Scan barcode
booksbecreads's review against another edition
3.0
A quick short read on what it was like growing up during the bombing of Sarajevo in the 1990s. While not overly complex (it was written by a young girl), I think it highlights the ways most of us would have to adapt when/if war came to our town. Having visited Sarajevo last year (a beautiful city, I highly recommend it), it was also good to be able to visualise the different areas as the time progressed.
shebreatheswords's review against another edition
I have difficulties rating books that are based on true-life events, especially when they are set into a horrifying time in history.
This book is nothing compared to the written style of the Diary of Anne Frank, and I do not like the comparison. As Zlata said, the comparison was frightening to her cause she didn't want to live the same fate as Anne did, and that itself is a tell on her maturity. Comparing them and the wars is just appalling, and it is taking away the focus of the REAL importance of books like these!
ON THE BOOK ITSELF:
The book is contained of her diary entries in a form of a letter to a friend. It starts with her happy childhood and was interrupted by the war. Her daily thought of when to play the piano and see her friends and go to school is now replaced with a constant worry. How to get the food, water, her parent's struggles, not seeing her friends, family, death, devastation, and often suicidal thoughts as she grows older in these circumstances. I was reading it with empathy, and a lot of bias to be honest. But I can't separate the reality of it, and the thought that a child is not supposed to feel and think these things, or any human for that matter. I understood her, her teenage and innocent view on certain matters as her parents didn't want her to be involved in politics and her need for an answer that often comes with a quick surrender. Seeing how certain names she mentions, of people, animals, streets, etc not existing anymore, really breaks a heart.
ON THE REVIEWS I'VE READ HERE:
It is so sad to read reviews of adult people with such a privileged view, on a book written by an 11-year-old girl, living through a siege. I do respect not liking the written style but saying that it wasn't interesting enough or that she was whiny and should move on?? ... let me remind you that this was a real-time in history, people were robbed of their life, they were surviving, this is a perspective of A CHILD. It is not published for your entertainment, but to remind the world of the horrendous aspects of the war and how it affects people physically and psychologically if they survive. To give you individual stories that need to be shared, so they wouldn't be forgotten or repeated.
You want something interesting, don't read wartime entries but memoirs of celebrities.
This book is nothing compared to the written style of the Diary of Anne Frank, and I do not like the comparison. As Zlata said, the comparison was frightening to her cause she didn't want to live the same fate as Anne did, and that itself is a tell on her maturity. Comparing them and the wars is just appalling, and it is taking away the focus of the REAL importance of books like these!
ON THE BOOK ITSELF:
The book is contained of her diary entries in a form of a letter to a friend. It starts with her happy childhood and was interrupted by the war. Her daily thought of when to play the piano and see her friends and go to school is now replaced with a constant worry. How to get the food, water, her parent's struggles, not seeing her friends, family, death, devastation, and often suicidal thoughts as she grows older in these circumstances. I was reading it with empathy, and a lot of bias to be honest. But I can't separate the reality of it, and the thought that a child is not supposed to feel and think these things, or any human for that matter. I understood her, her teenage and innocent view on certain matters as her parents didn't want her to be involved in politics and her need for an answer that often comes with a quick surrender. Seeing how certain names she mentions, of people, animals, streets, etc not existing anymore, really breaks a heart.
ON THE REVIEWS I'VE READ HERE:
It is so sad to read reviews of adult people with such a privileged view, on a book written by an 11-year-old girl, living through a siege. I do respect not liking the written style but saying that it wasn't interesting enough or that she was whiny and should move on?? ... let me remind you that this was a real-time in history, people were robbed of their life, they were surviving, this is a perspective of A CHILD. It is not published for your entertainment, but to remind the world of the horrendous aspects of the war and how it affects people physically and psychologically if they survive. To give you individual stories that need to be shared, so they wouldn't be forgotten or repeated.
You want something interesting, don't read wartime entries but memoirs of celebrities.
daja123's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
1.5
andi_thebookworm's review against another edition
5.0
If you’re a kind of person that likes diary entry books (such as Anne Frank’s Diary) and love learning a new history piece, this one is for you! I maybe a little biased in my rating as I am a Bosnian-Croat whose parents lived through this time period. I can with certainty this book is accurate in this description of war and the tragic event that unfolded as I heard similar stories from my family members. This book is a good documentation of the war that no one (more specific, the US education) ever talks about.
aaa731's review against another edition
This is a story about a young 11 year old girl named Zlata Filipovic it is a non fiction story.She starts off writing in her diary about her normal everyday life, then she gradually starts to write about the war in Bosnia during 1992 and how it affects her childhood and family.She also writes about what she thinks people/children might be feeling. This story is about a young girl that is forced to mature at a much faster rate. I enjoyed reading this book because it is written in a different style, it is written in a child's perspective on war and how she handles it and her family. I quite disliked the fact that the book gets a bit boring as she repeats many of her things, but I think this is something that is supposed to happen because this is a diary entry. This book may not be as fun as fiction story's but it teaches you a lot of things. This is a diary of a young girl and her perspective on the war, it is a life changing story.
sidneyandsabrina's review against another edition
5.0
This was almost as gripping as Anne franks diary! A very touching book from a brave young lady.
dehydratedflower's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
kikeen26's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death and War
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
In 1991 Zlata was living a normal life. She went to school, she had friends over for a birthday party, she watched MTV and sitcoms.
When war broke out in Sarajevo, Zlata's life changed forever. Suddenly she was thrust into a world where bombs pummeled her city every day. Innocent people were shot by snipers, so it was unsafe to leave the house. Schools were closed. Electricity, gas, and water only came on intermittently. Zlata and her family had done nothing wrong. They were like thousands of other Bosnians, caught in the crossfires of a war, trying their hardest just to survive.
One thing that really hit home for me is that Zlata is just about my age. On the very day that I was throwing my 10th birthday party, Zlata was carrying water from wells because they had no running water. She was receiving packages from the UN with "luxuries" like soap and cheese.
Zlata's descriptions are amazing. She writes about when springtime comes, but you can't tell because they've cut down all the trees. There are no trees to blossom, no birds to burst into song. This is a sobering book and an inspiring one.
When war broke out in Sarajevo, Zlata's life changed forever. Suddenly she was thrust into a world where bombs pummeled her city every day. Innocent people were shot by snipers, so it was unsafe to leave the house. Schools were closed. Electricity, gas, and water only came on intermittently. Zlata and her family had done nothing wrong. They were like thousands of other Bosnians, caught in the crossfires of a war, trying their hardest just to survive.
One thing that really hit home for me is that Zlata is just about my age. On the very day that I was throwing my 10th birthday party, Zlata was carrying water from wells because they had no running water. She was receiving packages from the UN with "luxuries" like soap and cheese.
Zlata's descriptions are amazing. She writes about when springtime comes, but you can't tell because they've cut down all the trees. There are no trees to blossom, no birds to burst into song. This is a sobering book and an inspiring one.