Take a photo of a barcode or cover
prof_shoff's review against another edition
3.0
Well-written but, given the complexities of Kosovo, too condensed a history to clarify the present.
vmango's review against another edition
4.0
I found this very useful as a basic primer on Kosovo's history. It was informative, but I felt it ended very abruptly.... as though there were still questions about Kosovo's future that it could have posed. I also think some charts, tables, and/or timelines could have helped to reinforce some of the history it was moving through. Overall a good read though.
demagoras's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
fast-paced
3.75
A book with a very journalistic-like tone and with fruitful information. I quite enjoyed how, before even talking about Kosovo, it sets the tone and background for what it's really about. In my opinion the book's a little short and could use with more clarification at the same time as less detail. Overall it was an informative and enjoyable read (on this review it's been my second read).
christopherc's review against another edition
4.0
Tim Judah is an English journalist who, in the late 1990s, covered Serbia and Kosovo for a number of English-language media outlets. He gained a reputation for clearly explaining the complex political issues and ethnic clashes of the area to a foreign audience, and in this book -- whose second edition was published in 2008 in the aftermath of Kosovo’s declaration of independence, aims to familiarize readers with the basics of this European region, battlefield, and nascent independent state.
Thus Judah tries to break things down into convenient chunks: who the Serbs are, who the Albanians are, what happened in centuries past, what happened in the 20th century, and how the situation descended into violence as Yugoslavia fell apart. However, it isn’t just an account of what Serb-on-Albanian or Albanian-on-Serb violence took place when. Judah also sketches Kosovo’s post-1999 economy, and describes its complex legal system, where, for good or for ill, first United Nations and then European Union oversight severely limited Kosovo’s ability to function as a sovereign democracy.
You can tell that Judah took great pains to offer an impartial description of the region and the conflict. If Judah seems to tilt to the side of favouring Kosovo’s independence, then perhaps it is only because he recognizes the absurdity of Serbia holding on to it when 1) over 90% of inhabitants are now ethnic Albanians, and 2) the territory borders other states. But Judah wants to take independent Kosovo to task for its corruption, too. In one passage, he strongly hints at the entwining of government and organized crime there, but regrets being unable to address it for fears of a libel suit or worse: “Unfortunately, especially in a book such as this, readers should be aware that there are also many things that are either known or widely believed but which cannot be written about for legal reasons.”
A new edition of this book describing changes since 2008 would be welcome. I have been in Kosovo twice in the last five years – first hitchhiking across it and the second time cycle touring – and I was surprised by how normal a place it is, with plenty of tourists besides myself. (The travel publisher Bradt even released a Kosovo guide in 2011.) That transition from a war zone to a fine place to have a budget holiday is remarkable, and readers far away who still think the region is mired in conflict would benefit from an updated description of the country.
Thus Judah tries to break things down into convenient chunks: who the Serbs are, who the Albanians are, what happened in centuries past, what happened in the 20th century, and how the situation descended into violence as Yugoslavia fell apart. However, it isn’t just an account of what Serb-on-Albanian or Albanian-on-Serb violence took place when. Judah also sketches Kosovo’s post-1999 economy, and describes its complex legal system, where, for good or for ill, first United Nations and then European Union oversight severely limited Kosovo’s ability to function as a sovereign democracy.
You can tell that Judah took great pains to offer an impartial description of the region and the conflict. If Judah seems to tilt to the side of favouring Kosovo’s independence, then perhaps it is only because he recognizes the absurdity of Serbia holding on to it when 1) over 90% of inhabitants are now ethnic Albanians, and 2) the territory borders other states. But Judah wants to take independent Kosovo to task for its corruption, too. In one passage, he strongly hints at the entwining of government and organized crime there, but regrets being unable to address it for fears of a libel suit or worse: “Unfortunately, especially in a book such as this, readers should be aware that there are also many things that are either known or widely believed but which cannot be written about for legal reasons.”
A new edition of this book describing changes since 2008 would be welcome. I have been in Kosovo twice in the last five years – first hitchhiking across it and the second time cycle touring – and I was surprised by how normal a place it is, with plenty of tourists besides myself. (The travel publisher Bradt even released a Kosovo guide in 2011.) That transition from a war zone to a fine place to have a budget holiday is remarkable, and readers far away who still think the region is mired in conflict would benefit from an updated description of the country.
damonhofman's review against another edition
3.0
Very informative book, but the writing was often quite convoluted, and sometimes downright poor.
nwhyte's review against another edition
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1176474.html[return][return]In this short book, Economist correspondent Tim Judah has simply put down on paper the basics about Kosovo, up to the declaration of independence about a year ago. I know the author well and I know the subject well, so I may be biased, but it seemed to me a good and pretty neutral guide to the facts about Kosovo's history, and the problematic future of its relations with the EU and its neighbourhood. (Though I still don't believe Carla del Ponte's organ-legging story deserves any airtime - Doug Muir fisked it ages ago.) Recommended for anyone wanting a quick decent guide: I wish there were similar books for Bosnia and Macedonia.