Title: Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo Author: Zlata Filipovic
ISBN: 0670857246 Pages: 200
Publisher: Viking, New York, 1994
ISBN: 0670857246 Pages: 200
Publisher: Viking, New York, 1994
Readers Annotation:
Zlata Filipovic is an eleven year old child who lives in Sarajevo during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She relates her life story amidst bombings, gunfire, and death.
Zlata Filipovic is an eleven year old child who lives in Sarajevo during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She relates her life story amidst bombings, gunfire, and death.
Author Information:
Zlata Filipovic was born December 3, 1980 in Bosnia. From the years 1991 until 1993, Zlata wrote in a diary she named 'Mimmy', about the horrors she experienced during the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Zlata and her parents survived the war, escaping to Paris, France for a year in 1993. They later moved to Dublin, Ireland where she attended St. Andrew's College senior school. She graduated in 2001 from the University of Oxford, with a BA in human sciences.
Presently, Zlata lives in Dublin, Ireland. She has since written the Foreword to The Freedom Writers Diary, and co-edited Stolen Voices: Young People's War Diaries, From World War I to Iraq. In 2011, she produced a short film to campaign against homophobic bullying in schools, called Stand Up!
Zlata Filipovic was born December 3, 1980 in Bosnia. From the years 1991 until 1993, Zlata wrote in a diary she named 'Mimmy', about the horrors she experienced during the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Zlata and her parents survived the war, escaping to Paris, France for a year in 1993. They later moved to Dublin, Ireland where she attended St. Andrew's College senior school. She graduated in 2001 from the University of Oxford, with a BA in human sciences.
Presently, Zlata lives in Dublin, Ireland. She has since written the Foreword to The Freedom Writers Diary, and co-edited Stolen Voices: Young People's War Diaries, From World War I to Iraq. In 2011, she produced a short film to campaign against homophobic bullying in schools, called Stand Up!
Plot Summary:
Zlata is the only child of Muslim parents, living in Sarajevo during the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Zlata starts her diary describing a happy and carefree life. She vacations with her family in the countryside on the weekends, and goes skiing in the mountains in the wintertime. Life is normal for an eleven year old, complete with friends, parties, and television. After a bombing in a nearby city, Zlata expresses her fears about the war coming to her hometown. Suddenly, it does.
Over the next year and a half, Zlata records the events and the effects of her war torn city. She has no friends, no school, and no freedom. Zlata describes her life without running water, electricity, or gas. She writes about the bombshells, gunfire, small rations of food, running out of clothes that fit, and what it's like to constantly hide in the neighbor's basement during bombings. In short, Zlata depicts a childhood stolen from her by the horrors of war.
Critical Evaluation:
Although the diary has been translated from Zlata's native language, there is nothing that seems to have been lost in translation. The difficult life Zlata had to endure during the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina is apparent in her daily entries. Zlata expresses her emotions without holding back, giving the reader a sobering glimpse into her hard life. Sometimes, Zlata has so much pent up emotion, she expresses her thoughts utilizing all capital letters. The reality of the war is manifested through her use of basic language and raw emotion expressions. The book includes copies of Zlata's actual entries and drawings, adding another layer of poignancy and realism.
Although the diary has been translated from Zlata's native language, there is nothing that seems to have been lost in translation. The difficult life Zlata had to endure during the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina is apparent in her daily entries. Zlata expresses her emotions without holding back, giving the reader a sobering glimpse into her hard life. Sometimes, Zlata has so much pent up emotion, she expresses her thoughts utilizing all capital letters. The reality of the war is manifested through her use of basic language and raw emotion expressions. The book includes copies of Zlata's actual entries and drawings, adding another layer of poignancy and realism.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Curriculum Ties: Political Science - War in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Booktalking Ideas:
1. When Zlata passes by a local park, she remembers playing with her good friend who was killed there by a bomb. Do you know any children who have passed on?
2. Zlata lives for months without electricity, gas, or running water. How do you think you would manage without these basic utilities?
1. When Zlata passes by a local park, she remembers playing with her good friend who was killed there by a bomb. Do you know any children who have passed on?
2. Zlata lives for months without electricity, gas, or running water. How do you think you would manage without these basic utilities?
Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+
Challenge Issue: none
Why I chose this item: I wanted to add a non-fiction item with a serious theme, yet from an adolescent's point of view. This diary was also recommended in one of our class readings.
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