The book was fiction but it didn't feel like fiction at all. The writing, the characters, the story everything was amazing. The story was so engrossing and raw that it almost felt like I was reading a biography of Ana juvic.
The book is about a 10 year old girl, Ana, living in zagreb, stuck in the Bosnian-croat conflict that occured during the early 90s. Ana, after witnessing the slaughter of her parents by Serbian soldiers, escapes to America. The way the father protected Ana was heart breaking, and It made me think about all those people who are dying all over the world in the name of war against terror. We can't even fathom the pain of those people. Two of my most favorite scenes from the book are: when Ana, while sharing her thoughts about war, says that America is at war from 12 years but no one in America walk down the street fearing for their life or that their food supply will be taken away from them. Everyone go about their day, in America, with nothing to worry about, but it's different for people living in Afghanistan and iran, they have to live in constant fear, just like her people used to in Croatia. And when in one scene, the firework of 4th of July sends her screaming for cover in her foster parents house, gave me chills all over. Anyway, when she turns 20, she decides to visit her homeland to find some closure. And meeting her friends and relatives gives her the solace and courage, she needed to live the rest of her life with peace.