Blood and Vengeance: One Family's Story of the War in Bosnia

Although Sudetic was able to maintain his detachment for the numerous stories he filed from the frontlines of the Bosnian war for the Times, it could not ultimately last. Blood and Vengeance examines the events leading up to the July 1995 genocidal massacre that took place in and around the town of Srebenica from the perspective of the Celik family (to whom the author is related by marriage). Sudetic ably blends the intimate chaos and terror of the Celiks' lives with broader historical and contemporary accounts that provide a fuller context for what happened. The people here are not types, but vividly portrayed individuals in whose lives the reader gradually becomes absorbed. This book ranks with Peter Maass's Love Thy Neighbor as one of the closest--and most chilling--looks at the tumultuous events that shattered post-cold war Eastern Europe. --Ron Hogan

Product Description
"If you can read just one book about Bosnia, this is it." --The Washington Post

Taking its place on the short list of essential books about the Bosnian struggle, Blood and Vengeance succeeds in putting a human face on the conflict, rendering its devastation comprehensible to Western readers. Perhaps the most notorious and disputed outrage of the war was the massacre of as many as 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica. Although previously designated a safe area by the United Nations Security Council, Srebrenica was overrun by General Ratko Mladic's Bosnian Serb forces while U.N. peacekeeping troops stood by impotently.

With novelistic eloquence and journalistic acumen, Sudetic follows several generations of the Celiks, the Muslim family he is related to by marriage, which met their tragic destiny at Srebrenica. His indelible portrait of these inhabitants of a remote mountaintop village outside of Srebrenica not only illumines the historical context of the tragedy but, more important, reveals the human impact of the horror. Blood and Vengeance contains the sweep and power of a panoramic historical painting, yet possesses the heartbreaking intimacy of a family snapshot.

* Named a New York Times Notable Book and One of the Best Books of the Year by Publishers Weekly and the Washington Post

"Superb. . . essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the war in Bosnia." --The New York Times

"[A] triumph." --Chicago Tribune

Following the Celik family as they are displaced by the war and eventually holed up in the ill-fated town of Srebrenica is moving. The larger picture of how the war progressed and the atrocities committed, by both sides, is infuriating, as is the military inaction of the western governments and the UN. (In fairness, western military action may have only added fuel to the fire - I recommend Rohde's End Game to see the perspective of the troops on the ground and the difficulties they were faced with.)

In all, this book leaves a very real feeling of loss with you, and you will probably come away feeling like people in the Balkans do today: sad at their loss, hungry for revenge, hopeful for a better future.


former UN soldier in Bosnia.   December 21, 2002
Paul (RI)
9 out of 14 found this review helpful

If you a fact based assessment of what happened to a family living in hell this is a great book. If you want the overall picture of the Bosnian war then look elsewhere.

The author is anti-Serb. The Serbs were excrutiatingly brutal during the war, however all the other sides are not without blame. I witnessed such by the Serbs, but also by the Croats and BiH armies. The Serbs are not the only source of blame albeit a large one.

As one who witnessed atrocities and was told to do nothing about said atrocities by some do-gooder in the NY (UN) wearing a suit these both, shocked and deadened your senses'.

Had the author merely indicated that this is a snapshot of a families life and not an overall indication of WHY the war happened I would have given it 5 stars.

It IS a great book but bear-in-mind the slant against Serbs.


All Serbs should show courage and read this   May 8, 1999
8 out of 13 found this review helpful

The majority of Serbs who claim their massive crimes against humanity in the Balkans over the past 8 years are lies and propaganda, should read this book. They will feel shame and disgust, but it is about time they acknowledge the truth.


The Best Book on Bosnia Yet Written   December 3, 1998
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

After reading tremendous books like David Rohde's "End Game," Holbrooke's "To End a War," Kaplan's "Balkan Ghosts," Rebecca West's "Black Lamb, Grey Falcon," Michael Sells' "A Bridge Betrayed," and a host of others, this one stands out as the very best yet written on Bosnia. Sudetic successfully weaves the macro policy issues with an in-the-trenches view of one family's experience in Srebrenica. The end product is a devastating indictment of the international community for allowing atrocities like this to occur again, after similar incidents occuring in WWII Germany, Post Vietnam Cambodia, Guatemala and Rwanda. After seeing the aftermath of Srebrenica's downfall in person and knowing many of the people involved, I can say that Sudetic has unquestionably written the definitive account of this tragic chapter in Bosnia's history.