History books have objectively described the former Yugoslavia, but Once Upon a Yugoslavia gives personalized look at the everyday lives of people in pre-1989 Eastern Europe that shows how the
experience transformed one young woman’s American Dream. Chronicling the sights, sounds, and ups and downs of the everyday Yugoslav existence, Green speaks to both the positive and negative
aspects of the contemporary phenomenon known as ＂Yugo-nostalgia.＂ The pros and cons of the American and Yugoslav societies flyto and fro during Surya’s conversations with a host of colorful
characters--some of whom she lodges with and travels the countryside with, others of whom she dates. In this strange Big Brotherish country of perplexing language, culture, and customs--which
gives Surya an early experience of living a monitored life without privacy in a land where paranoia is contagious--more than once readers will hear her sobbing at night. -- Amazon.com.
