Yugoslavia

With the passing of one of the more odious leaders of the past few decades, I got thinking about books about Yugoslavia. I quite liked My War Gone By, I Miss It So, written by a British war journalist. The author was addicted to heroin and was also, he says, a war junkie, unable to keep away. That is one of the major ideas of the book, that war, like heroin is addictive and all consuming. It has a dreamy drugged out feel, so if you hate that style of book, try another. I for one, loved it. The author also relates experiences in Chechnya, where Fred Cuny, subject of The Man Who Tried to Save the World, disappeared. Cuny was a rough and tumble aid worker who flew into nasty parts of the world and managed to put things in a semblance of order. Or at least get food delivered. Cuny having braved Biafra, Bosnia, Iraqi Kurdistan among other tourist destinations, went to Chechnya to try and help out, and then he disappeared. This book was even better than My War Gone By, which is none to easy. If you just can't bring yourself to read non-fiction, check out Dan Fesperman's Lie in the Dark, a mystery set at the height of the Bosnian war. The main character is a Bosnian cop and life ain't easy.