Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation

Thorough and very readable. A good choice for the heretofore uninitiated. I would like to point out that the reader from Canada (below) misses the point of the title. It's a play on the word "nation," which in American English can be 100% synonymous with "state" besides referring to a people. The "nation" in the title is not only the state of Yugoslavia, but also suggests Tito's abortive attempt to forge a new, distinct "Yugoslav" ethnic identity. In other words, the collapse of Yugoslavia destroyed both the "nation" (state) of Yugoslavia and all hope for creating a Yugoslav "national" identity. (Incidentally, the book was retitled for the American market; its original British title was simply "The Death of Yugoslavia.")

I found this book to be informative regarding the events and cast of characters surrounding and causing the dilema of the present in the Balkans. However I feel it was determinably one sided - anti Serbia. A reader will need to read the other side some where else to truly and fairly evaluate this complex mess.

Sure, the anectdotes are interesting, but events without an overview can be misleading. The authors simply describe but don't conclude. The events in Croatia are a good example. The Yugoslav army had every intention of invading. Provocations by the Croat Defense Minister, using a rocket launcher against the JNA, are interesting, but irrelevant to overall events. One has to be discriminating. Oh, and Yugoslavia was never a "nation", it should be Death of State.

I chose this book for my book report for my AP European History class, and that book report is a big deal.

I found this book to be surprising stimulating and very engrossing. It doesn't sound like some boring UCLA professor droning on - it's filled with quotes and interesting stuff and exciting events. And the best thing about this is that there isn't very much bias in this. The authors just say what happened in Belgrade and all around.

There's also several helpful aids in this book, like a list of characters, some maps. However, a timeline would have been indispensable. Moreover, identifying where Krajinia was on the map could have helped, too.

But overall, this was a great book and I'm very glad I chose this book. The print is a bit small, but that's okay. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the disintegration of a country called Yugoslavia.

I'm really surprised at how highly praised this book is! Of course it is an important topic, and the author's know a good deal about it, but the book is VERY poorly organized and filled with inappropriate hyperbole. The authors find it difficult to develop a consistent timeline, and there is no historical overview of the Tito period, which for some of us is perhaps crucial to understanding the structure of the (1980-era) Yugoslav government! I could have used more background on the major players as well. Not a book I would recommend for anyone looking for an introduction to this complex area.