Neither Red Nor Dead: Coming of Age in Former Yugoslavia During and After World War II (Paperback)

by Stevo Julius (Author) "Like so many of our friends we did not recognize the signals..." (more)
Key Phrases: banca prima, diplomatic stores, walnut stumps, City Command, World War, Soviet Union (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The story decribes in a spirited, humane voice the richness as well as the dangers of the time." -- Thomas Trautmann PhD, Marshal Sahlins Collegiate Professor. University of Michigan

Julius, an imaginative investigator always capable of focusing on important things in life, beautifully describes the source of his inspiration." -- Norman Kaplan MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Texas, Southwester Medical School, Dallas

What makes this story so wonderful is that this young physician from former Yugoslavia became a world-renowned American professor. -- Michael Weber MD, Professor of Medicine, Downstate Medical College, New York

Product Description
The Author, raised in a non-practicing Jewish family, is 12 years old when the Germans occupy former Yugoslavia. His family hides in a small village and eventually joins Tito’s guerrilla. At 14 years of age he is appointed as a military courier, given an outdated Italian gun, and sent to roam alone through mountains, forests, and small villages of Croatia. After the war, just when things start to look better, his father breaks down under the Communist pressure and the author is forced to take refuge again.

This is a story of how extraordinary events can bring out the worst and the best in ordinary people. How the author, to keep himself sane in the turmoil, learns to see the funny side of things, to understand what makes people tick, to keep eyes open, and when the going gets really rough- to recite poetry. This is also a story of two brothers who, facing same difficulties became very different adults and how a son unwittingly repeated some his father’s history.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 481 pages
• Publisher: Medvista (June 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972951113
• ISBN-13: 978-0972951111
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,074,606 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alas Yugoslavia!, March 4, 2004

By	"george_schwartz" (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Neither Red nor Dead, an autobiographical memoir by Dr. Stevo Julius (Medvista, Ann Arbor, MI, www.medvistaa.com, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com) is a great read! The author, who is an internationally known researcher in the field of hypertension, is now the Frederick G.L. Huetwell Professor of Hypertension at the University of Michigan. He describes his childhood growing up in a Yugoslavia that was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. He is separated from his family, becomes involved in the Partisan resistance, and then suffers excruciating hardship under the post-war Communist regime. Despite such difficulties, he survives and even thrives under these career-threatening circumstances.

His story is told in fine detail but with great charm, humor, and optimism. The descriptions of the Yugoslavian countryside, people, cities and politics are extremely informative and well written. The text maintained my intense interest throughout the 481 pages. Accompanying the text are maps showing specific areas of the country where the action takes place. One small concern here is that many of the towns are not depicted on the maps and so the most intricate details of his travels cannot be carefully examined.

While most of the account takes place in Yugoslavia, only the Epilogue deals with the authors leaving the country for Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. Unlike the rest of the book, the facts leading up to this emigration are less detailed. The last chapter, The South Slavs, is an historical primer, which describes the background of the establishment of the Yugoslavian country after World War I. The author clearly displays the reasons for the internal strife, which has so damaged this territory in the past decade. I might suggest that the interested reader read this chapter first to better prepare for the unfolding of this fascinating memoir.

Dr. Julius maintains his wonderful humor, humility and sense of family and country throughout the book. There are many interesting literary details (stories and poems) included in the text. Most importantly, the writing is not at all medically oriented, so that readers of any background can enjoy the book. After reading it, besides offering it to my friends, I found that I would very much like to meet the author and shake his hand...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read Page Turner, September 10, 2003

By	Alex de Parry (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In his fast-moving story, Dr. Stevo Julius shares the daily struggles of individuals living through tumultuous and dangerous times. He vividly portrays day-to-day life under a system most of us cannot even imagine, and he painstainkingly describes events that compelled people to behave in ways that we rarely understand while he offers explanations we can comprehend. With meticulous descriptions, it is the story of heroes and victims, of hope and despair, or making sense out of chaos. If this book were fiction, it would be fascinating. As the true story of the author, it is not only fascinating, but a gift to anyone who wants to understand what previous generations endured and overcame under the most difficult of circumstances. And the bonus? It provides an excellent historical perspective to current conflicts in the region. I couldn't put this book down.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonder-Filled Life, October 20, 2003

By	Dennis M. Jensen (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Reading this book has added greatly to my understanding of a significant set of social and political events in the Balkans. It is more important, though, in providing insight into the ways in which individuals cope and grow through being part of those events.

Prof. Julius is a wonderful scientist and clinician. This book addresses issues well beyond medicine and science.

For the American, Prof Julius' book provides a the history of the Balkan peoples and describes the maelstrom there during and after World War II. Often our histories overlook this region. Through his eyes, the very unique state of post-WWII Yugoslavia becomes plausible. Secondarily, more recent events in the area are more understandable.

However, it is the experience seen through the lives of his father, mother, and brother that capture the imagination in a unique manner. The struggle of the individual within large social and political movements is captivating. Late at night, when I wake from sleep, I often wonder about one or more of young Stevo's experiences described in the book. It is a life well-lived and aspects of his life will always remain with me.