Zlata's Diary
7 journalers for this copy...
This is a real (edited) diary kept by a young girl in Sarajevo (capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina) in 1991-1993.I bought it today at my local used book store.
This girl is no Anne Frank, but her writings about her life during the war are still interesting and give a poignant look at how life changes for people caught inside a war. She sounds like a typical pre-teen from America or many other places - interested in TV, music, friends, clothes, and other such fun things.Note: she's left Bosnia now, but because she wrote this while living there, I'm going to count this as a Bosnian author toward my goal to read authors from every country.
I'm going to offer this book as a bookring.
Bookring Guidelines:
- Journal the books as soon as you get them. Contact the next person in the list for their mailing address.
- Please try to read within 1 month so the ring keeps moving.
- When done, take a minute to journal your impressions and note that you're sending the book on. I love reading various people's feelings on books - we're bound to have different viewpoints!
- Yes, sometimes “life happens”. If you find yourself running behind or need to be skipped, etc., please PM me letting me know what’s up and we can work it out.
Participants (username /location/shipping):
- Hobbit /US/international (originator)
- Sheepseeker /Germany/Anywhere
- lunatum /Finland/international
- Thursday5 /US
- raralovestoread /US/Anywhere
- charlenemartel /Canada/Anywhere (skipped at her request)
- Hobbit /US < -- book has returned home
Sent in today's mail (surface) to Sheepseeker.
The book arrived today - thanks hobbit!
Although Zlata's writing style (she's 11/12 at the time, so no complaints) is a bit anoying at times, I really liked th book. I can vividly remember the times of the war in Yugoslavia. We were worried because it was a war in Europe, really close by and our village took on several Bosnian families in the local shelter for asylum seekers. Some of them went back to their countries as soon as possible, a tendency I didn't really understand back then. All I knew about Yugoslavia was negative...
This book brought back a lot of memories of those days and made me understand a bit more...
Thanks fpr sharing, hobbit. The book will travel on as soon as I got lunatum's address
This book brought back a lot of memories of those days and made me understand a bit more...
Thanks fpr sharing, hobbit. The book will travel on as soon as I got lunatum's address
This book arrived this week. I have lots of ring books to read so it may take a while before I can read this.
I'm glad I read this book, because this was the first time that I really thought about war and what it means to the people. When I started reading, I couldn't stop. I read thw whole book on one evening. I liked this book very much.
This book will be part of my Book From Every Country -challenge (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Thank you, hobbit, for organizing this ring.
Next the book will go back to USA.
This book will be part of my Book From Every Country -challenge (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Thank you, hobbit, for organizing this ring.
Next the book will go back to USA.
Zlata's Diary arrived here in Ohio today-all the way from Finland. I am looking forward to reading this book. I will start it tonight.
Another book I would not have read without Bookcrossing. Read it in two days-hard to put down. This book is important. So many powerful people, like she says in her diary, see war as a game and it is not-it is real people's lives. I am going to have my students read this book.
Warning: Spoiler (Written in white font, highlight to read)
As a Bookcrosser, a poignant scene was where she describes how the library (that had been full of "friends" has been reduced to ashes.
Lines that stand out are:
"War has crossed out the day and replaced it with horror, and now horrors are unfolding instead of days."
"They are playing games. And it is us they are playing with."
"How can I feel spring, when spring is something that awakens life, and here there is no life..."
There's something worse than not having electricity, water and gas, and that's not getting letters..."
"That [peace] is what we the innocent peope of Sarajevo wish. And just because we are innocent, our wish should be answered."
I will PM the next person in the bookring and get it sent off.
Warning: Spoiler (Written in white font, highlight to read)
As a Bookcrosser, a poignant scene was where she describes how the library (that had been full of "friends" has been reduced to ashes.
Lines that stand out are:
"War has crossed out the day and replaced it with horror, and now horrors are unfolding instead of days."
"They are playing games. And it is us they are playing with."
"How can I feel spring, when spring is something that awakens life, and here there is no life..."
There's something worse than not having electricity, water and gas, and that's not getting letters..."
"That [peace] is what we the innocent peope of Sarajevo wish. And just because we are innocent, our wish should be answered."
I will PM the next person in the bookring and get it sent off.
This book arrived in the mail today. I'll start it as soon as I finish the book I am currently reading. Thanks for sharing.
Tomorrow I am mailing this book back to hobbit in New York. Thanks for sharing!
I can certainly understand why this book is compared to The Diary of Anne Frank. The fact that a child caught in the midst of war has the presence of mind to keep a diary of the events in her life is amazing to me. I think often war is thought of as something that occurs between adults, but obviously children are greatly affected by war as well. Books like this remind us of that:
p. 124 Even the children no longer seem like children. They've had their childhood taken away from them, and without that they can't be children.
p. 124 Even the children no longer seem like children. They've had their childhood taken away from them, and without that they can't be children.
This book has arrived home safe and sound. There are a couple of friends that I've mentioned it to and were interested so it will still be travelling, although locally.
I gave this to a friend who had mentioned she wants to read it.
Updated, March 2008 to say that the book was returned to me.
Updated, April 2008 to note that I'm placing this into a Virtual Book Box - a way of sharing books with others.
Updated, March 2008 to say that the book was returned to me.
Updated, April 2008 to note that I'm placing this into a Virtual Book Box - a way of sharing books with others.
I received this book from hobbit at a lovely little meet up in New York City. Thanks for the book and for the great afternoon!
(reserved for Firegirl's Biography & Memoir VBB)
(reserved for Firegirl's Biography & Memoir VBB)
An interesting book and difficult to rate and review. The book is the diary rather self-consciously kept by an eleven year-old girl in Sarajevo during 1991-1993. Early on, there was an interest in publishing her book (and indeed part was published about halfway through this translated re-publication), so the diary was written with a wide readership in mind. Zlata come across as a reasonably thoughtful and mature girl, but the diary is still the writing of someone eleven. The book describes her day to day life, which provides an interesting first person account merely for its existence, but there's nothing universal, new or perspective shifting to be found in these words.
The book is now in the mail to loveamystery in Vancouver, who selected it from Firegirl's VBB.
The book is now in the mail to loveamystery in Vancouver, who selected it from Firegirl's VBB.
Journal Entry 18 by loveamystery from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada on Monday, January 12, 2009
It has arrived. Thank you msjoanna. it's now on my TBR pile.
