In July 1995, the Army of the Serbian Republic killed some 8,000 Bosnian men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica--the largest mass murder in Europe since World War II. Surviving the Bosnian Genocide is based on the testimonies of 60 female survivors of the massacre who were interviewed by Dutch historian Selma Leydesdorff. The women, many of whom still live in refugee camps, talk about their lives before the Bosnian war, the events of the massacre, and the ways they have tried to cope with their fate. Though fragmented by trauma, the women tell of life and survival under extreme conditions, while recalling a time before the war when Muslims, Croats, and Serbs lived together peaceably. By giving them a voice, this book looks beyond the rapes, murders, and atrocities of that dark time to show the agency of these women during and after the war and their fight to uncover the truth of what happened at Srebrenica and why.
The stunning memoir of a Muslim teen struggling to survive in the midst of the Bosnian genocide--and the stray cat who protected her family through it all. *Six Starred Reviews* A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist A Capitol Choices Remarkable Book A Mighty Girl Best Book A Malala Fund Favorite Book Selection In 1992, Amra was a teen in Bihac, Bosnia, when her best friend said they couldn't speak anymore. Her friend didn't say why, but Amra knew the reason: Amra was Muslim. It was the first sign her world was changing. Then Muslim refugees from other Bosnian cities started arriving, fleeing Serbian persecution. When the tanks rolled into Bihac, bringing her own city under seige, Amra's happy life in her peaceful city vanished. But there is light even in the darkest of times, and she discovered that light in the warm, bonfire eyes of a stray cat. The little calico had followed the refugees into the city and lost her own family. At first, Amra doesn't want to bother with a stray; her family doesn't have the money to keep a pet. But with gentle charm this kitty finds her way into everyone's heart, and after a few near miracles when she seems to save the family, how could they turn her away? Here is the stunning true story of a teen who, even in the brutality of war, never wavered in her determination to obtain an education, maintain friendships, and even find a first love-and the cat who gave comfort, hope, and maybe even served as the family's guardian spirit.
The amazing story of how a team of forensic scientists pioneered ground-breaking techniques to identify the victims of the Yugoslav Wars, and how their work is bringing war criminals to justice worldwide
In 1992 the growing threat of Serb nationalism in Bosnia forced Hasan Nuhanovic and his family to flee their home for the safety of Bosnia's mountainous countryside. High up in the woods along the Drina River, Hasan and thousands of Bosniak refugees faced bitter nights, deprivation and death, while Serb soldiers covered their retreat with sniper fire and artillery shelling. After many months on the move, the Bosniaks battled their way to the town of Srebrenica, their last refuge, under the charge of a small UN force. When the Bosnian-Serb army laid siege to the town, Hasan's life once more became a daily struggle for survival, battling starvation, sniping and shelling. This book is a powerful first-hand account of the barbarism of those years leading up to the massacre in Srebrenica; it is also an action-packed, gripping true story of struggle, survival and heroism.
Senahid Halilovic is one of the very few survivors of the Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide. From July 11-July 22, 1995, more than 8,372 Bosnians, mostly men and boys - were rounded up and killed. Amongst them were his father and all three of his brothers. He is one of the rare Bosnian men who managed to overcome the 'Road of Death' and survive the Srebrenica genocide by walking for one week, through mountain crags without any food or water. "After the genocide, I tried several times to count how many relatives I lost, but I never could. Their images begin to show up in front of my eyes as soon as I try to think about it; this causes me great distress, and I often find myself giving up. I remember my mother telling me once "Oh, my son, you have lost 70 nearby relatives." I usually saw them in my dreams every night. At night when I dreamt of them, and then woke up, I felt very sad. Once I awoke from this dream, I could not sleep again. As I lay awake, no matter what I did, I saw their images in front of me." "And I realized something else; that they are not dead, that they remain alive, because they were killed in the name of injustice. At that point I wished for them to be with me and talk to me, even within my dreams. After this epiphany, any time one of them (especially my brothers or father) talked to me, or even if I saw one of them in the dream I felt much better. After I saw them in my dream, I felt lucky, like I had done a good deed. But now, years later, this does not happen usually; I rarely see them in dream, and I miss them too much. Life is like that. Sometimes the same thing that tortures you at one time, you later miss and wish you could experience more often." Senahid currently has several wishes: to find out the complete truth and ensure that all the people of the world hear the truth about what really happened to Bosnia and to Srebrenica during the war against Bosnia in 1992-1995 and the genocide against Bosniaks 1995, that there may be peace, justice and harmony on planet Earth, and that Srebrenica is never repeated again to anyone.
Rwanda and Bosnia both experienced mass violence in the early 1990s. Less than ten years later, Rwandans surprisingly elected the world's highest level of women to parliament. In Bosnia, women launched thousands of community organizations that became spaces for informal political participation. The political mobilization of women in both countries complicates the popular image of women as merely the victims and spoils of war. Through a close examination of these cases, Marie E. Berry unpacks the puzzling relationship between war and women's political mobilization. Drawing from over 260 interviews with women in both countries, she argues that war can reconfigure gendered power relations by precipitating demographic, economic, and cultural shifts. In the aftermath, however, many of the gains women made were set back. This book offers an entirely new view of women and war and includes concrete suggestions for policy makers, development organizations, and activists supporting women's rights.
Wounded I Am More Awake follows the story of Esad Boskailo, a doctor who survives six concentration camps in Bosnia and emerges with powerful new lessons for healing in an age of genocide. This gripping account raises questions for healers, survivors, and readers striving to understand the reality of war and the aftermath of terror. Is it possible to find meaning after enduring crimes against humanity? Can people heal after trauma? Human rights journalist Julia Lieblich takes the reader through Boskailo's early years under Tito to the wars when friends turned on friends. She documents his harrowing experiences in the camps, where the men he once joined for coffee murder his best friend from childhood. But the story does not end there. Boskailo moves to the United States and decides to become a psychiatrist so he can guide survivors through the long-term process of restoring hope. Today, inspired by the late psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, Boskailo uses his own experience to help patients mourn their losses and find meaning in the aftermath of terror.
