★ 02/05/2024

Collaborators Sabic-El-Rayess and Sullivan (The Cat I Never Named) tackle universal topics surrounding first crushes and bullying while also keenly depicting simmering ethnic tensions within communist Bosnia that would lead to war and genocide in this sensitively crafted and thought-provoking memoir. Set in the town of Bihać, the 1980s recollection begins when Bosnian Muslim, or Bosniak, 11-year-old Sabic-El-Rayess’s older brother dies. She’s struggling with grief and loneliness when her ebullient cousins Žana and Verdana come to visit for the summer. The girls soon become “the gang, the inseparables, the sisterhood,” and champion one another through the ups and downs of boy troubles and fashion disasters for three summers. Though centered on her loving family and these three seemingly idyllic seasons, Sabic-El-Rayess deftly foreshadows the cruelty she will experience later in life through instances of bullying and domestic abuse, and the growing prejudices against Muslims even within her own family. This searching, introspective work—a timely tale of resilience—presciently observes that “words, ideas, hate can kill people.” A section titled “After” covers the war and includes an author’s note, timelines, and an update on where the individuals described are now. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

"An insightful and solemn yet hopeful memoir that will hook readers...Remarkable." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Sensitively crafted and thought-provoking memoir...This searching, introspective work—a timely tale of resilience—presciently observes that 'words, ideas, hate can kill people.'" —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Amra’s narration begins with a conversational, sometimes even childish tone that gives an inviting authenticity to this slice-of-life memoir, centering her everyday experiences as a preteen and teen even as those around her become increasingly embroiled in global events...Readers learn along with Amra of the complicated geopolitical situation unfolding." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This moving and deeply personal story is framed in a way that makes the larger political, religious, and ethnic complexities accessible. Simultaneously candid and heartbreaking yet warm and engaging." —Kirkus

"With her deftly rendered memories, Sabic-El-Rayess transports readers into summers of a different era, which will be illuminating for some and resonantly familiar for others. Ideal for fans of Rex Ogle and Katherine Marsh or those not quite ready for Ruta Sepetys’ YA historical fiction." —Booklist

"The book smartly contrasts more lighthearted preteen drama with looming ethnic and religious tensions, resulting in an engaging reflection on disability and ethnic difference." —The Horn Book

★ 04/01/2024

Gr 3–7—Sabic-El-Rayess's memoir captures the lives of five cousins and the adventures they encounter over the course of three summers in 1980s Bosnia. Suffering the loss of her older brother, Amra slips into a womb of depression only to be revived by these glorious summers with Zana her sister-cousin; after all, cousins make the best sisters, according to Amra's mom. The turmoil of life in war-torn Bosnia is dismal enough compounded with memories of Amar, the brother who passed away from complications due to Marfan syndrome. Sabic-El-Rayess's prose transforms teenage memories into a unique multisensory experience filled with the awkwardness of first love, beach wake-ups, breakups, family indifference, and all the comfort of Bosnian food. The text leads readers over hills and mountains filled with loss, joy, and haunting tragedies that sought to destroy but only prove the resilience of hope and family. The author's note and time line of events documenting the history of war and genocide in Bosnia provide readers with background on the life and musings of a young girl. VERDICT An insightful and solemn yet hopeful memoir that will hook readers. Fans of Ji-Li Jiang's Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution will find this memoir just as remarkable.—Mitzi Mack

Narrator Selma Ducanovic establishes a passion-filled voice for 11-year-old Amra, who grew up in Bosnia in the 1980s, right before tension built up to a horrific war. Following the death of her brother, Amar, Amra struggles to deal with the pain, finding hope in friends and family. Ducanovic beautifully portrays the tumultuous feelings of each of these young characters. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess narrates her author's note and update on where all those mentioned in the book are now, making the story even more personal. Listeners, especially narrative nonfiction fans, will feel deeply connected to Amra in this coming-of-age memoir, which offers a window onto the lives of those who have lived through the horrors of war and genocide. M.D. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

2024-01-19
In this memoir, a young Bosniak Muslim girl comes of age with her larger-than-life cousin over three summers leading up to the Bosnian genocide.

Amra’s beloved older brother died from complications of Marfan syndrome, leaving a gaping hole in her family members’ lives. Amra’s mom tried in vain to help her make friends who might pull her out of her deep depression, but it was only when Amra connected with Žana, her estranged aunt’s daughter, that she again felt a zest for life. Over the next three summers, Amra and Žana are inseparable, spending time with family and friends on the banks of the glistening emerald waters of the River Una. Žana truly lives out loud, and she inspires a confidence in Amra that she never knew she had. But their seemingly unbreakable bond of sisterhood is threatened by ethnic tensions and looming war: Žana’s father is a Serb from a Chetnik family, a nationalist group who killed Muslims in Kosovo during World War II. Sabic-El-Rayess shared later parts of her story in her YA memoir, The Cat I Never Named (2020). This compelling volume runs the gamut of emotions—grief, humiliation at the hands of bullies, the rush of a first crush, and the devastation of being treated with hate. This moving and deeply personal story is framed in a way that makes the larger political, religious, and ethnic complexities accessible.

Simultaneously candid and heartbreaking yet warm and engaging. (family tree, author’s note, timeline, where they are now, sources) (Memoir. 8-12)