josh_goetz's review

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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.”

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biacedbooks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book was absolutely incredible and heartbreaking. It shows the realities of what some people have had to go through and really made me realize my privilege. 
I found myself crying on the last page, still holding out hope that Maci would find her way home one last time

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bookswithsoumi's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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