A review by foggy_rosamund
Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipović, Christina Pribićević-Zorić, Janine di Giovanni

5.0

I read this book several times as a child and it's interesting to reread it as an adult. This remains a powerful and moving account. Zlata is very young when she begins writing: barely 11, and she doesn't understand or care about politics. Her life is depicted as a happy and privileged one until the war in Bosnia comes to Sarajevo. What's notable about this account is Zlata's age and the things she picks up on: the physical details of living through a siege, such as lack of food and light, and the constant bombardment of noise or fear. She doesn't have feelings about the politics of the situation, other than that she wants the war to stop. There is something deeply affecting and universal about her account because it focuses so much on the day-to-day life and the small details of the neighbourhood. This book remains fiercely relevant not only because the situation in Bosnia continues to be unstable, but because it gives us a humane and vivid account of the lives of so many children living in war. I'm glad I reread it.