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The Key to My Neighbor's House: Seeking Justice in Bosnia and Rwanda
Examining competing notions of justice in Bosnia and Rwanda, award-winning Boston Globe correspondent Elizabeth Neuffer convinces readers that crimes against humanity cannot be resolved by talk of forgiveness, or through the more common recourse to forgetfulness
As genocidal warfare engulfed the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the international community acted too late to prevent unconscionable violations of human rights in both countries. As these states now attempt to reconstruct their national identities, the surviving victims of genocide struggle to come to terms with a world unhinged.
Interviewing victims and aggressors, war orphans and war criminals, Serbian militiamen and NATO commanders, Neuffer explores the extent to which genocide erodes a nation's social and political environment, just as it destroys the individual lives of the aggressor's perceived enemies. She argues persuasively that only by achieving justice for these people can domestic and international organizations hope to achieve lasting peace in regions destroyed by fratricidal warfare.
As genocidal warfare engulfed the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the international community acted too late to prevent unconscionable violations of human rights in both countries. As these states now attempt to reconstruct their national identities, the surviving victims of genocide struggle to come to terms with a world unhinged.
Interviewing victims and aggressors, war orphans and war criminals, Serbian militiamen and NATO commanders, Neuffer explores the extent to which genocide erodes a nation's social and political environment, just as it destroys the individual lives of the aggressor's perceived enemies. She argues persuasively that only by achieving justice for these people can domestic and international organizations hope to achieve lasting peace in regions destroyed by fratricidal warfare.
528 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 12, 2008
This is a difficult book to give any rating to. It completely overwhelmed me because of the nature of its content as well as the amount of information it contained. In the end I feel as though I only skimmed the surface, and honestly I do not know when I'll go back for a second read.
But I recommend this book to anyone curious about these two cases of genocide that occurred so recently. The stories in this book, told by Neuffer but through interviews and testimonies from tribunal witnesses, focus primarily on the unique pursuit of justice that occurred after the genocide; unique in the mere fact that these tribunals were pioneers in international justice. So I would also recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the concept of, and pursuit of, justice in such dire and exaggerated circumstances.
I would suggest anyone that wants to read it to become familiar with the events beforehand because I do not think it would serve well as an introduction.
But I recommend this book to anyone curious about these two cases of genocide that occurred so recently. The stories in this book, told by Neuffer but through interviews and testimonies from tribunal witnesses, focus primarily on the unique pursuit of justice that occurred after the genocide; unique in the mere fact that these tribunals were pioneers in international justice. So I would also recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the concept of, and pursuit of, justice in such dire and exaggerated circumstances.
I would suggest anyone that wants to read it to become familiar with the events beforehand because I do not think it would serve well as an introduction.
July 20, 2025
Dense yet informative detailing of the genocides impacting Bosnia and Rwanda during the 1990s and the resulting search for justice at the individual and international levels. Huge props to the author for her travels to capture the accounts and needs of genocide victims and deliver such a detailed recount of this time period. Huge thumbs down to the UN and NATO for often acting in their own self interest, using bureaucracy as an excuse for inaction, and letting genocide continue to plague international affairs.
November 29, 2019
I haven't even finished this mega-read yet but it's so good I couldn't wait to give it 5 stars. Neuffer tackles some of the darkest days in history through the experiences of the people most affected. The book is chock-full of information but you become so invested in these people's lives that it doesn't feel like you're reading an overwhelmingly fact-centered book. I will walk away from this read with a in-depth knowledge of 2 important moments in world history, and importantly with memories and empathy from the stories I will never forget.
March 2, 2009
She really was a fantastic story teller.
July 14, 2022
Best book I've read so far on the topic of Yugoslav/Rwanda genocides in the 90's. Love how it zooms in and out between personal stories and larger-scale history. I could only imagine how much research and emotional efforts the author had put in this book. Broke my heart to learn that she died of a car accident in 2003 when covering the Iraq War, only 2 years after the first edition of this book was published.
I've once heard a professor say that it is not the history that leads us to understand the reality, it is the other way around. History is destined to repeat itself. Nowadays in my own country, the growing populism and hatred towards western countries, tightened censorship and forced silence of the conscience worry me more and more each day. I empathize with the moderate Serbs and Hutu and feel their powerlessness. In any disordered society, these are the useless group of people because they don't belong to any group armed with mighty violence and no channel is left for their unfit "rationality". As for the West, appeasement and domestic pressure to steer away from other countries' sufferance - aren't that all too familiar?
I studied international laws in law school so was fairly familiar with some of the rules the tribunals had to play along. It nonetheless amazed me how bureaucracies and international politics dragged the whole process of justice searching. Many of the victims (like interpreter Hasan, Witness JJ), professionals (shout out to the forensic anthropologist William Haglund), even some of the politicians deeply impressed me in their zealous efforts in search of justice.
Grateful that I encountered this book at this time of the history. The book is healing as much as depressing. I have the impulse to urge everyone in my own country and maybe around the world to read this book: You are not the noblest nation/ethnicity in the world! You see the danger of reckoning so? You fantasize conquering another nation and concluding the war in three days, but do you see how violence backfires and wounds last long after the war?
I've once heard a professor say that it is not the history that leads us to understand the reality, it is the other way around. History is destined to repeat itself. Nowadays in my own country, the growing populism and hatred towards western countries, tightened censorship and forced silence of the conscience worry me more and more each day. I empathize with the moderate Serbs and Hutu and feel their powerlessness. In any disordered society, these are the useless group of people because they don't belong to any group armed with mighty violence and no channel is left for their unfit "rationality". As for the West, appeasement and domestic pressure to steer away from other countries' sufferance - aren't that all too familiar?
I studied international laws in law school so was fairly familiar with some of the rules the tribunals had to play along. It nonetheless amazed me how bureaucracies and international politics dragged the whole process of justice searching. Many of the victims (like interpreter Hasan, Witness JJ), professionals (shout out to the forensic anthropologist William Haglund), even some of the politicians deeply impressed me in their zealous efforts in search of justice.
Grateful that I encountered this book at this time of the history. The book is healing as much as depressing. I have the impulse to urge everyone in my own country and maybe around the world to read this book: You are not the noblest nation/ethnicity in the world! You see the danger of reckoning so? You fantasize conquering another nation and concluding the war in three days, but do you see how violence backfires and wounds last long after the war?
June 28, 2017
I've had this book on my stack to read for FOREVER, even picked it up a few times. I definitely should have read it earlier. This book is fairly comprehensive, and covers details of many of the major events in Rwanda and the Balkans in the early 1990's- I had expected it to be focused only on the aftermath. By the time I got around to reading it, I've read a lot and have a much better understanding of some of these events than I did when they were happening (I was pretty young), so I ended up skimming quite a lot of it. It's a little dated, there has been more progress since the time of publication, but overall, a really excellent piece about these genocides and the attempts to find justice afterwards for all involved.
November 17, 2024
While I have read quite a bit about this topic, this book still managed to bring a lot of new information I did not know, while also making me care at an emotional level. While it does report on the general situation, the politics, the numbers, it also gets into personal stories, frustrations, fears, loss, shame, guilt, all of which are presented in a manner that made me feel the author really cares about the people in the book.
While not easy to process, this is among the best about genocide that I've encountered so far. And I also think it served as inspiration for the also fantastic movies Quo vadis Aida?
While not easy to process, this is among the best about genocide that I've encountered so far. And I also think it served as inspiration for the also fantastic movies Quo vadis Aida?
March 7, 2021
I was expecting a book fully centred on keys, houses and neighbours but it diligently expanded its topics to cover minute details of international crime courts' birth, life, death. It was informative but somewhat a letdown. The language and narrative felt disconnected and too journalistic to start penetrating the meaning of simple facts.
It didn't help the fact that I had read all the details about the war in Bosnia already in other books.
Leaning too much on the academic mind rather than on the human heart.
It didn't help the fact that I had read all the details about the war in Bosnia already in other books.
Leaning too much on the academic mind rather than on the human heart.
January 8, 2021
If you want to know what’s lead to some modern day conflicts, then this book will be a revelation. I read it several years ago, then purchase a 2nd hand copy as it was out of print & have read it again & again. It was eye opening, insight full, disturbing but relevant, accurate, unbiased and moving. Well worth a read.
February 7, 2019
Incredible book - poignant, sad, raw, honest
She was on the ground during both of these genocides and goes back to talk to people right after to learn from them what happened and what could possibly make things right
She was on the ground during both of these genocides and goes back to talk to people right after to learn from them what happened and what could possibly make things right
May 6, 2023
Introducing the reader to personal stories of folks experiencing the genocides in Yugoslavia and Rwanda made this book much more engaging. Nueffer was a great storyteller, including the back story and history to help explain the hard to grasp truths.
October 21, 2017
A detailed reminder of the devastation that can result from bigotry and hatred
September 6, 2022
The imagery in this books is one of the best I’ve ever experienced in a book in my entire life.
December 14, 2025
Wretched subject matter, compulsively readable. I’m amazed she found the words to tell the story. The incompetence and indifference of the UN is shocking.
January 4, 2013
This book takes an impressive amount of information and viewpoints to give the reader a glimpse into the the sheer chaos of two of the genocides that occurred in the 1990's. Not only does Neuffer detail how tensions formed and erupted, and what happened, she also takes a look at the reactions of the international communities. From the reaction of UN and NATO forces during combat, to the tribunals formed after, this shows clearly both the human attempt to stand against these kinds of tragedies and the utter failure that cost millions their lives, and leaves unanswered the question of if we can ever truly bring the survivors justice.
This wasn't an easy book to read. It's detailed, complicated like the history it covers, and the subject material itself is obviously disturbing. But in the end, I felt it gave me an important insight into the modern day response to genocide.
This wasn't an easy book to read. It's detailed, complicated like the history it covers, and the subject material itself is obviously disturbing. But in the end, I felt it gave me an important insight into the modern day response to genocide.
October 21, 2010
Neuffer, a reporter for the Boston Globe, follows the stories of individuals looking for justice in the aftermath of the war and genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. The individuals and stories they tell are viewed interwoven with the background of how the international criminal tribunals of the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda came to be response to the genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by leaders in these countries.
Neuffer's experiences and interviews with the individuals personally affected by the events in Bosnia and Rwanda, raise interesting questions about the differences between perceived legal justice, according to international humanitarian law, and the level of justice wanted and needed by the victims and survivors of these crimes.
Neuffer's experiences and interviews with the individuals personally affected by the events in Bosnia and Rwanda, raise interesting questions about the differences between perceived legal justice, according to international humanitarian law, and the level of justice wanted and needed by the victims and survivors of these crimes.
September 16, 2007
This book was amazing. If you would like a better understanding of the Bosnian and Rwandan genocide this is the book for you. Neuffer does a great job of breaking down both conflicts as well as compares the two. She provides insight into the U N's mishaps as well as the role of the US. Parts of the trial may seem a little long towards the end but I think it was because I was frustrated at the success of the tribunal systems much like those actually involved. This book has brought more questions to my attention and I know have a list of more topics I need to read on.
June 3, 2012
I tend to have a thing for reading non-fiction.... this is one that I found that I really liked. I had this book on my To-read list for quite some time. I finally got it from the library and am so glad that I did. It follows the war crimes trials for both the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. I knew quite a lot about what happened in Rwanda, I really learned a lot about the Former Yugoslavia. I also confirmed my thoughts on how much the United Nations could be blamed for much of what happened in both areas of the world. Quite shameful indeed.
March 3, 2009
I found the book interesting and Neuffer did a nice job of transitioning between her and interviewees' personal experiences but also tying in hard facts (or about as hard as you can get in war zones). What I would have been interested in however, was to know more about individuals seeking justice. What does justice mean to different groups of people or even individuals? And what type of community, non-ICC, systems exist to help people find the answers and relief they need?
April 13, 2010
Definitely an eye-opener. While I was just a kid during the Bosnian and Rwandan conflicts, even as an adult I am woefully undereducated about them - this book was very illuminating on that score. Neuffer's ability to interweave her own story, the stories of survivors (often on both sides of the conflicts), and the facts of the war tribunals and cases is admirable in its evenhandedness even as it rocks readers with horror and heartbreak.
December 12, 2012
The key to my neighbor's house : seeking justice in Bosnia and Rwanda / Elizabeth Neuffer, this is not normally the type of book I recommend it’s a very thick book that studies Genocide. It reads like a doctors thesis but it gave me some amazing insights and in the years since I have read it the insights this book provides have never left me. Neatly divided into chapters so you can skip any sections that don't interest you. A surprisingly easy read for what it is.
November 12, 2008
I picked this book to read for a book report in my law class. It turns out is was an excellent book although it has its many sad moments. I highly recommend it for people who have little knowledge about the Bosnia and Rwanda war. One of the main arguements in this book is how to define and achieve justice for victims.
October 13, 2013
It's been a few years so some things have changed since the book was published, but it's still some great journalism, and gives both a great historical/political bird's-eye view of the wars/genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, AND tells the human story by following individuals on all sides of both conflicts.
March 27, 2007
This was an amazing book. If you know nothing or very little about the Rwanda and Bosnia conflicts this will give you a great insight into them. This book really hit me and I could barely put it down.
April 14, 2007
This is tough, but amazing book. It is tough because of the content, the genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia, but an important book. Neuffer tells a detailed story of the conflicts in both regions. Younger audiences should shy away for now.
November 30, 2007
Brings a tremendous amount fo perspective to the purpose and functions of international tribunals...points out some really weak points in the involvement... or lack of..fromClinton administration...what I imaigne will be followed up about Sudan's tragedy and what wasn't done there...
July 8, 2008
This is an extraordinary book. It ties together many cases that have come before the ICTY/R into comprehensible stories. The tragedy is that there won't be a sequel from this amazing author. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like it.
January 22, 2008
Interesting, but a difficult read for me. Put it down when I was not quite 2/3 of the way through it. Will pick it up again sometime.
February 7, 2008
The historical analysis of the situations in both countries and how genocide arose based on certain practices was fascinating.
August 7, 2008
Haven't stopped thinking about this book since I read it. A difficult, but important read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews