The Siege of Sarajevo: One Family’s Story of Separation, Struggle, and Strength

by Sanja Kulenovic

“In a world facing the worst refugee crisis in history, this is an important and timely book.” — John Zaritsky, Oscar-winning filmmaker

“An epic tale. … Moving beyond words.” — Roy Gutman, Pulitzer Prize winner and Crimes of War Project chairman

“A universal human story … and an invaluable historical source.” — Robert Donia, author of A Biography

“Sanja Kulenovic’s memoir captures courage and resilience … and shines a light on immigration crises everywhere.”— Foreword Reviews

In 1992, Bosnian honeymooners in Southern California are suddenly stranded and homeless when their native Yugoslavia erupts into civil war. The stunned refugees must scrape together a new life in America with sporadic letters their sole, tenuous link to besieged family and loved ones back in Sarajevo.

Sanja Kulenovic shares those precious letters—often written in darkness as bombs fell and gunfire rang out—to vividly capture the suffering her family and other Sarajevans endured through almost four years of daily bombardments, the perpetual threat of sniper fire, and three frozen, foodless winters.

The Siege of Sarajevo searingly illustrates the human toll of war and the highly personal consequences of what often are dismissed as faraway conflicts. Highlighting the resilience and determination of immigrants , Kulenovic’s powerful story reminds us all that we are stronger than we’ve ever imagined.

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2019

About the author

Sanja Kulenovic is a Russian-born Bosnian, now an American citizen, who has called Southern California home since the early 1990s, when she was stranded due to the Bosnian War. She studied economics and English language and literature at the University of Sarajevo, where several of her essays and short stories appeared in the university’s publications. In 1993, she presented a speech at a United Nations-sponsored event for Bosnian women and children, along with actress Sophia Loren. Since then, Sanja has earned a master’s degree in economics and has been working as a financial analyst for an engineering corporation that helped rebuild Bosnia’s infrastructure after the war. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book for putting modern day life's problems in perspective. It does so effectively because the author herself had perspective, viewing the conflict in Bosnia from her residence (and eventual home) in California. Not long relocated from Bosnia for her honeymoon, Kulenovic vicariously suffers as her parents endure the siege of Sarajevo from April 1992 until the conflict's end 3 long years later. The experiences of her parents are related through their letters. Sanja's (unique) experiences as an immigrant are related first-hand, as she slowly thrives in Pasadena despite feeling that Bosnia is home. The one difficulty was the editing that made it hard to know when a letter ended and the narration resumed. However, through the letters, you hear about the major events of the siege: the Markale massacre, the Benefit concert in front of the burnt National Library, the daily shelling... Although this doesn't explain the conflict - Goodreads has a Listopia of options for that - 'The Siege of Sarajevo' does makes clear how devastating the conflict was to the city, and how strong and bonded the city's survivors became.

[Carol Jardine · Rating 5 out of 5]

From 1992 to 1995 an ethnic cleansing war is instigated. A good friend of mine lived in Sarajevo when the war began and was fortunate enough to escape the country with her family to the United States and recommended this book to me. It is an easy read, packed with heartbreaking horrors of war and yet uplifting due to the spirit of a people, their perseverance, and pride of heritage and their ability to embrace the new country who welcomed them.