Damages

Rating:
Summary: "Damages" an important piece of literature and great read.
Review: A book of amazing depth, emotion, and discovery. "Damages" is compelling, well written, and a book with which many will be able to relate. An epic family, political, and social piece dealing with love, betrayal, loss, and realization. Written against the backdrop of Tito's post Yugoslavia, and the American landscape, Bazhe brings many components of family / social structure and demise to point. Flare and an intense descriptive talent bring Bazhe's experiences vividly to life. "Damages" would make excellent required reading for any class studying the Macedonian social structure and effect of the Tito government.

"Damages" is written in a series of flashbacks beginning with the death of Bazhe's


abusive, Communist official, adoptive father. The memories Bazhe describes of his father's abuse is flavored by realism, pain, and strong visualizations. With a particularly strong talent for description, Bazhe is able to make you see and feel his pain at his father's cruel hands.

When Bazhe finds that his beloved adopted mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he leaves America to return to Macedonia to care for her. Here the juggling of two societies begin. The old ways of Macedonia and the new of America. As well the balance of family love and search as Bazhe seeks his biological mother. Needless to say, "Damages" is layered with multiple themes and references both emotional and social.

"Damages", a multi-faceted piece dealing with intense personal issues such as the exploration of Bazhe's sexuality, family and social reactions, International politics, and personal effects. Not just a book of sexuality by far, Bazhe addresses corruption, loyalty, and the interaction thereof. Weaved together by his strong devotion to his adoptive mother as he cares for her, and his search for self understanding and acceptance. The topics Bazhe includes are not for the faint hearted, as Bazhe brings the stark reality of a terminal disease and its effects to life. Equally so, Bazhe dramatically shares his experiences of manipulation, abuse, love or what seemed so, dishonesty, and competitive social structures which pit him against a wheel of intense growth and deep personal understanding.

The story told in "Damages" would be granted a huge disservice in an attempt to encapsulate here in such a short space. As focused topics are widely and wildly diverse yet core to the development of Bazhe as a person and artist. A strong read. One which leaves the reader with amazed respect, "Damages" unfolds unto a social and personal examination of spirit, determination, and grace. "Damages" is a book which holds its own and challenges the reader on so many levels. You will be better for this read. As Bazhe creates clear transfer from search to found and betrayal to love. Bravo to Bazhe's ability to show the deep portions of his life, his sexuality, his national origin, and ultimately personal growth and self acceptance. A must read for all, not just the GLBT community. Universal identification and appeal are strong.

About the author: Bazhe
A writer, poet, and artist, Bazhe has published poems and short stories in Former Yugoslavia. His poems have appeared in: Bay Windows, River Run, Winter's Gems Anthology, Opus Literary Review, and Reader. Bazhe's art has been exhibited in New York City. Bazhe now resides in New Jersey.



Rating:
Summary: a compelling Balcan memoir
Review: A great read. I enjoyed the book immensely. (That is, if crying real tears while reading can be called "enjoying".

A rare insider's view of Macedonia, during the final years of communist Yugoslavia and the beginning of ethnic tensions, which eventually led to genocide.

One gets a sense of Balcan culture, character, politics and mentality while at the same time accompanying a young man's personal search for his biological mother and his own identity.

I couldn't put the book down!

Rating:
Summary: A special story of a special new Amercan writer and artist
Review: Bazhe is a unique author and has used his talents of a great story teller in a beautiful, clear, and poignant way in this very interesting book. What amazes me the most is that he is a Naturalized American and writes creatively and with pure passion and lust for English.

In this very unusual true story, the reader faces pure bravery of an abused man who fights against the ignorant people that constantly want to destroy him. He is the one who you will fall in love with in this battle that seems so familiar to all of us-the battle for personal freedom and happiness.

He overcomes the fears (that the society conditions him with) and he is determined to find happiness and freedom. The reader is given insight into the heart, mind, and the soul of a man who has enormous courage to fight against bigots and ignorant people.

Bazhe makes mistakes in life and fortunately wrote them in this wonderful book, disclosed the painful and very intimate scenes of his life, and made sure others to learn how to fight for their happiness and freedom using his survival skills.

Bazhe conveyed emotions that few of us can express through words on paper. I highly recommend Damages to anyone, especially to young adults and their parents.


Rating:
Summary: Powerhouse Storytelling
Review: Bazhe's memoir, Damages, arrived in the mail this past January, but I only browsed the beginning chapters before early March, when my father succumbed to cancer. I read most of it on the way to and from his funeral, so my feelings about this book may be affected by that experience.

If one were to judge by the handsome cover photo, we'd never guess that Bazhe has a vivid talent for powerhouse storytelling and Damages is a remarkable, compelling read. Now a U.S. citizen, he is the adopted child of a Macedonian military man and political leader under General Tito. When his father dies, he returns to this homeland, only to learn that his mother is suffering from inoperable colon cancer. He arranges to care for her, leaving behind his lover in New Jersey. During this period, he connects with his birth mother and relates to her the hardships and abuse he faced growing up a child of privilege.
Like Christina Crawford's revelations of a Hollywood child who suffered abuse in her book, Mommie Dearest, Bazhe reveals that repressions and phobias (he has a fear of butterflies) he faced as a gay child aren't so different in Eastern Europe than they are in any other part of the world. (Were a great convention of gay men held somewhere, we'd learn that we all share many of the same experiences.)

The beginning of Bazhe's saga is background material, and he finally reveals himself as a gay man for the first time on page 64. I enjoyed reading about his insecurities, and I share similar traits. He bites his nails as do I. He was a loner in elementary and high school, as was I, and gravitated toward British and American classics. (I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with Melville's short stories based on Bazhe's appreciation for them.)

As Damages continues however, with one word chapter titles like "Father," "Mother," "Connection," "Phobia," "Mila," "Childhood," "Army," "College," "Istanboul," "Happiness," "Psycho," "America," and "Orphan," he reveals horribly realistic experiences that had to be lived. No one could have made this up. Following his lonely childhood and schooling, he joined the Yugoslav Army, where he had his first gay encounter, followed by expulsion from the College of National Security when he displayed a little self-expression. In Turkey, a wealthy married man convinced him to live in drag, while he learned, upon his arrival in the United States, that this isn't necessarily the land of the free or the home of the brave.

Bazhe offers foreign perspectives and viewpoints toward the standard American citizen and his commentary on the political and economic history of his homeland goes far too deep to relate in so short a space. While Bazhe has occasional trouble with syntax, nothing can overshadow the final thought from his dying mother, who tells him "to live life and not let life live you."
Damages was, for me, an important and personal book, because it helped me through a very personal situation. My hope is that it can work a similar magic on you.

Reviewed by Steve LaVigne in White Crane Journal

Rating:
Summary: Damages is definitely a great creative nonfiction
Review: Damages by Bazhe discovers the reparations caused by growing up in the Balkans. This book also covers lots of history of the Balkans. The author himself witnesses the collapse of Yugoslavia and eventually escapes the country. Bazhe's life from the start was troubled. His biological mother was a 15-year-old girl raped by a government executive. Her family refuses to accept that she is raped, so infant Bazhe is placed in an orphanage. Another government official and his wife adopt him. His adoptive parents were mainly concerned by social status. His father is both physically and sexually abusive, while his mother, so concerned about appearances, is unconsciously emotionally abusive.

Damages illustrates how citizens who live in oppressed societies are dehumanized. Women rights and homosexuality were not tolerated. Bazhe's first love, a handsome college mate, betrays him and eventually causes him to be kicked out of the university/military academy that he studied at. The fall of the Soviet Union, and the rise of religious fanaticism and fundamentalism lead to slaughters in places like the former Yugoslavia. Extreme paranoia and distress existed between members of different ethnic groups. Yugoslavs began slaughtering one another in the most gruesome ways.

The main theme of Damages is the dishonesty in the society. People are not capable to tell truth, even though concealing the truth and lying ultimately hurts everyone. Damages is definitely a great creative nonfiction that provides an outstanding portrayal of the horrific world of the Balkans, and at the readers are directly taken by Bazhe's great visual style in the center of the story. This makes Bazhe an excellent writer. I cannot wait for his next book.

Bazhe, who is not born in the USA, reminds me of Nabokov and Conrad, and those few naturalized American writers that made an immutable mark on literature

Rating:
Summary: A great read for anyone
Review: Damages has an amazing amount of complexity to the story and the thematic content for a book that reads so quickly. While there are some minor editorial glitches, they don't take anything away from the overall experience. The book contains much of interest in terms of what historically happened in the former Yugoslav republic that is used as a backdrop to Bazhe's various experiences at home, in the army and as a cross dresser in Istanbul. Fascinating and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Damages is a movie material.
Review: Damages is an amazing story. In this book there is a unique and powerful contrast between the exotic aspects of the human experiences and the emotionally devastating ones. This book has provided a very unique form of intimacy with the reader. The author's style is clear and very visual. I really think that Damages is a movie material.

Rating:
Summary: Damages is like riding a rollercoaster
Review: Damages is exciting and unpredictable, poetic and erotic, sad and heartbreaking, yet, at the end, eye opening and very optimistic. It is an amazing true story, packed with great energy and honesty. I loved it to the end. In fact, I didn't want it to end. There is something in this story that make you want to know more each time you turn the page. Regardless that the plot is sad, there is an enormous force that comes out from Bazhe's writing, and takes you with him to overcome any trouble. This incredible book gave me a view of all the things that can happen to any of us but we do not think about them until is very late. Damages is very educational book for all of us who fight for freedom and identity, and Bazhe portrayed that fight in a superb way as an incredible writer, a new American writer.

Rating:
Summary: A Truly Remarkable Life Story!
Review: Damages reveals a story filled with horribly realistic experiences that had to be lived, because no one could have made this up. From his lonely childhood, through his stint in the Yugoslav Army, expulsion from College for showing a little self-expression, Bazhe lived in drag with a wealthy married man before coming to the US, where he learned this isn't always "the land of the free or the home of the brave". Bazhe offers a viewpoint toward his adopted homeland that makes you think. However, the power of the book is best stated in the final thought from his dying mother, who tells him "to live life and not let life live" you.

Rating:
Summary: It's a book you must read
Review: Don`t think for one moment that this is a one-theme novel. Far from it. And if you do, your are in for a big surprise. This marvelous book encapsulates everything and everyone around the author from his early upbringing to his adulthood and his undying total devotion to his mother and her tragic illness, colon cancer. Also it encompasses the turbulent Balkan history and the consequences of nationalism and religious fanaticism that destroys any society. This is a touching characterization of a young man growing up in a setting alien to most. Bazhe manages to weave issues of identity, sexuality, class and search for his birth mother with ease. He is not afraid to speak the truth and to feel trust because of that truth. You will be taken in very subtlety the first few chapters and then be lifted into a kaleidoscope of heartbreak, terror, humor, and much happiness. One major attribute it teaches us is to listen to our own hearts. After finishing the last chapter one is amazed that he survived and shows us the shining example of the human spirit. Don`t pass this gem up!