Love Thy Neighbor

A Story of War

By: Peter Maass

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Peter Maass went to the Balkans as a reporter at the height of the nightmarish war there, but this audiobook is not traditional war reportage.

Maass examines how an ordinary Serb could wake up one morning and shoot his neighbor, once a friend - then rape that neighbor's wife. He conveys the desperation that makes a Muslim beg the United States to bomb his own city in order to end the misery. And Maass does not falter at the spectacle of U.N. soldiers shining searchlights on fleeing refugees - who are promptly gunned down by snipers waiting in the darkness.

Love Thy Neighbor gives us an unflinching vision of a late-20th-century hell that is also a scathing inquiry into the worst extremes of human nature. Like Michael Herr's Dispatches, it is an utterly gripping audiobook that will move and instruct us for years to come.

©1996 Peter Maass (P)2018 Tantor

Is not completely story.

Really good book, but he didn’t say much about Croatia and Kosovo almost nothing. I don’t why.

Horrifically Captivating

As someone who survived Bosnian war as a child and remember it by my own war story/history, this book captured and catapulted me back to that time in an extremely realistic and concise timeline of events from beginning to an end, and even provided some additional insights that could have been seen and told only by an outsider such as journalist. Needless to say, it's not something that any war survivor wants to remember (regardless of how long ago it happened) but even decades later, it still rings true and the "story" is dare I say, captivating and interesting in a horrific and morbid way. Some events described in this book are extremely graphic, disturbing, and sickening, but again, it is a war book that describes human suffering and atrocities of the war, that in the end begs the question.....are we beasts, and how do we become animals in the face of war.
Mass did a really good and brave job covering these events and then describing them in a such great detail that listener can hear and see every single one of them in their minds. The narration was superb as well. If you are curious to any extent about the Bosnian war and conflicts in the Balkans, I highly recommend this book. Definitely a memorable read, even for someone who actually lived through this war.

Compelling but Repetitive

3.5 stars. An important work on this little-known war that is confusing to so many. This book will give you a great "picture" of that war but lacks a solid telling of military history. I suspect the author patched together many of his news reports because he tends to repeat himself of cover similar material.

this review cannot capture this book's impact

Something lead me to this book. A speaker from BiH shared his story of surviving the war at an International Holocaust Remembrance event in January. I was embarrassed, as a privileged US citizen, that I did not know more. I listened to this book while driving to work (2hours each day) and was horrified by what happened. Hell on earth. Why do humans do this?

I needed to learn more so went to Bosnia and Herzegovina. I thought it would be a "one and done" trip yet it was much more. I will return again in December. This book by far is one of the best if not the best to tell the story of the worst of humanity, the heroes of humanity, the resilient spirit of Bosniaks. Soldiers of the war recommend it, and were surprised I "read" it! I am going to spread the word on what happened through some groups I am in who address peace and conflict, and to think it all started with this book.

Captive Reading & Learning

Excellent author giving a realistic view of life conflicts 30 years ago and potential evil for society today.

Phenomenal

This book is one of the most compelling books I have ever read. Cannot recommend enough.

Best book on the Bonian War

This book was extremely compelling. The story is very well written and the narrator was one of the best I have heard when listening to books. If you have even the slightest curiosity about the Bosnian War this is a must read.

No words can sum this up

Thank you to Peter for writing this book and sharing his experiences and knowledge. Anyone who reads this, especially those from Western countries, will gain a much stronger understanding of the Balkan wars of the early to mid 1990s. Peter tells you everything, right down to the horrifying details. While hard to process at times, it’s important to understand what man is capable of, that genocide is real and not to trust the lies our governments tell us. Your heart will ache for the people of Bosnia who are still living with the remnants of the war today along with a shaky government and Putin fanning flames within the region.

I wish I knew all of this years ago. Great read.

Well written and incredibly informing, should be required reading in high school. I could even read again.

Best book ever

Can’t understand way humans continue to treat each other with just a lack of respect!