Missing Lives

by Rory MacLean, Mark Thomson (Designer)

Missing Lives tells the stories of fifteen missing individuals, documenting the efforts of the organizations and professionals who work to release the bereaved from the anguish of their uncertainty by locating burial grounds, exhuming bodies and piecing together scattered skeletons. It aims to give a voice to the silenced victims and pay tribute to the tragedy of so many families.

184 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2010

About the author

Canadian Rory MacLean is one of Britain's most expressive and adventurous travel writers. His twelve books include the UK top tens Stalin's Nose and Under the Dragon as well as Berlin: Imagine a City, a book of the year and 'the most extraordinary work of history I've ever read' according to the Washington Post. He has won awards from the Canada Council and Arts Council of England and was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary prize. His works – according to the late John Fowles – are among those that 'marvellously explain why literature still lives'. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he divides his time between the UK, Berlin and Toronto.

Reviews

[Clay Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart-wrenching; deeply moving. Brief histories recounted by 15 people who lost family members during the Yugoslav wars provide glimpses into truly terrifying and horrific times, and the anguish of survivors who have learned or still wait to learn the fate of their lost or disappeared loved ones. Extensive photographs, aptly captioned, illustrate the individual stories and the greater story for the thousands of other people and families with lost loved ones. Highly recommend.

[Trailhoundz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a photo-documentary covering several families affected by the Yugoslav Wars in the '90's. The text and photos are absolutely haunting. I only deducted one star because a) I wish there was a big map of the region included and b) I wish there was a bit more information in the preface about the war itself (I was younger when the wars happened, and remembering all the cities and players was a bit difficult). But all in all, it is a poignant, memorable read.