Slavenka Drakulic

Sometimes, we're drawn to books for reasons we can't entirely explain. That was the case recently when I picked up Slavenka Drakulic's How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed. Here's a link.

Maybe it was the quirky title that attracted my attention. Or maybe it was the unexpected perspective - a view of Eastern European and Yugoslav history, written from the bottom up, as a sort of homage to  the power of popular history. 

This book isn't weighted with theory or polemic. It's a chronicle of events from behind the Curtain - as told by those who experienced the wars, poverty, and upheaval of those years from their kitchens, their offices, and schools. 

What I enjoyed most about this selection of essays was Drakulic's commitment to her peers: almost every essay is built on one woman's tale. 

Drakulic is also an exceptional stylist. Here's a woman who knows what she wants to say, and has found a style that does great justice to her ideas. Thinking about it, parts of this collection reminded me - at least in part - of Milosz's biographical work, A Native Realm. 

For a lucid book that takes an uncompromising look at European history between 1981 and 1991, let me recommend How We Survived Communism. The quality of the writing alone is worthy of our attention...