10 BEST BOOKS ABOUT THE BOSNIAN WAR

There are a million books about the war in Bosnia. It was the most heavily covered war in history by many accounts, so it is not surprising that so many produced books about the war. I have read almost all of them (as hard as that is to believe) and they run the range from compelling and interesting to poorly informed, second hand information that can't even get the basic facts of what happened sorted out. Then there are those books that tell half truths and lie by omission. Some of these are quite disingenuous and down right dangerous. I do find some of them interesting though and explore some aspects of the war rarely discussed and when keeping them in context of the truth, do fill in some holes in stories from some others books. That said if read by uniformed or the under informed, could lead one to believe some seriously flawed ideas of the war.

My top 10 favorite books on the war in Bosnia are...

1) Death of Yugoslavia (Laura Sibler & Allan Little) - being the basis of the best documentary  on the wars in Yugoslavia (and widely recognized as one of the five best documentary films ever made). It covers the war from the death of Tito to the very end and offers an in depth explanation of the entire wars and political battles that were fought both before armed conflict and after.

2) My war gone by I miss it so (Anthony Lloyd) A moving personal account about the War in Bosnia thru the prism of ones personal trials and tribulations. Let's face it, everything is colored by ones own experience and perspective. I always appreciate when one can be honest about there personal struggles and how that affects a person even to the point of admitting that someone misses "their" war.

3) Miss Sarajevo (Bill Carter) another moving personal tale of personal struggles and how by as much accident as fate one ends up in besieged Sarajevo. Bill tells a great personal story of the Siege of Sarajevo and with the help of U2 help bring the worlds focus back to were it belonged, on the besieged Bosnians held up in there captive capital of Sarajevo.

4) Siege of Sarajevo (FAMA) a voluminous book that covers everyday life in Sarajevo. It also has interviews with many leading members of Sarajevo society. It is a truly remarkable piece of history if you can still come by a copy, last one I saw was selling for over $300.

5) Balkan Battlegrounds (C.I.A.) a great account of battles and strategic battles that took place in Bosnia and Croatia in the 1990's. It is heavily leaning towards just facts and figures and analyzing of wartime battles and capabilities of the warring factions. A real deep read for those who want to understand the evolution of the war.

6) How Bosnia armed (Marko Atilla Hoare) a fascinating look at how the Bosnian army took shape from prewar to the end of the war. It explains the philosophical aspects of the war time leadership and competing strategies and goals.

7) Endgame, The Betrayal and Fall of Srebrenica: Europe’s Worst Massacre Since World War II (by David Rohde) A must read to get an idea of what was happening in Srebrenica at the time and what the worlds response was to an obvious tragedy.

8) Crisis in Bihac (Brendan O'Shea) the only book to really delve into what was happing in Bihac and the war between Bosniak 5th Korpus aligned with the Sarajevo government and the Naroda Odbrana aligned with Fikret Abdic. A rare glimpse inside the most successful Bosnian army Corps and it's brilliant commander Atif Dudakovic

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9)  Sarajevo Siege and Defense (Vahid Karavelic) A interesting look at the Siege of Sarajevo from a military perspective one of it's leaders.

10) The Muslim-Croat Civil War in Central Bosnia (Charles Shrader) A interesting book that explains some under reported aspects of the war in Bosnia. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you can fill in the gaps in information this book intentionally leaves out. It does explain a lot of the secondary causes of the war and conflict but generally, I would say in order to make his point he leaves out a massive amount of important facts. You could even say he is lying by omission to make his point.  Regardless it  brings up some valid points of the conflict that are rarely discussed.

There are other great books that I left off this list Slaughterhouse: Bosnia and the Failure of the West (David Reiff), Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War (Peter Maass), Blood and Vengeance: One Family’s Story of the War in Bosnia (Chuck Sudetic), Testimony of a Bosnian (Naza Tanovic-Miller), The Battle for Sarajevo: Sentenced to Victory (Kerim Lucarevic) and so many others deserve mentioning here I am afraid I have left so many out. This is my list of must read books as it stands today, who knows next week it could be different.

Vrelo Bosna Sarajevo gem located just outside of the city a Bosnian treasure

Vrelo Bosna (spring of Bosnia) a stunning little park just outside Sarajevo is another unique aspect of life in Sarajevo. The river  Željeznica is born out of a natural spring in the side of the mountain Igman, this beautiful park is one of the best landmarks in the Sarajevo region.

Located in Ilidža, before the entrance to the park you come across a Roman settlement that is still being excavated. Also there is a collection of Austro-Hungarian hotels named after each Yugoslav republic there as well and is a stunning site. This was a location of the UN HQ for a time during the war. The park and surrounding areas was heavily contested during the war, as the control of water pumping facilities is located near the park. The side of Igman is still littered with landmines but the park itself and common areas are very safe. Any areas were there are still landmines are well marked and it is easy to stay away from them.

There is a walkway of about 1 mile of a tree lined boulevard to get to the park, it is worth it though, as it is quite beautiful. Or you can take a horse drawn carriage (beware you will pay more if you are not Bosnian, so if you have a Bosnian friend with, let them negotiate the price for you). The walkway to the park is amazing site with some beautiful old mansions and natural beauty for nature lovers this place is a must see.

They say if you drink from the river you shall return to Bosnia.

Also the Roman Bridge is located in Ilidza and was made of original Roman stones and is a must see.

BOSNIA THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD TO VACATION

(Downtown Sarajevo at night including famous city hall)

(spot were Gavrillo Princip stood when he shot the heir to the Austro Hungarian Empire, starting WWI)

Bosnia is my favorite place on Earth to vacation, I may be a bit biased but I will try to present my best argument to explain why.

Growing up Roman Catholic, Rome, Italy was the mecca of our religious culture. Also much of our western democracy comes from the principles set by the Greek and Roman empires. When you visit Italy you can see the traces of the past that still influence and guide our cultures and values to this day. For many people Italy is the ultimate dream vacation Rome, Venice, Pompeii and Florence are always busy with tourists and is the backbone of the Italian economy. I enjoyed some aspects of Italy, the food, the culture and history. The problem I had is, it not very romantic like they make it out to be. Travi fountain is beautiful but you have to share the view with 2,000 of your closest friends and the coliseum is busy even at night. Venice the common areas your are packed in like sardines in a can. I enjoyed Italy but wouldn't see the need to return to any of the places I visited. I liken it to a trip to 6 flags or Wisconsin Dells or Disney World, overcrowded, over hyped and overpriced.

Bosnia to me offers the best of all the worlds and the cultures that influences it's history and people. Bosnia has always been a crossroads for peoples and cultures and the border between empires. It has made the Bosnian people very accustomed to offering hospitality in the greatest manner. When I visited Dubrovnik and Croatia a few years ago, my wife and I felt that the locals attitude was very arrogant, if they had a slogan I believe it would be "You came to visit me; not me visiting you" it is similar to what we experienced in Italy (not surprisingly there is a strong cultural connection between Dalmatia and Italy). Whereas in Bosnia there is a feeling of "thank you friend for coming to visit us" that permeates the air. Also the fact that during the war many journalists, celebrities and news media came on Safari to watch the hunters (Serbian army) attack their prey (Sarajevo civilians) has made them accustomed to strangers taking pictures and being generally intrusive.

The first time I visited Bosnia my friend took me to a local kiosk close to were I was staying. My friend explained to the man it was my first visit to Bosnia and the owner gave me an item for free, telling me I need to try it and to enjoy it, only in Bosnia, only with the ones I love. The Motel that I stay at (I plan on doing a story on them another time) are always friendly, always the same people after 10 years and have become like friends to me.

The last time I went to Bosnia we arrived after 10pm at the Sarajevo airport and by the time we got to the hotel I was exhausted and it was very late. We took two cabs to the hotel and I paid for both. I didn't realize at the time that I handed the guy a 100km (about 75 usd) bill and he left (I thought it was a 50km) about 15 minutes later he showed up at the hotel telling me I overpaid him and brought my money back. (a typical cab ride costs about 15km from the airport to the city proper) I gave him 50km and thanked him. I realize this is a rare occasion that something like this would happen, but it did and it happened in one of the poorest countries in Europe were 100km is a  weekly salary for many. You can call it a fluke and luck but to me it is typical of the Bosnian people when they see and deal with people they consider friends.

The history and cultural experience of Bosnia is great as well. Sarajevo was the cultural capital of the former Yugoslavia and today has regained much of the reputation that was lost due the war and the breakup of Yugoslavia. The governments commitment to the arts is limited at best so some of the facilities are less than spectacular but the arts and culture is as strong as ever. I had the chance to experience Bascarsija nights, named after the famous Turkish quarter downtown. It is a 30 day arts festival that is not to be missed. Sarajevo's film festival started during the siege and usually is running in August, is not to be missed as well. Also, for those winter travellers Sarajevo's Olympic ski facilities and "Zima" or winter festival is a must visit site as well.

Standing on the spot were WWI started is a once in a lifetime experience as well, so is just walking the city as there is a great walking path that takes you along the Sarajevo river, Miljacka from New Sarajevo to the downtown. The cultural history of Bosnia is rare and one of a kind. It is called the Jerusalem of Europe because it is the only place besides Jerusalem were you can visit a Mosque, synagogue, Catholic and Orthodox churches all within a couple of blocks.

There was a tradition in Bih to plant fruit trees in Sarajevo for visitors to eat in Ottoman times, these fruits (almost like an apple) called Donja I believe, grow all over the downtown area. You used to be able to stay in a hotel in Sarajevo for free for the first three days because it was said it would take three days to see the city. Walking the city and seeing the old Roman ruins by Verlo Bosna (a amazing walking park with a beautiful river) to the Austro Hungarian influences and the Ottoman architecture are a must see.

The natural beauty that Bosnia posses though can't be missed from rolling hills, stone towns and rushing rivers you can't really imagine a country with so much beauty until you see it. From Jajce, Blagaj, Mostar, Stolac, Trebinje, Bihac, Nuem (on the Adriatic coast), visegrad, Jablanica, Travnik and so many other places make Bosnia one of a kind and a can't miss.

I used to love visiting post Cold War Berlin (having visited the city 3 times in the last 10 years) I haven't been back since 2006 and from friends who live in the city say the tourism is booming and the city has lost some of what has made it so interesting. Tourism is on the rise in Bosnia, when visiting last year it was the first time I noticed large numbers of Westerners vacationing, it is still small compared to the rest of Western Europe but it is one of the things that still makes it great is it accessibility. Also the fact that you can't buy a McDonald's hamburger is a plus (I have a story coming about McDonald's and the famous Sarajevo "Hamby King"). Bosnia with it's rich history and culture is the place I would rather visit than any other, to be amongst civilized people and to be among friends.

BOSNIA VS MEXICO FRIENDLY TODAY IN ATLANTA

(My boy Dejan wearing his Miralem Pjanic Jersey)

I am super excited that Bosnia's national team is coming to USA to play a friendly tonight ( 2/9/11 at 8:00pm) against Mexico. Bosnia was so close to making the last World cup, just missing out in a play off against Portugal.

It is a crossroads for Bosnian national team as FIFA has told them that the ethnic based presidency goes against FIFA principles and they will be expelled from FIFA if it isn't changed by next month. 80% of BiH's National league funding comes from FIFA which means it would be a complete collapse of the Bosnian soccer federation. Serbian officials are blocking any reforms, at it is there policy to undermine the Bosnian state and institutions to prove BiH is not a viable state.

All the greats are suppose to be there today like Edin Dzeko, Emir Spahic and Miralem Pjanic and also 18 year old Muhamed Besic recently called up. There is also a call out to Dennis Avdic who was recently brought to the German league, sources say he is more likely to play for Sweden though.

BOSNA! BOSNA! BOSNA! OLE! OLE! OLE!

BOSNIAN BASKETBALL SOME OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN HISTORY

(Top picture me at a KK BOSNA ASA game)

(Bottom picture the great Nenad Markovic in action)

Bosnia has a rich history of bringing some of the best basketball players in the world from it's soil. The biggest names on the list have to be Mirza Delibasic, Drazen Delipagic, Emir Mutapic, Predrag Benacek, Bogdan Tanjevic, Nenad Markovic, Damir Mrsic, Goran Firic, Teoman Alibegovic, Zoran Savic, Mario Primorac, Predrag "Sasa" Danilovic (NBA starter) and the new generation of more recent players Aleksandar Radojovic(NBA lottery pick), Vladmir Radmanovic(1st round NBA draft pick), Damir Mulaomerovic(long time starter of Croatian national team) , Damir (Omerhodzic) Markota (NBA player), Zoran Planinic(1st round NBA draft pick),  Stanko Barac (NBA draft pick), Mirza Teletovic, Jasmin Hukic, Kenan Bajramovic, Mirza Begic, Mile Ilic (NBA player), Emir Preldzic (NBA draft pick), Edin Bavcic (NBA draft pick), Nedzad Sinanovic (NBA draft pick) and the young generation led by Nihad Dedovic.

The most famous of Bosnian basketball players has to be Mirza "KINDJE" Delibasic. Mirza brought great fame to KK BOSNA when he brought the team to the Euroleague title in 1979. He then went on to become one of the best players in Real Madrid history along with Arvydas Sabonis and Drazen Petrovic. He was elected to the basketball hall of fame in 2007. He spent the war years in Sarajevo and the Siege took a heavy toll on him and died in 2001.
Teoman Alibegovic was a very skilled 6'9 big man who played on those last great Yugoslav teams of the 1980's that featured Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic, Stojko Vrankovic, Aleksandar Djordjevic, Dino Radja, Toni Kukoc and Zarko Paspalj who all went on to NBA careers. He went on to star in college in the US at Oregon state and had the chance to play for the Miami Heat, which didn't work out. Teoman Alibegovic lost many family members in the Bosnian war and moved on to play for the Slovenes. He has tried to involve himself in Bosnian basketball since retiring but his overtures have always been rebuffed.
The most memorable player of recent memory is Nenad Markovic who led the team during the war years. The most memorable of which was while representing BiH in a qualifying game put up 63 points in a win! Many players represented themselves well in BiH but few did it as a youth, then returned to retire in KK BOSNA as a player, then coached both KK BOSNA and later the Bosnian national team.
The war caused many Bosnians to seek playing abroad and KSBiH has never properly recovered. KK BOSNA has never been able to regain it's lost glory due as much to poor management as a lack of proper funding.
Many players discovered roots that led them to playing in Slovenia like Teoman Alibegovic, Mirza Begic and Emir Preldzic or with the Croatian or Serbian NT.
The hope is one day Bosnia will be able to recapture the glory years that have become a distant memory, lost to most.
In the future I will cover Bosnia's lost generation of players, the coaches and young prospects and the dismal condition of the famous Bosnian Clubs...

OSLOBODENJE (LIBERATION) NEWSPAPER BUILDING

Oslobodenje (before) Avaz (after)

The Oslobodenje newspaper, founded during WWII as a anti-Nazi, anti-fascist news source. During the Bosnian war, because of it's close proximity to the front lines and the fact that it represented a anti-fascist multi-cultural Bosnia made it one of the first buildings targeted during the Bosnian war. The newspapers 10 story building was shelled relentlessly and the printing presses were moved into the long body of the building and they continued to print throughout the war, never missing a day except for one, when fuel couldn't be supplied.Sometimes circulation went down to just a few copies, when fuel or paper was in short supply. It was awarded the Sakharov prize for freedom of thought and was named newspaper of the year in 1993. Over 25 member of the staff were wounded while trying to get to and from work and 5 were killed. The building was to be left in this condition as a monument to the inhumanity of war and the savagery of the war in Bosnia.

Paddy Ashdown High representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina eventually convinced Bosnian authorities that if they wanted to change the image of Bosnia the first thing a visitor to Sarajevo sees when leaving the airport and driving downtown, shouldn't be the skeleton of this newspaper building. Eventually the building was sold, the upper portion of the building was replaced by the Avaz Business Center.

It's a bizarre sight, the old communist long body with this new building attached at the head.

I liked it better before they "fixed" it...

MEETING RICHARD GERE TERRENCE HOWARD AND DIANE KRUGER AT THE SARAJEVO TUNNEL MUSEUM

One of the strangest experiences of my time in Bosnia (and there have been plenty) was meeting Richard Gere, Terrence Howard and Diane Kruger at the Sarajevo Tunnel museum in 2006. I had always wanted to go to the Sarajevo tunnel museum and to see the famous "Tunnel of life" that the Bosnian government had dug underneath the airport to connect the city to the outside world. During the siege of Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia was cut off from the rest of the country surrounded in a hermetically sealed siege, the longest in modern history. The Bosnian government decided early on a ambitious project to connect the city to the outside world. This was done by digging a tunnel underneath the airport and connecting the Sarajevo suburbs of Dobrinja with Butmir. The Butmir side of the tunnel after the war was turned into a museum to commemorate this tragic and triumphant feat (since then the Dobrinja side now has a commemoration site as well, located by the airport and easy to locate unlike the Butmir side which can be hard to find).

I found a taxi near my hotel in Sarajevo who could understand my broken Bosnian and explained that I wanted to go see the tunnel museum. We agreed and he took me outside the city down a dusty road on the outskirts of the airport. He pulled up a lane and said this was the place and I got out. There were no real signs or markings displayed saying were I was but I could tell it had to be close, as the houses in the area bore all the hallmarks of a heavily shelled area. I made my way down the lane to a shelled and pockmarked house that had a little sign by a door buzzer stating "ring door bell and wait five minutes" in English. I figured this was the place so I rang the bell and waited. Five minutes later a man came to the door, I paid my 5 Kontvertible Marks and they led me to a room were for the next hour I watched a documentary in Bosnia about the horrific shelling of the city. afterwards I went out of the room, went down a set of stairs in the living room that led to the actual tunnel (not the actual original tunnel entrance though, that is actually located across the street at another home) and went down the path. The problem with low tunnels is there is always a natural urge to straighten up and I constantly kept hitting my head. After coming back out the tunnel there were now two Americans on a couch in this guys living room. The African American male had a baseball hat on backwards and was playing an acoustic guitar, the girl was sitting there watching. I had a short conversation with both, as I was surprised to run into Americans who weren't government officials or military types at that time. Eventually I got around to asking them why they were in Bosnia, that I wasn't used to meeting Americans in Bosnia. They both gave each other a strange look (as if I was missing out on something) and told me "we are here making the film". Just then I looked over my shoulder and standing next to me was Richard Gere. I knew he was in Bosnia making the movie Hunting Party, I didn't know that Terrence Howard and Diane Kruger (the Americans on the couch) were making the movie with them. I recognized their tour guide the famous Zijo Jusufovic (if you ever want to take a war tour in BiH he is the man you want to meet). I had a nice conversation with Mr.Gere about the war, my impressions of BiH, why I loved the country so much and his interest in the place. I was impressed and left with a changed opinion of Mr. Gere at that point and happy to have finally had seen the famous tunnel of life in person. I ended up running into them a few more times, even appearing in the background of a scene they filmed in downtown Sarajevo. I was disappointed later, when I heard that he was terrified by the reputation and feeling in BiH. They cut the filming short and finished the shots in Croatia. Also, Terrence Howard's personal lifestyle choices while in Bosnia left many a more modest Bosnian feeling quite sick at his behavior while in Bosnia...I was hoping that Mr.Gere would love Bosnia like so many before him. It is my belief that you either love Bosnia or hate it as a visitor, very few leave with feelings in between.

When I returned in 2010 I was able to take my family and our friend to see the tunnel again, even though finding it wasn't any easier. I was happy to see a steady stream of international tourists there visiting the sight as well.

This is the tourist information available on the Sarajevo tunnel...

The Tunnel Museum
Working hours: 9 - 18h
Bajro i Edis Kolar
Tuneli 1 Street (Donji Kotorac 34)
71210 Sarajevo
Ilidža, BiH
tel. +387 33 466 885 (19 - 8h)
tel. +387 33 628 591 (9 - 18h)