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great history
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From the assassination that triggered World War I to the ethnic warfare in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia, the Balkans have been the crucible of the 20th century, the place where terrorism and genocide first became tools of policy. Chosen as one of the Best Books of the Year by the New York Times, and greeted with critical acclaim as "the most insightful and timely work on the Balkans to date" (The Boston Globe), Kaplan's prescient, enthralling, and often chilling political travelogue is already a modern classic.
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Opening with the notorious bonfires of 'un-German' and Jewish literature in 1933 that offered such a clear signal of Nazi intentions, Burning the Books takes us on a 3,000-year journey through the destruction of knowledge and the fight against all the odds to preserve it. Richard Ovenden, director of the world-famous Bodleian Library, explains how attacks on libraries and archives have been a feature of history since ancient times but have increased in frequency and intensity during the modern era.
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I was really looking forward to this book...
- By Liz on 17-12-20
Summary
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What listeners say about The Balkans
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Lukas
- 16-11-19
Good short overview of history of Balkans
Roughly from early modern era to present day.
BTW it's not Audible Kids, why does it have Audible Kids intro?
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- David
- 30-09-05
Thorough History...
This was a good listen. The author gives a good sense of the history of the region leading up to the present day, helping to explain why the Balkans became such a troubled region in the '90s. For anyone who is/was curious as to what was behind the recent strifes (beyond what the media told us), then this would be a good read. The only downside to the book is that it is sometimes chronilogically out of order. I'm not sure the author had much choice given how many present-day events are tied to past events, but it makes for several "what happened when?" moments. Nonetheless, I a good and thorough listen.
11 people found this helpful
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- Anthony G Maroussis
- 03-12-05
The Balkans
This is a serious scholarly book, unbiased, well researched and very informative. A good listen and must have book for everyone who is interested on the history of the people in the Balkan region.
8 people found this helpful
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- IVFarmboy
- 20-10-05
Must Read for understanding of the Balkans
I have read several books on the Balkans but none caught my attention as much as this one did. I just really think that the author did a great job in describing historical facts in an interesting way. Really was hard to shut this book off. Made me wish I had an Atlas with me at all times. Hopefully policy makers listen or read these books to get a sound history on areas that have become hotspots.
5 people found this helpful
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- carolyn
- 19-06-12
Now I understand what all the fuss is about
This recording explains the seeds of strife in the modern Balkans -- why hatred and mistrust has lingered for so long. It's "quick history" but a very illuminating introductory view of the area for someone who has no knowledge of the area.
4 people found this helpful
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- Frank
- 08-12-12
Good material loosely arraigned.
Is there anything you would change about this book?
This is an extremely interesting topic. The details are very interesting. I feel the author could arraign the material more logically.
What does Robert O'Keefe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Very well read.
Was The Balkans [Modern Library Chronicles] worth the listening time?
Definitely yes.
1 person found this helpful
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- Daniel
- 03-04-06
Ther's got to be an easier way
Jumping around in themes and chronology, I had a hard time following this one. Seems to assume you know quite a lot about European history already, so dont start learinng the region with this one.,,and a strange theme for the last chapter to end on.
3 people found this helpful
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- J Garner
- 08-05-19
Very insightful history of the Balkans
It shows how the Ottoman Empire shaped Balkan culture for both better and for worse.
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-10-17
layer cake of history
This provides a good explanation of the term balkanization; it is a bewilderingly complex story of conquests, resentments, competing civilizations, ideologies, and rugged landscapes. It was a bit challenging keeping all the players, invaders, and religious leaders in their respective places. Writing and narration were adequate.
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- William J
- 03-12-05
Muddled
The author apparently believes he has a theme, but what it might be isn't clear. His assertions that such-and-such is obviously true seem to come out of nowhere. Some interesting factoids, not much coherence.
2 people found this helpful
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- Sotiris
- 13-05-07
Don't waste your time.
Just another revisionist let loose on the public at large.