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WAR CRIMES

Name: WAR CRIMES
Author: Aryeh Neier
ISBN: 0-8129-2381-2

BRUTALITY, GENOCIDE, TERROR, AND THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE

by Aryeh Neier ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1998

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An abiding commitment to justice brings a positive tone to a depressing subject. Neier, former executive director of Human Rights Watch and the ACLU, weaves together the history of human atrocities with recent events in the former Yugoslavia (and, to a much lesser extent, Rwanda), unveiling the appalling fact that despite WWII and the subsequent war crimes trials, at the end of this century brutality is, if anything, worse than ever. The siege of Sarajevo can be distinguished from the ravaging of cities in WWII, for example, because the former’s destruction of nonmilitary targets and civilians cannot be appropriately characterized as collateral damage: “Removing or destroying the civilians and their cultural monuments was the whole point.” Neier’s succinct background summary illuminates the class and cultural animosity that accompanied ethnic hatred and produced a situation in which the prosperous citizens, cosmopolitan values, and mixed ethnicity of Sarajevo were attacked by the relatively poor, provincial, and ethnically pure Serbians. In an attempt to be nonpartisan without flinching from judgment, Neier recognizes that all parties in the Bosnian conflict “committed atrocities” but rejects as “nonsense” any claim that all sides were equally to blame. His real concern is not pointing the finger at an ethnic group, however, but rather the prosecution of individuals. He applauds the establishment of a tribunal to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for atrocities in Bosnia, and insofar as there is a general purpose underlying this effort, it is to promote the formation of a permanent International Criminal Court to facilitate the prosecution of war crimes. Neier’s hopes for future action may reflect an unrealistic confidence that judicial proceedings can produce justice, but given the state of human affairs, the need for justice is undeniable. (2 maps)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-8129-2381-2

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Times/Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1998

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT
by Aryeh Neier

- BOOK REVIEW
TAKING LIBERTIES
by Aryeh Neier

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.