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.
