us that it could happen anywhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa - West    2. Anthropology (Specific Aspects)    3. Anthropology - General    4. Anthropology - Physical    5. Body, Human    6. Forensic anthropology    7. Former Yugoslav republics    8. History & Theory - General    9. Identification    10. International    11. Law    12. Rwanda    13. Sociology    14. War Crimes And Criminals    15. Current Events / General   

Reviews (1)

Osprey's Croatian Aces of WW2
One of the latest in Osprey's "Aircraft of the Aces" series, this is the first English language work that I have come across that deals in detail with the exploits of Croatian fighter pilots in WW2.Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Military    4. Military - Aviation    5. Military - World War II    6. Air forces & warfare    7. Croatia    8. European history: Second World War    9. History / Military / Aviation    10. Second World War, 1939-1945