Girl at War by Sara Novic

Girl at War; a novel by Sara Novic is a very moving story set primarily in the former Yugoslavia during its Civil War in the early 1990’s. Ana Juric is only 10 when the fighting begins. As a child, the ancient hatreds in that land are not readily apparent to her, but soon circumstances worsen and deprivation becomes more routine.  Death touches her family and the story eventually shifts to that of an older Ana, at college in New York.  A coming of age story, this novel contains emotional messages about self-identity, immigration and profoundly painful loss. Having been to Sarajevo and Zagreb, I could readily picture those cities, the countryside, and the memorable characters described by promising debut author Sara Novic. See, for example, the detailed observations available online in this short excerpt.

Girl at War deserved the starred review it received in Booklist and I am planning to add this title to our Junior Theme list.  There are so many connections which could be explored. Sadly, there are numerous books, particularly non-fiction choices, which focus on the impact that other wars have had on children including Kids of Kabul by Deborah Ellis which our sophomore students read or the newer - and somewhat more scholarly - Children of Afghanistan edited by Jennifer Heath and Ashraf Zahedi. In addition, students often select Ghosts of War by Ryan Smithson or Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah as independent reading choices about adolescents turned into soldiers. Also, Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic is set in Bosnia and Hercegovina during the 1990’s war and intended for a younger (grades 7 to 9) audience. 

In Girl at War, Ana challenges herself to read Black Lamb and Grey Falcon by Rebecca West; originally published in 1941, that opus (roughly 1200 pages) focuses on history and life in Yugoslavia in the 1930’s.  For a more upbeat book set in Croatia, try Running Away to Home: our family’s journey to Croatia in search of who we are, where we came from, and what really matters by Jennifer Wilson and published in 2011. This, too, focuses on family relationships and social values while providing a culturally rich and vivid description of Americans living abroad more recently.