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kzaleski's review
4.0
Another book I brought with me to Macedonia. I read this during PST and it was nice to read during that time since I kind of understood some of the things it talked about. I'll read it again shortly as well. A very fast read and it does a nice job of discussing the conflict in 2001 and some things you might expect while in the country as a foreigner. Although, it sometimes makes the country sound much worse than it is, but this was shortly after the conflict, so that might explain why.
traciemasek's review
3.0
Full disclosure: I picked up this book thinking it was about Macedonia, Ohio. It's not. It's about the country. Which everyone else already knew. It was informative, but not a super effective graphic novel.
thatonewhoreads's review
4.0
I loved this book hands! it's such an unusual topic along with it filled with so many different layers. the only thing I hate is how the book is laid out. like why does it have less than 200 pages but have so many words on the page? like it doesn't make sense because the book is dense and there is so much to read. that is one thing that annoyed me. also, I loved the illustrations by Piskor! amazing work!
jenmat1197's review
4.0
This graphic novel is about a peace activits named Heather Roberson. She sets out for Macedonia that tends to refrain from violence. During her month long visit she explores the country and meets many shady characters among new friends and allies. She talks to government officials, and professors, and academics, and ordinary citizens to figure out how Macedonia remains at peace.
This was a pretty good graphic novel. It was a bit choppy in the writing and some parts were just so so. But I did learn an incredible amount about Macedonia. The book if full of facts and information related tothe countries past and present (at the time of the writing in 2007), and those parts were well written. There is also an epilogue at the end of the book that is well written that wraps up the information nicely.
A good find. Most books you find related to Macedonia are about Alexander the Great. However - most of thos books don't take place in the country, so they didn't qualify for my Read the World challenge. I am glad I read this one and will add it to my collection.
This was a pretty good graphic novel. It was a bit choppy in the writing and some parts were just so so. But I did learn an incredible amount about Macedonia. The book if full of facts and information related tothe countries past and present (at the time of the writing in 2007), and those parts were well written. There is also an epilogue at the end of the book that is well written that wraps up the information nicely.
A good find. Most books you find related to Macedonia are about Alexander the Great. However - most of thos books don't take place in the country, so they didn't qualify for my Read the World challenge. I am glad I read this one and will add it to my collection.
chadstep's review
4.0
While I love Pekar, and graphic novels, this one was definitely written for the text-lover. Not that I minded, it just relied *heavily* on the written word for explaining the complicated history of Macedonia, as opposed to Joe Sacco's work or [link:Pyongyang] by Guy Delisle.
I mainly read this book due to the its subtitle, "what does it take to stop a war?" and how peacemakers worked to help the constant destabilization in the Balkan arena. Fascinating--complex and understated, the main character, Heather, is an earnest, detailed and smart student from UC Berkeley's Peace Studies program. This would make a great read for any undergrad looking for an alternative to "International Relations" programs.
I mainly read this book due to the its subtitle, "what does it take to stop a war?" and how peacemakers worked to help the constant destabilization in the Balkan arena. Fascinating--complex and understated, the main character, Heather, is an earnest, detailed and smart student from UC Berkeley's Peace Studies program. This would make a great read for any undergrad looking for an alternative to "International Relations" programs.
chelseamartinez's review
5.0
There are a few pages of loooong text that I have to admit I skipped. I really like Pekar's personal-narrative style in collaboration with someone else's story.
samypants35's review
3.0
I thought the story was good, but I wasn't very impressed with the art. I can't tell if Harvey Pekar did the drawings or Ed Piskor did, but the characters were all pretty basic and similar. Heather's trip was great though. I really enjoyed how the dialogue between characters told what could have been a dry paper. That said, there's not a whole lot as far as the plot goes.
nwhyte's review
http://nhw.livejournal.com/980610.html[return][return]This is the story of peace activist Heather Roberson, who went there in the summer of 2003 to find out how the 2001 conflict had been prevented from escalating into another full-scale Balkan war, and acquired an obsession to match my own. She and Pekar portray well her fascination with this paradoxical, contradictory country, exploring Skopje and Tetovo with excursions to Belgrade and Pristina, and I found much to agree with - the curious mixture of paranoia and pessimism which otherwise enlightened individuals sometimes display; the Hotel Ambasador and the Irish Pub in Skopje, the Hotel Moskva in Belgrade, the attitudes of the international officials involved with the local process. Indeed, one or two of the internationals depicted are people I know - mostly identifiable because of the positions they hold, though they are not named and their physical appearance in the book is quite different in real life. One particularly impressive character, who oddly enough has just renewed contact with me via Facebook and LinkedIn, is given a completely different profession in the book to real life but is none the less clearly recognisable to anyone who has met him.[return][return]I'm not sure how interesting the book would be to people who don't share the same level of fascination with the country as me and Roberson. It's very text-heavy in places, with an awful lot of background information needed to set her experiences in context (though it seemed to me mostly accurate, with only one or two points where my eyebrows rose in disagreement). Her basic paradigm, that conflicts can be resolved through application of the rule of law, is quite a complex area to explore through the medium of the graphic novel and it's not quite clear what her conclusion actually is, once she has seen her idealistic propositions tested in practice. Also, I'm not sure that she and Pekar quite manage to communicate the sheer charm of the country and its people of all ethnicities; I think the casual reader may end up being rather surprised or sceptical that she likes the country as much as she says she does. And there were a number of annoying errors in the Macedonia/Serbian phrases and street signs shown.[return][return]It may not be up to the standards of Safe Area Gora~de, but it is nonetheless a fine effort, and certainly would be good reading for anyone thinking of getting involved in Balkan politics these days.
carmenghia's review
3.0
I may have only been interested in this because I did my undergrad thesis on the Balkan wars of the 90s. It was okay - points for the graphic novel format but minuses for the dry storytelling.
kuhrin's review
3.0
This book gives a fairly comprehensive history of Macedonia and the more recent peace process, both the positive aspects and the current challenges the country faces.
The choice to frame all of the information through the eyes of the traveling student, Heather Roberson, is at times frustrating. I found the focus on Roberson to be somewhat distracting to the story of the Macedonian peace process. Regardless, I certainly know more about the history of the Balkans and have a new context for viewing the history of the region.
The choice to frame all of the information through the eyes of the traveling student, Heather Roberson, is at times frustrating. I found the focus on Roberson to be somewhat distracting to the story of the Macedonian peace process. Regardless, I certainly know more about the history of the Balkans and have a new context for viewing the history of the region.