josh_goetz's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

“The heavy snow that blankets the city and surrounding hills looks so clean, so innocent; you might almost think that the war never happened. But I know the snow hides bombed buildings and cratered roads. It covers mass graves; there is blood in the Earth beneath all that frozen beauty. You can hide the past, cover it up with snow or lies or years, but those who were there do not forget”

“I am ashamed for my people, for the Serbs and for the human race. We have been humans for 200,000 years, we have had written language for 5,000 years, we have been to space, yet somehow we cannot learn not to hate each other.”

What an absolutely incredible and heartbreaking book. I feel embarrassed to have gone this long without learning about the Bosnian genocide and I am disgusted by the way in which the US so easily ignores and misdirects around global genocide in the name of protecting its own racist agendas.

It is impossible to read this book without drawing parallels to the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, and I fear that this genocide too will be covered up and brushed away like that of the Bosnian Muslims just three decades ago. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess’s story is one of perseverance and community, with specific emphasis on learning from the past and doing everything in our power to not repeat it. It is our greatest duty and responsibility to stick together and fight for those who do not have the power to fight for themselves. 

Fighting against generations of corruption, greed, racism and hatred is a seemingly insurmountable task, but it is not an impossible task. As Tata said, “We always help people. Without question, without reward, we help. I don’t know where to start, but we have to start somewhere.”

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

whisper88's review

Go to review page

emotional inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Okay, so yes the cat is lost at the end, but only in the epilogue. Otherwise she's unhurt in the book. I don't think this is a spoiler because it's a huge deciding factor whether someone could/couldn't read this book. (I literally can't read anything where animals are hurt or killed.)

You'll still end up ugly crying, but it's worth every snotty tear drenched tissue.

I keep asking everyone older than me (I was born in the '90's) what they remember of the time and how the news reported (if it ever did) a literal genocide. Happily this brave family avoided the most extreme losses and torture. It's truly a survival story which may be some of the most important messages we can share. Death can be a relief, or at least a definitive resolution, where as surviving leaves so many questions unanswered. Learning how to sit with life as it is (or was) is an undertaking where any support from any source is always badly needed.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...