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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
"Harapan kami satu-satunya adalah bantuan dunia. Kami sudah menunggu berbulan-bulan dan bertahun-tahun. Kami berharap PBB bisa menghentikannya... Tetapi, mereka tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa."
Buku ini berkisah tentang perang yang terjadi di Bosnia Timur, tepatnya di Gorazde pada 1992-1995. Joe Sacco, penulis buku ini yang juga seorang jurnalis, mewawancari beberapa orang di Gorazde tentang peperangan tersebut dan menyajikannya dalam bentuk grafis. Menurut saya, ceritanya cukup tidak melulu membahas dari segi etno-politis, tapi juga sosio-humanis. Membaca buku ini mengaduk-aduk perasaan. Marah, sedih, putus asa, dan lelah bercampur menjadi satu.
Bagaimana rasanya ketika tetanggamu, teman bermainmu sejak kecil kemudian berubah menjadi penembak gelap yang mungkin membunuh ibumu dan membakar rumahmu? Bagaimana rasanya ketika semua hal yang kamu punya hilang? Bagaimana rasanya ketika seluruh dunia yang kamu harapkan untuk membantu kemudian berpaling dan pergi meninggalkanmu dalam puing keputusasaan?
Bosnia kini sudah membaik. Tapi, mungkin masih ada sisa-sisa kepedihan dan kenangan buruk yang tertinggal karena perang pada Bosnia-Serbia di awal 90an itu. Saya ingat seorang teman saya yang sudah setahun lebih tinggal di Belgrade, Serbia, dia bilang memang di sana masih ada sentimen etnis yang terasa terhadap orang Bosnia ataupun Kroasia. Mungkin benar kata salah satu orang yang diwawancarai oleh Joe Sacco saat ditanya pendapat mereka kalau hidup bersama orang Serbia lagi, "Terlalu banyak yang terjadi, terlalu banyaj anggota keluarga terbunuh. Semuanya sudah berbeda."
Saya memberi 4 dari 5 bintang pada buku ini, karena meskipun mampu menggambarkan kondisi Gorazde dengan baik (kondisi saat perang dan sesudahnya), latar belakang peperangan tidak terlalu dijelaskan. Mungkin akan lebih baik lagi jika komposisi dan kondisi etnis di Gorazde juga dijelaskan sebelumnya. Tapi, bagaimanapun, buku ini layak dibaca :)
Buku ini berkisah tentang perang yang terjadi di Bosnia Timur, tepatnya di Gorazde pada 1992-1995. Joe Sacco, penulis buku ini yang juga seorang jurnalis, mewawancari beberapa orang di Gorazde tentang peperangan tersebut dan menyajikannya dalam bentuk grafis. Menurut saya, ceritanya cukup tidak melulu membahas dari segi etno-politis, tapi juga sosio-humanis. Membaca buku ini mengaduk-aduk perasaan. Marah, sedih, putus asa, dan lelah bercampur menjadi satu.
Bagaimana rasanya ketika tetanggamu, teman bermainmu sejak kecil kemudian berubah menjadi penembak gelap yang mungkin membunuh ibumu dan membakar rumahmu? Bagaimana rasanya ketika semua hal yang kamu punya hilang? Bagaimana rasanya ketika seluruh dunia yang kamu harapkan untuk membantu kemudian berpaling dan pergi meninggalkanmu dalam puing keputusasaan?
Bosnia kini sudah membaik. Tapi, mungkin masih ada sisa-sisa kepedihan dan kenangan buruk yang tertinggal karena perang pada Bosnia-Serbia di awal 90an itu. Saya ingat seorang teman saya yang sudah setahun lebih tinggal di Belgrade, Serbia, dia bilang memang di sana masih ada sentimen etnis yang terasa terhadap orang Bosnia ataupun Kroasia. Mungkin benar kata salah satu orang yang diwawancarai oleh Joe Sacco saat ditanya pendapat mereka kalau hidup bersama orang Serbia lagi, "Terlalu banyak yang terjadi, terlalu banyaj anggota keluarga terbunuh. Semuanya sudah berbeda."
Saya memberi 4 dari 5 bintang pada buku ini, karena meskipun mampu menggambarkan kondisi Gorazde dengan baik (kondisi saat perang dan sesudahnya), latar belakang peperangan tidak terlalu dijelaskan. Mungkin akan lebih baik lagi jika komposisi dan kondisi etnis di Gorazde juga dijelaskan sebelumnya. Tapi, bagaimanapun, buku ini layak dibaca :)
medium-paced
Before reading this book, all I knew about the Bosnian War was the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre. After reading this book I still have limited knowledge of the war and a hazy understanding of the politics behind the war but what I do realise now is the extent of the suffering people went through and just how cruel people can be. The escalation of the war was an embarrassment for the UN and the international community, yet the Bosnian war is largely forgotten in history. As a result we are repeating the same mistakes in the current Middle Eastern crisis and we will keep repeating them until we don't reflect on our past.
When reading reports of war we put ourselves at a certain distance because the personal stories are often lost in the narrative and it doesn't affect us. In Joe Sacco's book there are plenty of stories; some are graphic and violent whilst others are more emotional and upsetting. The presentation of this book as a graphic novel puts a face to the stories and nothing is left to the imagination. The character of Joe Sacco mirrors how we as readers feel, he realises he has the privilege of leaving if the situation gets worse while we as readers can just put down the book whenever we feel overwhelmed, but the people who are living through it can only cling onto their hope for peace. As a result I found this very hard to read but at the same time I was left wishing the book did not end.
I think everyone should read this book at some point in their lives, not only because we need to remember the Bosnian War but also to understand the experience of war. Fortunately, Bosnia is now a peaceful country and has recovered from the war to a great extent but there are other people going through the same things the Bosnian people did and we must realise their struggle.
When reading reports of war we put ourselves at a certain distance because the personal stories are often lost in the narrative and it doesn't affect us. In Joe Sacco's book there are plenty of stories; some are graphic and violent whilst others are more emotional and upsetting. The presentation of this book as a graphic novel puts a face to the stories and nothing is left to the imagination. The character of Joe Sacco mirrors how we as readers feel, he realises he has the privilege of leaving if the situation gets worse while we as readers can just put down the book whenever we feel overwhelmed, but the people who are living through it can only cling onto their hope for peace. As a result I found this very hard to read but at the same time I was left wishing the book did not end.
I think everyone should read this book at some point in their lives, not only because we need to remember the Bosnian War but also to understand the experience of war. Fortunately, Bosnia is now a peaceful country and has recovered from the war to a great extent but there are other people going through the same things the Bosnian people did and we must realise their struggle.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
I read this in conjunction with Naomi Klein's Doppelganger and hey if you also want to go down a paranoia hole of how easy it is to create divide which eventually leads to neighbors turning on each other and then full on genocide... uh be my guest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, War
Perhaps best read once you've got some background knowledge under your belt. It drops into the middle/end of things, long after the start of the war and doesn't spend much time on the reasons why it all kicked off in the first place: not a linear narrative is what I'm getting at.
But then, that's not the purpose of it. It focuses on personal accounts, refugees' stories, what it's like to be on the front lines as a teacher turned soldier, as a doctor without the means or resources to help their patients. It makes for harrowing reading and Sacco doesn't hold back with his illustrations. They are raw and graphic, and sometimes the juxtoposition between dispassionate, shellshocked dialogue laid over the top can be jarring (no doubt the point). There's lots about the people he meets and gets to know. All the little ways people behave like humans in the face of terrible events. They still flirt, joke, party.
But then, that's not the purpose of it. It focuses on personal accounts, refugees' stories, what it's like to be on the front lines as a teacher turned soldier, as a doctor without the means or resources to help their patients. It makes for harrowing reading and Sacco doesn't hold back with his illustrations. They are raw and graphic, and sometimes the juxtoposition between dispassionate, shellshocked dialogue laid over the top can be jarring (no doubt the point). There's lots about the people he meets and gets to know. All the little ways people behave like humans in the face of terrible events. They still flirt, joke, party.
A powerful and effective story telling of one of the most brutal times in modern history.
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Brutal, visual e bastante demostrativo do que foi a Guerra da Bósnia, no contexto da desagregação da Jugoslávia.
Sendo de um americano e tendo em vista o papel do seu estado nesta guerra, tem uma visão bastante mais equilibrada que a maioria.
Sendo de um americano e tendo em vista o papel do seu estado nesta guerra, tem uma visão bastante mais equilibrada que a maioria.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
Oof. Absolutely brutal, unflinching examination of the atrocities of the Bosnian war and the impact it had on the civilians of Goražde. Well done, as Joe Sacco’s books tend to be, and taught me a lot about this conflict.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
The language used to justify violence against Muslim communities had not changed. Truly terrifying.