The author recounts how, unsatisfied by his brief career in the British Army, he set out for the killing fields in Bosnia. There, in the midst of b...
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Mar 19, 2009
Eric_W
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Born of a prestigious English military family, Loyd was enamored of war until he enlisted in the Bosnia conflict. Fresh with a degree in photojournalism and no prospect of a job, Loyd decided to go to Bosnia, where the war had been going on for about a year in 1993. Freshly arrived in Sarajevo, he was almost immediately introduced to t he irrationality of the situation. Looking for a guide to help him find the house a contact in London had provided, he soon found one who was more than happy to
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Feb 05, 2008
Ron
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For me, it was one of the better written memoirs I've read in a long time, up there with "Sorrow of War" and dare I say it, "All quiet on the Western Front". It has been out of print I believe.
For the "gun and gear guys it is a let down, but for telling the effects of combat and man's inhumanity to man, it is startling.
To be fair to Anthony, the book is divided into sections; his troubled relationship to his parents: his addiction: set against the backdro More...
For the "gun and gear guys it is a let down, but for telling the effects of combat and man's inhumanity to man, it is startling.
To be fair to Anthony, the book is divided into sections; his troubled relationship to his parents: his addiction: set against the backdro More...
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Jan 06, 2010
Nicky
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This book was recommended to me by my friend David, he thinks it's a great perspective on the war in former Yugoslavia and a great read. At first the author Anthony Loyd irked me with his masculine style. It always annoys me when a book is dripping with predictable gender stereotypical perspectives - in this case, a gross glorification of war and the arguably innate attraction humans have for violence. At least that's what I first though. Reading further I realize that his voice damns that d
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Mar 25, 2009
Lauren
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A harrowing, shocking, poetic memoir of the Bosnian war by a fine, if slightly unhinged, writer. Lloyd, who grew up in a military family, also grew up fascinated, apparently, by war and by the time he sets out for the killing fields of Bosnia is beset by the demons of addiction and despair. The horrors and chaos of war become a sort of counter-point for his addictions and emotional problems. One feels he becomes as addicted to the adrenaline rush of war as to the drugs, booze and sex. I admit
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Dec 04, 2010
Erik
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Usually I expect to be choked up while reading war memoirs. That didn't happen often with Anthony Loyd's My War Gone By, the most gruesome account I have ever read of warfare, despite my prejudice, shared with the author, for the Bosnian side of the conflicts between the former republics of Yugoslavia.
A large part of this book is about Loyd's experience as a young, novice photojournalist in Yugoslavia. A small part of it is about his experiences in Chechnya, a portion that could ha More...
A large part of this book is about Loyd's experience as a young, novice photojournalist in Yugoslavia. A small part of it is about his experiences in Chechnya, a portion that could ha More...
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Apr 14, 2010
Espen
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Anthony Loyd goes to the war in the former Yugoslavia as an observer - well, let's be honest, a tourist - and then gradually succumbs to the fascination, tinged with shame, of observing something surreal, dangerous, and yet so central to Europe. The complex and cruel war in between Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Muslims and other overlapping and changing factions was a gruesome continuation of centuries of internecine fighting that was only temporarily halted by the Tito regime - close to a quarter mi
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Nov 21, 2008
Christian
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I picked this book up to learn more about the Bosnian / Serbian / Croatian conflicts of the early 1990s. There is a lot of detail here, but it's very much a ground view and doesn't go much into the overarching political concerns behind the war. Perhaps that's the point - the picture painted here is of pure chaos, with little rhyme or reason beyond the clashes of various local power groups.
This book is essentially a memoir, so what we get is the author's experience during the war years, wh More...
This book is essentially a memoir, so what we get is the author's experience during the war years, wh More...
Dec 14, 2011
Meagan
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This book adds something missing from most war reporting books: a sense of the author’s place. There is no doubt that witnessing war and speaking to people directly involved affects a writer, but most writers attempt to cover this up by maintaining an authoritative and impartial voice. For all their best efforts, opinion often bleeds through. Loyd takes a completely different, refreshing approach by chronicling his motivations for going to Bosnia, his feelings on the proceedings, and detailing t
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Jun 28, 2008
Sarah
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having just finished "War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning", I felt compelled to re-read this book to see if it freaks me out as much as it did when I first read it - before I started traveling to war torn countries. I've now been to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Darfur, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Northern Uganda. Will it still upset me like it did? Or have I become cynical?
Update: Still shocking yet I unders More...
Update: Still shocking yet I unders More...
Jun 24, 2009
Adam
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One of my all time favorite books. On the one hand it's a masterpiece of war reporting as we follow Anthony Loyd (now, Sir Anthony Loyd) on his journey through the war torn Balkans during the bloody civil war of the 90s. On the other hand, it's an incredibly beautifully written story and Loyd's poetic narrative captures the tragedy and senseless of war unlike any other author I've ever read.... An absolute must read about one man's addiction to both heroine and war.
Dec 10, 2010
Sharon
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Oh man ... An absolutely harrowing read about war, addiction, loss ... just so brutally honest.
I think it's the first time I can appreciate the need/necessity of wanting to go back into chaos rather than try to live with the demons in a civilian capacity.
An amazing personal account of the effects of war and how we, as civilians, can never appreciate the contradicting emotions of horror and elation experienced by these men.
I think it's the first time I can appreciate the need/necessity of wanting to go back into chaos rather than try to live with the demons in a civilian capacity.
An amazing personal account of the effects of war and how we, as civilians, can never appreciate the contradicting emotions of horror and elation experienced by these men.
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Nov 18, 2009
Raconteur
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It is a little known war novel that features a modern day Oedipus that escapes boredom of Private School in England to travel to former Yugoslavia to maintain his drug habit and try to describe the insanity of war. Like Stendhal who knows to focus on the individual suffering at war, Loyd ( the protagonist) creates a personal journey that shows the horrors afflicted among us. Overall a despairing but remarkable story of the Serbo-Croatian War.
Jan 16, 2011
Yofish
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Memoir from a journalist who cut his teeth mostly in Bosnia (and Croatia and… that conflict). He sort of comes into journalism by accident. He's a little bit of a war freak, and also an admitted drug addict. But his experiences in wartime seem completely genuine. He talks some about how he can't have an objective view of which side is 'right' because of what he's seen. It was a bit episodic, which was actually good since I was mostly listening 5 inutes at a time in the car and such. But th
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May 23, 2008
murph
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A drug addict's journey through war in the Balklans.
Anthony Loyd's stint as a photojournalist in the former Yugoslavia exposed him to some geniune horrors.
Being a journalist - he tells you all about them to the point where you wish he'd stop. The cruelty of the Balklan war is unrelenting and Loyd spares no imagery in showing you how bad it can get.
This is a book to snap you out of any illusions you have about what you see in the news. Loyd illustrates that sa More...
Anthony Loyd's stint as a photojournalist in the former Yugoslavia exposed him to some geniune horrors.
Being a journalist - he tells you all about them to the point where you wish he'd stop. The cruelty of the Balklan war is unrelenting and Loyd spares no imagery in showing you how bad it can get.
This is a book to snap you out of any illusions you have about what you see in the news. Loyd illustrates that sa More...
Jan 20, 2009
Reza
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Are you supposed to like this book? It was grim and the pervasive mood was that of rain, gloom, and the misery of an unfulfilled life.
Interesting assignment would be to read this with Jarhead and to compare and contrast the author's experiences and what they thought/think of war and battle.
Interesting assignment would be to read this with Jarhead and to compare and contrast the author's experiences and what they thought/think of war and battle.
Jun 23, 2010
Wendy
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The setting fades to irrelevancy as we see the stark parallels drawn between actual war and the ones we create for ourselves in our everyday lives and suggests a deeper human need for action or drama or thanatos than can't be delivered by civilized domesticity.
Dec 01, 2009
Peter
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I'm pretty sure this is my favorite book. The theme of destruction that intertwines his body (by heroin) with the countries in which he's reporting (by war) is disheartening, to say the least. Do not, under any circumstances, read this book when you're depressed.
Sep 25, 2007
Joe
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This is a relatively interesting and disturbing account of one man's experience reporting on the Bosnian war. I'm sure there are much better and more comprehensive accounts of this war out there, so I wouldn't choose this one out of a lineup.
It was worth the read for the bits about the wars in Bosnia and Chechnya, but I honestly didn't care about some Brit's personal psychological problems and heroine addiction.
The part about the author that I did find interesting (even though I don More...
It was worth the read for the bits about the wars in Bosnia and Chechnya, but I honestly didn't care about some Brit's personal psychological problems and heroine addiction.
The part about the author that I did find interesting (even though I don More...
Mar 29, 2009
Jennifer
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A memorable memoir about the war in the former Yugoslavia that also teaches the reader about the conflict there. Some of the scenes still stay with me years after reading it.
Feb 12, 2008
Nathanael
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Garrett made me read this, and I'm glad he did. I realized how little I knew about the Bosnian war and the Balkans. Not an easy book to read. The chapters on Chechnya especially took on the traits of a black nightmare pit. While I'm not sure I'm better person for filling my head with this horror... I also feel like I was woken up a bit to how serious war is. The author often remarked how much the term collateral damage bothered him. I came away with a better sense of how much serious conflicts l
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Jan 16, 2008
Adam
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Loyd mostly focuses on his experiences reporting the Bosnian war but it's more than just one gripping and horrific scene from the war after another. Loyd is a war junkie and he ponders how deeply fucked up you have to be to get addicted to war. There's no great revelation and the introspection is stilted (it never gets close to psychobabble levels); as Loyd bleeds his personal life into the war narrative, you realize he's answering these questions indirectly, between the lines. It's a fury of a
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Sep 09, 2008
Cary
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This is one of the best books I ever read about war. Right up there with Dispatches in the poetic and personal way it is written. It describes the people and personalities involved. Which draws the reader in to their situation. Also it lends a sense of empathy for what Loyd is going through. It gives a very human and honest acount of the writers expieriences in two theaters of war. The Balkans and Chechneya. I liked this book very much in the perspective it gave me about modern war and politics
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Oct 16, 2011
Brian
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One of the best books on war I've ever read. There are a couple of chapters that have given me nightmares...
Jul 21, 2007
Stew
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The author is a heroin addict who seeks out war zones not principally because they offer steady work for a freelance photographer, but rather because they are the only places on earth that he does not feel the pangs of addiction. There are passages in this book that will make your stomach turn, but you will find yourself wanting to shove the book into other people's hands simply so they can understand how it made you feel. Non-fiction.
Aug 02, 2011
Paul
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Probably the best and most honest account by a war correspondent in recent years. Loyd doesn't pull any punches yet is never judgemental of those around him in this very enlightening retelling of his experience in the Balkans wars of the '90s. His straight-from-the-heart illustration of his own addictions to both the war-front and heroin use deserve high praise. Antony Loyd is a writer of whom greater recognition is warranted.
