The Black Book of Bosnia: The Consequences of Appeasement

The Black Book of Bosnia is not a reference book. Nor is it a summary of the events and actions that occured in the war. Rather, it is an interesting variety of social commentary put together in one place.In any war today, a variety of correspondents are distributed to the region. This book is a compilation of essays brought in by several well-known correspondents or commentators, including Arthur Miller.What is great about this book is the diversity of opinions as well as scenarios that are brought to us by the contributors. Some talk about the reasons the war came about, while others focus on effects on Europe, and the United States. Perhaps the most important essays are those that discuss the big reason that almost any recent conflict in Europe came to be....nationalism. Filled with insight, and evidence, this book brings a different perspective to what most of us just know from CNN or the Nightly News. By bringing us closer to the war by describing problems the common citizens of Bosnia see, it may strike a personal chord with some of us. Several essays in this book bring about how truly pathetic and tragic the war really was. One of the most saddening was one essay by Slavenka Drakulic who commented about the destruction of the Mostar Bridge, a monument that had stood since the invasion by the Ottomans. In these few lines, the full destruction of the war is captured.A book by the writers and authors of the New Republic, this book was enjoyable mostly because of how well written the essays in it were, but also because of how much information they brought out. Why this book differs from several others is mostly because it is not just hard, cold facts, but rather opinion and insight that give it more depth than several others.I would reccomend this book to anyone to anyone who is interested on looking at the conflict in Bosnia at a deeper level.