I think I was shocked

So, when I first started reading, I was sort of shocked with all the responsibility Irena was taking on as a high schooler. I don't know about you but when I was in high school I only had to worry about sports, school work, and my friends. When I realized Irena was the same age, playing sports like I did, yet becoming a sniper I couldn't quite take it in. When I think of snipers I think about movies and how they are always old guys dressed in black...never do I think of a 17 year old who plays basketball and is into Madonna! What did everyone else think about this? Was it hard for anyone else to believe that even during war a seventeen year old was doing such dirty work!?

~Jessica

View U2's Miss Sarajevo Performance

Click here to view U2 and Luciano Pavorotti's performance of "Miss Sarajevo." This video also includes footage from post-war Sarajevo. A must see!

U2's Miss Sarajevo

Read the following lyrics from U2's "Miss Sarajevo." Think about any initial reactions or reflections you have after reading these lyrics.

Is there a time for keeping a distance
A time to turn your eyes away
Is there a time for keeping your head down
For getting on with your day
Is there a time for kohl and lipstick
A time for cutting hair
Is there a time for high street shopping
To find the right dress to wear

Here she comes
Heads turn around
Here she comes
To take her crown

Is there a time to walk for cover
A time for kiss and tell
Is there a time for different colors
Different names you find it hard to spell
Is there a time for first communion
A time for east 17
Is there a time to turn the mecca
Is there a time to be a beauty queen

Here she comes
Beauty plays the crown
Here she comes
Surreal in her crown

[Pavarotti]
Dici che il fiume trova la via al mare
E come il fiume giungerai a me
Oltre i confini e le terre assetate
Dici che come fiume come fiume
L'amore giunger
L'amore
E non so pi pregare
E nell'amore non so pi sperare
E quell'amore non so pi aspettare

[English translation:]
You say that the river finds the way to the sea
And as the river you'll come to me
Beyond the borders and the thirsty lands
You say that as river
As river
Love will come Love
And I cannot pray anymore
And I cannot hope in love anymore
And I cannot wait for love anymore

[Bono]
Is there a time for tying ribbons
A time for Christmas trees
Is there a time for laying tables
When the night is set to freeze

Some initial thoughts...

This novel is powerful because it can reach its readers on so many levels. One thing we found right off the bat was that we were making connections between the events in the text and our own lives. We hope you will make similar connections, and to get you started, we hope you'll consider responding to the following questions (feel free to respond to as many or as few as you'd like):

• Think about what defines you - your gender, your culture, your ethnicity, your religion, your age, your likes/dislikes, etc. If someone were to ask you to define yourself, how would you do so?
• Think of a life-altering event/time that has taken place in your life. How did this event/time affect you emotionally? How did it affect the way you live your life? Did your views change because of what you experienced? If so, how?
• The present is certainly a difficult time to be a young person, especially considering the state of our world (September 11, the war in Iraq, etc.). How do you feel about the things that are happening? Have these events/conditions affected the way you live your life? What is your outlook?

Some things to view before reading the novel

While the three of us were alive and in our early adolescence when the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina took place, we honestly had very little prior knowledge to bring to this novel. There is a wealth of information on the Internet that offers background on this war, but here are some suggestions to help you get started. We hope that this information gives you an idea of the climate surrounding the characters you are going to read about.

Click here for background information on the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina (from Wikipedia).

Click here for background information on the city of Sarajevo (where the novel takes place).