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Balkan Ghosts

a Journey Through History
Apr 08, 2013scp2695 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Once again, I am backtracking a newly discovered author's works. Came into Kaplan's geopolitical analyses with "Monsoon", and have been reading his earlier works. Kaplan was warning about the Balkans before the 'fall' of communism. Once the boot was off the collective neck, old grudges were repaid (several hundred years, in some cases),with an all bets are off return to nationalism , ethnic suppression, with a general overlay of anti-Semitism. But I read on, fascinated. A lot of hate, on a state and personal level in this book. There are wonderful characters Kaplan meets, either through his travels, and the books he reads while travelling. He gets around by bus, train, and thumb. That is one of the appeals of his writing to me: journalist at heart, Kaplan has been on the ground in areas previously ignored by the West. He stays at sometimes ratty hotels, but gets the story.