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hakkun1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
3.75
I’d be curious how members of the communities touched upon in this book feel about it. A travelogue and political/historical analysis of the Balkans in the last decade before and immediately after the dissolution of the USSR, Kaplan’s portrayal of the region comes across as unflattering, more warts than all. Definitely a snapshot of a fleeting period, it isn’t without love, but the line between shining a light on the troubles and flaws of a region and hyperfocusing on them is crossed with frequency.
thomastittley's review against another edition
4.25
Arguably the best-written book I’ve read in a while. The only drawback is he does have some weird thoughts on Albanian’s and Romanians. Plus, he’s an open capitalist and Reagan fan - my thoughts on that P.O.S are well-documented. Other than that, he basically calls the Yugoslav genocide.
dasbooch's review against another edition
3.0
Robert Kaplan does exactly what he set out to do. He creates a well written and compelling travelogue/ series of essays on his experience in the Balkans in the 1980s, that highlight key issues and conflicts. Yet it is problematic for a few reasons. He often tells histories through questionable narratives and often leaves the reader/listener confused about the breath of historic events. On top of that his generalizations and reliance on personal friendships reveals a bit of a bias. He makes good points, but also generalizations. I am also a bit skeptical of the effectiveness of this style of book over such a huge and diverse area. He might have said it best at the beginning when he suggested such a book could encourage readers to read more on this subject and thus develop a stronger understanding of the region themselves.
arsilva's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Overall this was a fascinatingly insightful book. The author obviously lived a fascinating life, I bet an afternoon in a coffee shop with him would be unbelievable! One complaint, especially in the early parts of the book, were that the chapters were too long so it was hard to find natural stopping points. The author would also occasionally jump back and forth from different time periods or events, which did make the content difficult to follow on occasion.
willsank's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
tzipor's review against another edition
After having read the first third of the book, the constant negative connotations and views of the author towards any individual from or in the Balkans are insulting, to put it mildly. The author’s imperialist and militant strive consume the book and stories, which make reading the book unbearable. I could consider recommending this book to those interested in the war-mongering methods in the US.