tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post277197793977609301..comments2023-10-28T05:02:10.442-04:00Comments on Americans For Bosnia: "The Fall of Yugoslavia" by Misha Glenny [1]Kirk Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-20979729816511629262012-01-15T23:38:33.140-05:002012-01-15T23:38:33.140-05:00Shaina--I'll check the Mazower book out. I hav...Shaina--I'll check the Mazower book out. I haven't read it yet; sounds quite good.Kirk Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-62252828927245339672012-01-15T21:31:14.046-05:002012-01-15T21:31:14.046-05:00I actually prefer Mark Mazower's "The Bal...I actually prefer Mark Mazower's "The Balkans" it manages to be both concise and straight forward without sacrificing the complexity of the region's history. Mazower is also the author of one of my all time favorite books, "Salonica: City Ghosts" <br /><br />I'm re-reading "Bloodlands" by Timothy Snyder, which is another excellent book. In fact the more I get into the book the second time, the more I would like to see him write on the breakup of Yugoslavia and subsequent wars. Because, on the topic of the genocides committed by Stalin and Hitler at least he is very insightful. Although it seems that his interest is more north of the Sava ;)Shainanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-74456681889401691332012-01-13T13:24:38.851-05:002012-01-13T13:24:38.851-05:00I do remember "The Balkans" better even ...I do remember "The Balkans" better even though it's been quite a few years since I read it.<br /><br />It has some good things, but around 1958 or so Glenny stops paying attention to the rest of the Balkans and focuses entirely on Yugoslavia.Kirk Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-77523018428824438102012-01-13T12:56:25.866-05:002012-01-13T12:56:25.866-05:00Hey Owen, just curious as to why you find it hard ...Hey Owen, just curious as to why you find it hard to trust Glenny?<br /><br />I have "The Balkans" and I just started to read "The Fall of Yugoslavia"Shainanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-32862030503206596532012-01-09T22:02:22.244-05:002012-01-09T22:02:22.244-05:00Owen--I agree, I'm still unsure how I feel abo...Owen--I agree, I'm still unsure how I feel about Glenny. It's been many years since I read this book; I barely remember it, to be honest, so for all intents and purposes I'm reading it for the first time.Kirk Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-39897092797682278252012-01-09T17:16:17.246-05:002012-01-09T17:16:17.246-05:00I'll be interested to hear how you found this....I'll be interested to hear how you found this. I can still hear Glenny's doom-laden voice coming out of my radio in 1991 and 1992, forecasting doom if the interests of the Serbs weren't heeded. He's not an dispassionate authority. Nevertheless I found his History of the Balkans a fascinating read. It's all over the place and I feel reluctant to trust him on any specific point and yet he was the first person whose writing ever engaged my interest sufficiently to give me the sense that for the first time I actually had a real sense of the Balkans as a region rather than a label.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-38425206735276021092012-01-05T10:59:36.868-05:002012-01-05T10:59:36.868-05:00My comment was specifically about Bosnia, actually...My comment was specifically about Bosnia, actually. When it comes to other topics--my graduate work is focusing on 19th century American history, so for secondary sources I prefer more recent work; although this summer I've set a goal to read some "classics" of American history. DeVoto's trilogy, Parkman's history of the French-Indian War, etc.Kirk Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-4713975014997674002012-01-05T10:58:10.238-05:002012-01-05T10:58:10.238-05:00Honestly Shaina, I don't THINK I have a prefer...Honestly Shaina, I don't THINK I have a preference--I've never thought about it. I've reviewed both. It's an intersting question, but again--I don't consciously have a preference one way or the other.Kirk Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06879908614214050994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23301331.post-16386825081423827232012-01-03T22:00:22.798-05:002012-01-03T22:00:22.798-05:00Overall, when reading books about the break up of ...Overall, when reading books about the break up of Yugoslavia and subsequent wars, (or any topic, actually) do you prefer contemporary accounts, or books written several years after the events in question?shainahttp://bloggingbalkanistan.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com