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Zivojin Zika Petrovic (1969) is a writer, researcher, director, screenwriter, producer, and entrepreneur whose work connects technology, art, and social inquiry. His early passion for electronics and cybernetics led him, at the age of eighteen, to open a TV, audio, and video repair service, shaping both his creative outlook and professional direction. Throughout his career, he has combined investigative depth with innovative storytelling and managerial insight.
In the early 1990s, Petrović founded a successful trading company, and in 1999 established the publishing house GSM Public. Through this platform, he launched Serbia’s first magazines dedicated to telecommunications and the digital economy, setting new standards in specialized media and supporting educational initiatives.
He is the founder of Serbian Science Television, which evolved in 2018 into Brainz TV, a regional channel focused on science and the arts, where he serves as editor-in-chief. For its contribution to the promotion of science, the channel received the Svetosavska Award in 2020.
Petrović is the author of several bestselling books, including Do viđenja!, Serbia’s first documentary thriller; the novel Cuker Laza; the documentary collection Nestvarno, a stvarno; and the documentary novel Ratnik Sunca (Warrior of the Sun). His book Budi GURU menadžer (2006) became a bestseller in management literature. As a director and producer, he has created numerous documentary and feature projects.
He has received major awards, including the Belgrade City Award “Despot Stefan Lazarević” and the WIPO Gold Medal for Creativity. Petrović remains dedicated to promoting knowledge, culture, and social responsibility.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
He’s Alive! by Živojin Petrović is a biography of Joko Mestrovitch, later known as James, from his childhood in Đuraševići to his passage through Ellis Island and his work among immigrant communities in Fresno and Pittsburgh. His enlistment in the Pennsylvania National Guard takes him to the Western Front, where his actions at Fismes place him at the center of shifting fronts, hazardous rescues, and the rapid movements of the 28th Division. Reports of his death, later reversed by unexpected news, expand his story across camps, hospitals, and towns in France as he attempts to return to his unit. When his end did come, his remains were transported from France to Montenegro, carried by soldiers who retrace a route linking battle sites, immigrant journeys, and family origins.
He’s Alive! Sergeant James I. Mestrovitch (1243675) by Živojin Petrović impressed me with its unique perspective that almost feels like an autobiography from the level of near first-person recollections, which are depicted through scenes that feel grounded in place and time. There are some real highlights, particularly in the very American experience of James choosing a new name during roll call, and others like his goosebumps-inducing return to the unit after being reported dead. The writing is simple and straightforward, and Petrović presents James well as he infuses textured settings like crossing oceans and fighting in France, all in a tone that leans into practical action. The conclusion is perfectly honorable and heartbreaking. Overall, this book is a real account of the immigrant experience and the Americanization of a man with a strong sense of purpose, anchored in clear moments that stay with the reader.
