Surviving the Peace

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During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia over half of the population was displaced; 100,000 were killed; tens of thousands endured concentration camps; and property damage was widespread.

Most books about Bosnia stop there. However, there is a compelling story of people's resilience in the postwar campaign for recovery and reconstruction. Thousands of ordinary people stand up against corruption and ethnic homogenization in their dysfunctional state. Surviving the Peace illustrates this uphill struggle through compelling analysis, combined with extensive personal narratives of individual Bosnians over the two decades since the end of the war.

The work of human rights campaigners to restore their country to a healthier condition is an inspiration for all who are concerned with reconciliation and post-conflict healing. The need for human rights is universal; Surviving the Peace focuses on the vivid example of a grassroots campaign for recovery in one country.

REVIEWERS WRITE:

Surviving the Peace is a monumental feat of ground-level reporting describing two decades of postwar life in Bosnia, specifically among those fighting for refugee rights of return. Unique in its breadth and profoundly humanitarian in its focus, Surviving the Peace situates digestible explanations of the region's bewilderingly complex recent history among interviews, conversations, and tableaus from the lives of everyday Bosnians attempting to make sense of what passes for normal in a postwar society.

Essential reading for students of the former Yugoslavia and anyone interested in postwar or post-genocide studies, Surviving the Peace is an instant classic of long-form reporting, an impossible accomplishment without a lifetime of dedication to a place and people.

—Vanderbilt University Press

"Once the shooting stops, most reporters and commentators pack up and go home, as if everything important is over. Yet, as Lippman so eloquently shows, for many, an entirely new life has begun, one they are not prepared for and have few resources to manage. Moreover, there appears to be almost an aversion to reporting on successes, i.e., former enemies reconnecting and working together. It does exist and is the part we should be emphasizing. Lippman reports both the successes and failures, as well as the continued challenges faced by a society torn apart by ethnic hatred. This book is about this little-addressed aspect of war—what happens when the shooting stops—and how ordinary people are critical in reconstituting community."

—Judith Armatta, author of Twilight of Impunity: The War Crimes Trial of Slobodan Miloševic

"This is a highly engaging, well-written, and factual account of postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina seen from a grassroots perspective by a researcher and a cultural outsider who demonstrates an enviable understanding of his research field. It is an exemplar of engaged and informed writing: moving and informative, evocative and profound. It is a deeply serious book, but with the light touch of an accomplished writer."

—Hariz Halilovich, RMIT University, Melbourne

"A lot of books are written on postwar reconstruction in Bosnia-Herzegovina but not from this longitudinal, ethnographic, and bottom-up approach portraying ordinary people in the extraordinary struggle to rebuild lives and peaceful living. Most books are overly scientific and academic with little voice given to the grassroots human rights activists. This book is unique."

—Selma Porobic, Palacky University, Czech Republic