Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-95 Paperback – 12 April 2007

For anyone who 'missed' the war this is an immense read from both a very localised perspective but also it gives the overall picture and causes of the conflict. One could be forgiven for dismissing the 'comic' book style outright but I can only confirm with others that it is a masterly approach to bringing a conflict to life. It is a work of art on one level and a literary one also.I was old enough to understand the war when it took place but found that it was delivered on the news in a way that failed to illustrate the causes and therefore without the foundations to understand what was going on it passed me by.I bought this together with Martin Bell's ( BBC journalist) 'In Harms Way'. Both are great books in their own right and I now feel enlightened and have a far greater understanding that would enable me to hold my own in any discussion about it.I have also bought the memoirs of Colonel Bob Stewart, who commanded the 1st Cheshire's in their tour as UN peacekeepers, but am yet to read it.This tragic episode in post WW" history has largely been passed over although its repercussions are still being contested in the Court at Hague and the Dutch Courts because of their guilt over the atrocities that they could have perhaps prevented.Any doubts...don't have...buy it.

Great way to get younger folk interested in international affairs

Any book dealing with such a sad episode is going to be emotional. The novel is superbly written and seems like it captures the events well. Takes a lot to read as it deals with such a difficult subject. Highly recommend if you like historical graphic novels (especially about conflict). This sits on my shelf next to my Tarde books.

I have only recently discovered Sacco's works and it pains me, because had I discovered his graphic novels while I was at university, they would have made for interesting background reading for some of the subjects I came to study. Safe Area Gorazde is thought provoking and at times hard to read, if only because it paints a vivid and unapologetic image of the hardships and betrayals that the Islamic people's of Gorazde (and the wider Bosnia) faced during a the early nineties. Do not be disheartened however, as light relief is easily found in the inspiring characters Sacco surrounds himself with over the course of his visits.The overarching story this piece ultimately tells is one of the United Nations' ineptitude throughout the majority of the bloody affair that is the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the resultant Balkan war. At times I found myself more appalled at Western inactivity than at Serbian atrocities. Sacco may well stand as one of the UN's most ardent critics, even if poorly acknowledged.

This graphic novel is excellent in the way it communicates specific events of the Balkan war in visual terms. I feel the illustrations are highly effective in encouraging reader engagement and they are intricate and full of detail. The only reason l didn't give it five stars is because, a. l found the writing style and order of events rather confusing: the story would have worked much better in chronological order in my opinion, and divided into sections accordingly, rather than divided into characters and their recollections of events for example. It meant a lot of going back and forth which was heavy going at times, especially considering the challenging subject matter, which bearing in mind, many readers will know very little about before reading this; and, b. l felt Sacco lacked empathy throughout which in certain areas came across as being patronising (especially regarding the sections on 'the silly girls' which l felt highly inappropriate considering what they had been through and suffered. I can see that his unempathic position stems from his journalistic background and the need for objectivity but when presented with obviously unjust events, l think he could have injected much more personality and feeling into the narrative. Despite this the book is compelling to read and an enormous feat of illustration competence. Even if just to raise awareness of this tragic event (the supposed 'safe area' situation of Gorazde) the book is a must read and will undoubtedly open discussion and meaningful thought.

An absolutely amazing take on the war in Bosnia.Country which survived a three pronged agression by its neighbours, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia (1993-1994), with an unhelpful UN to say at least on top and with an international embargo on weapon imports deserves the best and with this book, it got it from Joe Sacco. Well done Joe, you are a legend for taking the time to write and in particular illustrate your experiences.The book is a must have for all those who are keen to know what actually happened in Bosnia, and what the meaning, the true meaning is of SERBIAN EXTREMISM whose bandits and gang of Tchetnik Ultra-Orthodox terrorists did not stop from doing such crimes as killing or even impalling babies, cutting off breasts of mothers whose babies were thrown of the Visegrad Bridge and into the cold river Drina, from mass raping girls as young as 9 and torturing and mass murdering boys and men simply because of their ethnicity.

It’s said too many times now, History continues to repeat itself with our behaviour. How quick we continue to forget our past mistakes of the the powerful few and how we allow as a people to ignore this behaviour. Shame on us all…

Superb account of the awful war in Bosnia. Brings together the large picture and individual stories to create a gripping account of a journalist's time in Goražde. Telling the story in the form of a graphic novel is stunning. First time I've read a graphic novel written about "real" life - and I was very impressed.