Be Specific About About Books The Island of the World

Title	:	The Island of the World
Author	:	Michael D. O'Brien
Book Format	:	Hardcover
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 839 pages
Published	:	December 1st 2007 by Ignatius Press (first published November 15th 2007)
Categories	:	Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Christianity. Catholic

The Island of the World Hardcover | Pages: 839 pages

Rendition During Books The Island of the World

The Island of the World is the story of a child born in 1933 into the turbulent world of the Balkans and tracing his life into the third millennium. The central character is Josip Lasta, the son of an impoverished school teacher in a remote village high in the mountains of the Bosnian interior. As the novel begins, World War II is underway and the entire region of Yugoslavia is torn by conflicting factions: German and Italian occupying armies, and the rebel forces that resist themthe fascist Ustashe, Serb nationalist Chetniks, and Communist Partisans. As events gather momentum, hell breaks loose, and the young and the innocent are caught in the path of great evils; their only remaining strength is their religious faith and their families. For more than a century, the confused and highly inflammatory history of former Yugoslavia has been the subject of numerous books, many of them rife with revisionist history and propaganda. The peoples of the Balkans live on the border of three worlds: the Islamic, the orthodox Slavic East, and Catholic Europe, and as such they stand in the path of major world conflicts that are not only geo-political but fundamentally spiritual. This novel cuts to the core question: how does a person retain his identity, indeed his humanity, in absolutely dehumanizing situations? In the life of the central character, the author demonstrates that this will demand suffering and sacrifice, heroism and even holiness. When he is twelve years old, his entire world is destroyed, and so begins a lifelong Odyssey to find again the faith which the blows of evil have shattered. The plot takes the reader through Josip's youth, his young manhood, life under the Communist regime, hope and loss and unexpected blessings, the growth of his creative powers as a poet, and the ultimate test of his life. There are journeys that show him

Declare Books To The Island of the World

Original Title:	Island of the World
ISBN:	1586172166 (ISBN13: 9781586172169)
Edition Language:	English

Rating About Books The Island of the World

Ratings: 4.66 From 1150 Users | 211 Reviews

Evaluation About Books The Island of the World

When friends learned we were moving to Albania, they recommended this book. Though it is a novel, it has been very well researched, or lived out by someone who experienced living in the Balkans under Communist rule. It has helped me understand the people of Albania, what they have lived through, and the pains of the past. Evidence of the past is very present to this day, and the generations that remember are very reserved.The novel traces the life of Josip, from age 12 to old age. The drama of

Borrowed from a Library. Hope to own.This book is beautiful beyond words. Painful, excruciating at times. But even there the words are beautiful.Joy, infinite joy. Sadness, deep sadness. It will make you think. I can't review such a book.(view spoiler)[Island of the World is the life story of Josip Lasta, a Croatian, a Catholic, a traveler of the world, a mathematician, a poet. He is raised in an idyllic village, horrors descend with the Second World War and its immediate aftermath. Life

A story of how brutal circumstances cannot break the beauty of a heart that loves God. You will ache in reading this book, but the ending ache is that of hope. One of the most beautiful novels I've read.

This book has me completely undone. I honestly cannot recommend that any one person read it, as the pain in this story is severe to the point of being traumatizing. At the same time, I recommend that every person read it, for it is the single most beautiful fictional story I have read to date. If you choose to open this book's pages, approach the pain with caution and the comfort with abandon, but consume them both as all that is necessary for understanding the goodness, beauty, and truth -

Second time through, and it's still my favorite novel.

An absolute amazing book!

Game changer.