Slavenka Drakulić - The Balkan Express

"Through short but deeply felt essays on everything from house paint and high-heeled shoes to point-blank murder, Drakulić tells the story of the Balkan crisis as people are living it. This is firsthand war reporting without body counts or strategic analyses; in-depth political commentary without the statements of presidents or the opinions of self-appointed experts. Drakulić focuses on individual lives… using the perversions that war forces onto everyday life to reveal the true complexity of the crisis and the enormity of the task of reconciliation." The Nation "In the tradition of George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant or Primo Levi's writings on Auschwitz, Drakulić has sought and found illumination by focusing on the details of daily life under pressure." Boston Phoenix "The Balkan Express is about the effects of war on people's souls. It is a passionate defense of the individual, an important and timely book that deserves the widest possible audience." Chicago Tribune