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A review by sunshine169
The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Laura L. Sullivan
5.0
"Attacks on immigrants, on racial or religious groups, on people of different sexual orientations are happening all over the world and particularly in the United States. When violence against certain groups becomes normalized, stories like mine happen." - Amra
I will be upfront about my initial reason for wanting to read this book. The cat. I wanted to know about this cat who never received a name and the reasons. I requested the book at SLJ Live without reading the synopsis. After doing so I still wanted to read this book because now it was even more compelling. How did a cat become such a vital aspect during a genocide? I needed answers!
I didn't know too much about the Bosnian War. I was young when these events transpired. Although nothing much as changed in the world as I grew into adulthood. From what I learned in this book there were random bombing of cities, mass genocide, and rape camps. Over 100,000 thousand, mostly Bosnian Muslims were killed in the first biggest "ethnic cleansing" since WWII.
This book was hard to get into most likely due to my unfamiliarity with the subject but I am happy I stuck with it because I ended up really engrossed.
Amra's story is heart wrenching. There is a part in this book where her father talks about being worried about bombs falling on the heads of his children. Amra and her younger brother Dino would walk to school together but apart because it would destroy their parents if they both got hit by a bomb.
She would lay in bed conditioning herself to deal with whatever horrible things might happen. She pictured herself being raped. She thought about her brother dying, her parents, her friends... she did this to strengthen her resolve to get through the next day and the day after that... that was what the war did to Amra and other just like herself that lived through the Bosnian War.
Now onto this cat! Oh this cat stole my heart! Maci which is the Bosnian word for cat was basically a real life spiritual being that watched over this family. She saved them in many ways, both their lives and their mental struggles. She performs some miracles that had my jaw on the floor. I don't want to spoil this cat's specialness. She tore my heart out.
I recommend this book. There are so many stories out there about WWII and this one teaches us about another horrific stain on World History.
Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I will be upfront about my initial reason for wanting to read this book. The cat. I wanted to know about this cat who never received a name and the reasons. I requested the book at SLJ Live without reading the synopsis. After doing so I still wanted to read this book because now it was even more compelling. How did a cat become such a vital aspect during a genocide? I needed answers!
I didn't know too much about the Bosnian War. I was young when these events transpired. Although nothing much as changed in the world as I grew into adulthood. From what I learned in this book there were random bombing of cities, mass genocide, and rape camps. Over 100,000 thousand, mostly Bosnian Muslims were killed in the first biggest "ethnic cleansing" since WWII.
This book was hard to get into most likely due to my unfamiliarity with the subject but I am happy I stuck with it because I ended up really engrossed.
Amra's story is heart wrenching. There is a part in this book where her father talks about being worried about bombs falling on the heads of his children. Amra and her younger brother Dino would walk to school together but apart because it would destroy their parents if they both got hit by a bomb.
She would lay in bed conditioning herself to deal with whatever horrible things might happen. She pictured herself being raped. She thought about her brother dying, her parents, her friends... she did this to strengthen her resolve to get through the next day and the day after that... that was what the war did to Amra and other just like herself that lived through the Bosnian War.
Now onto this cat! Oh this cat stole my heart! Maci which is the Bosnian word for cat was basically a real life spiritual being that watched over this family. She saved them in many ways, both their lives and their mental struggles. She performs some miracles that had my jaw on the floor. I don't want to spoil this cat's specialness. She tore my heart out.
I recommend this book. There are so many stories out there about WWII and this one teaches us about another horrific stain on World History.
Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.