Zlata's Diary

Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic

Zlata began her diary as any other fourth grade girl. She liked junk food, music and her friends. She seems incredibly well spoken for her age. Her world quickly changes from what most of us would find in our everyday life to having her home and country torn by war. War is raging in Sarajevo between Serbs, Croats and Muslims in the early 1990's. Friends and family flee the country or are killed during bombings and shellings.
Zlata is compared to Anne Frank. She is afraid her fate may be the same as Anne's. Because Anne had a name for her diary, Zlata decides to name her's Mimmy.
As I read through this diary, I felt like I was reading the stories of my own people. I couldn't fathom having my normal life ripped at the seams over night. Zlata and her family were starving by winter. They lost water and had to haul it in order to have it on hand. Many times electricity was lost for days and then later rationed to those with priority. Her parents went from a well educated happy couple to thin and terrified. Much of their time was spent hidden in the basement of their apartment building as the shelling raged outside. Family and friends fled the country in order to save themselves. As her early tween years passed, Zlata spent her time in the safer parts of her apartment, mostly her kitchen, or in spotty school attendance when there was no shooting. Where she had once had many friends, language and music lessons, she mostly only had her parents and close neighbors while Bosnia Herzegovina suffered under attack as the 'kids' (politicians) played at their games.
Striking and moving blow by blow of daily life in a war torn country. I would recommend for anyone to read this. Because she was so young, Zlata does not cover the reasons behind the war. She admits not understanding, only wishing for peace. During the same years covered by the diary, I was only a few years older. I cannot remember much from the political history of the time and will be reading more to find out. Having had family leave Yugoslavia in the early 1900's I felt like every picture or detail contained people that could have been me.

Rating 4.5
Rating PG The warring and violence although terrifying to Zlata was not greatly described in horrific detail and therefore not rated R. I would let my 9 year old read this.