tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post6383683756118272064..comments2024-02-24T19:42:39.876+05:30Comments on Bill the Butcher: One Soldier's War in Chechnya : ReviewBill the Butcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08436195659154078021noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-75919299202918920862015-03-18T06:48:21.270+05:302015-03-18T06:48:21.270+05:30Even if the book isn't all fact, I still belie...Even if the book isn't all fact, I still believe the Chechen wars were the most brutal and barbaric conflicts of the last 20 years. I found the book disturbing but I had to read it. Thank you for writing this review.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-72911284838691808212013-11-23T23:42:23.354+05:302013-11-23T23:42:23.354+05:30Thanks Bill, whatever my views of the contents of ...Thanks Bill, whatever my views of the contents of your piece, this was a great read on a very important topic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-40796213929630709642013-08-04T07:20:32.217+05:302013-08-04T07:20:32.217+05:30I'd agree with Jose and you, but for one vital...I'd agree with Jose and you, but for one vital fact: that Babchenko passed off his book as <i>fact</i>.<br /><br />To explain what I mean, let's just look at <i>All Quiet On The Western Front</i>, which I mentioned in the course of this article. Now nobody doubts that Erich Maria Remarque's book is a novel, and he never pretended it was anything but. At the same time, nobody doubts that he was talking about things which actually happened. <br /><br />Now let's assume Remarque had passed off his book as a personal memoir. Had he done so, he would have been exposed as a fraud who had only been on the frontline for a few weeks and could never have had a fraction of the experiences his narrator had. Immediately, and quite justifiably, his personal integrity, and his motives for writing the book, would have been called into question.<br /><br />It's a question of intellectual honesty and integrity, and Babchenko falls flat.Bill the Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08436195659154078021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-74257334640330912522013-08-02T17:03:26.030+05:302013-08-02T17:03:26.030+05:30I very much agree with José's comments. This b...I very much agree with José's comments. This book is less about facts and more about experience and vision. To people who don't know much about Chechen wars and Russian army conditions it's an absolutely fantastic insight into these matters. It's a best seller for a reason: Babchenko is an excellent prose writer and he provides details of a horrible peace of history which is SO important that it cannot be dismissed as you, Bill, so easily does. <br />Great literature and documentary at the same time. Nielshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08328711218433278725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-89564247672706827322013-02-24T19:22:00.617+05:302013-02-24T19:22:00.617+05:30Hi Bill, sorry to see the only reply to your quite...Hi Bill, sorry to see the only reply to your quite extensive cover of the book is from illiterate Anonymous. I'll try to up the level here a bit.<br /><br />I think, that you look at this book and expect something you could set in a grid you perceive as true. Problem is, that this book just isn't about facts and if they can be verified. It's a twisted output of mind broken by war and you'd be naive to think that its anything more. As I read through it I also found some things difficult to believe but then I remembered the stories my dad told me about serving in Czech army in 1980's. It was chaotic mess where nobody cared for nothing but themselves. We even have our own version of Dedovschina called Šikana (read: shikana) and it happened a lot and those were soldiers who never witnessed a war. That was peace-time and it was nowhere near the state of things in Soviet army back then. Let's just say that I can imagine 99% of things Babchenko describes happening.<br /><br />Here are things that I thought about:<br />NO CIVILIAN MASSACRES - not even stories about them. That is a bit strange but ok, if he didn't witness any maybe it wasn't important to him. It's just this doesn't fit in your scheme where he is anti-russian agitator because why wouldn't he throw in stories about civilian killing and torture. <br />HOW THE HELL DID MOZDOK EVEN WORK?? - it seems almost unbelievable that Mozdok base could keep functioning in that state of things. No food, no guards, sentries, it feels that it was almost empty. Just didn't feel right. <br />BEATING to me is also described as something that would require month in hospital after first day there. I imagine that after beating he describes, he would die from ruptured kidney, head trauma (srsly its not hard to kill someone even by accident of you hit the temple hard) or something. He would have no teeth left and many fractures would appear requiring medical attention. It just seems too much but maybe thats the way he lived it and felt it IDK..<br /><br />I dont think this is work of passionate anti-russian activist and I would be very careful about implying that he actually wasn't even there. It would be much better thought-up not leaving so many potholes that are in my IMO caused by him combining the stories, changing the names and dates and mostly, because this: The book is not very editted and is comprised of stories that he wrote during several years. It was therapy to him and I don't think he aimed on giving you precise data to verify as much as his own experience through his own words.<br /><br />I wouldn't compare it to All Quiet nor Catch-22. It is completely different book and it only borders art. It's value lies in how it shows war for what it is.. a fucking mess.<br /><br />I could go on about how it is perfectly natural for a soldier to have contradicting emotions (I wanna kill/I wanna go home/I hate the government/I dont care about nothing etc etc) and other stuff but I don't want to rattle too much.<br /><br />Anyway you have some good points and I'll definitely look at this book less forgiving eye from now on.<br /><br />Blog on ;)José /:Chosé/https://www.blogger.com/profile/14860815174251072609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-73532984846461358222012-02-12T20:47:44.422+05:302012-02-12T20:47:44.422+05:30Thanks for your anonymous input. I wonder if you e...Thanks for your anonymous input. I wonder if you even read the post, but I doubt that you did.Bill the Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08436195659154078021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-35210139951600710502012-02-12T00:17:26.420+05:302012-02-12T00:17:26.420+05:30Dude fuk you, you werent there bitch, you fukin do...Dude fuk you, you werent there bitch, you fukin dont know wut went on in that war, throwing around your little date numbers and quotes as if they man anything (Bunch of western bullshit that they are), you fukin bold terrorist loving fuk, rot in hell bitch for the disrespect you payed to hundreds of 17 year olds that fought and died in chechnyaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com