My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary

My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary

by NadjaHalilbegovich (Author)

Synopsis

?Bombs are exploding all over the city. I hide my feelings from everyone, but I am drowning in despair. When will this war end? For how long will my life consist of the dead space between two explosions --- June 6, 1995

On the first day of the siege of Sarajevo, 12-year-old Nadja Halilbegovich's life changed forever. In the face of constant tank and sniper fire, daily life in this beautiful, mountain-ringed city was suddenly full of fear. Without reliable electricity, water or medical supplies, the blockaded city ground to a halt. Nadja and her fellow citizens tried desperately to live normal lives while forced to scrounge for even the most basic necessities.

My Childhood Under Fire is Nadja's diary of the years 1992-95. It is her personal account of becoming a teenager during wartime. It is also a monument to the thousands killed during the siege of Sarajevo and to the millions of children around the world who still live --- and die --- under fire.

$16.42

Quantity

1 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 120
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Published: Mar 2008

ISBN 10: 1554532671
ISBN 13: 9781554532674

Media Reviews
Her terse vignettes replay the horror of her comfortable home torn apart. The haunting question, 'Why did the world allow it to happen?' drives her powerful plea for peace.--Booklist
[I]mmediate and resonant.--Publishers Weekly
This is an important book as it reveals the effects of a little-known war on innocent people from a personal perspective.--School Library Journal
This book keeps readers entranced as they learn of the horror, savagery and cruelty that took place during the war.--Canadian Children's Book News
Author Bio
Nadja Halilbegovich is a survivor of the war in Bosnia. She was twelve when the war began and throughout the war she wrote her diary. At the age of 14, she published her diary in the war-torn city of Sarajevo and became known as the Bosnian Anne Frank. She was wounded by a bombshell and still carries seven pieces of shrapnel in her legs. She escaped the war at the age of 16 and finished high school and university in the United States. She became an active public speaker for peace and tolerance.
In 2006, she published a book entitled My Childhood Under Fire in the U.S. and Canada. Her book has been awarded the ?2006 Best Book Award? under Social Studies by the Society of School Librarians International as well as nominated for the Norma Fleck Award and the Golden Oak Award. A French translation has been released in 2007.