War Childhood - From Bosnia to Ukraine, To Endure and to Remember

In this inspiring book of quotations and color photos, adults reflect on their childhoods in war

About the author

Jasminko Halilovic, the editor, was born in 1988 in Sarajevo. He is the founder and director of the War Childhood Museum--the world's only museum exclusively focused on the experience of childhood affected by war. The author/editor of several books, including Sarajevo: My City, a Place to Meet, he hold a degree in financial management and has spoken widely across the globe at conferences including One Young World Summit in Canada and Shape Asia-Pacific in Japan. He has lectured and taught at universities around the world, including Northwestern University, Columbia University, the University of Toronto, Kyoto University, and Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (Poland). In 2018, Halilovic became the first Bosnian to be selected for prestigious Forbes "30 under 30" list. He is also the founder and president of URBAN Association--one of the leading cultural NGOs in the Balkans.

Summary

In 2010, Sarajevo native Jasminko Halilovic began following through on a dream: collecting as many short recollections from as many people as possible who were children during the Bosnian War, which from 1992 to 1995 claimed the lives of 101,000 people amid the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and changed Sarajevo's reputation from a onetime WInter Olympics paradise to a city under siege. The result: a unique, visually engaging, and accessible book of 1,100 quotations by adults looking back on their childhoods in war. In light of the renewed attention Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought to the plight of children in war, stories from that conflict will be added. Halilovic collected the memories online, using the project's website and social media. The book, War Childhood, was crowd-funded and published in Bosnian in Sarajevo, and in English translation for sale at the museum of the same name--the War Childhood Museum--that Halilovic founded in his native city in January 2017. The book has three parts. The first comprises introductory texts on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, the siege of Sarajevo, and the project. The second, main section of the book is a mosaic of the short recollections gathered during implementation of the project. The third section has a visual focus, bringing together keepsakes: photographs, drawings, diary entries, stories, letters, etc. Unique in having been cocreated by 1,100 people, this book also takes a specific approach to the presentation of their memories. The memories collected in the book are presented symmetrically. They are grouped both by theme and by emotion. Some entries from the different groups are mixed, but they are distributed in accord with a precisely calculated algorithm. In this way, a balance is struck between emotion and theme.

Foreword

VIP foreword by Téa Obreht (author of The Tiger's Wife; likely), numerous VIP blurbs ➢ Outreach to appropriate websites and bloggers, and social media marketing ➢ Two- to three-week national book tour with the editor and War Childhood museum founder/director Jasminko Halilovic, with New York City launch event hosted by Obrecht or Kati Maton ➢ University/academic, school, and museum sales in focus ➢ National review attention

Additional text

"Jasminko Halilović’s War Childhood is not only a compendium of the most intimate details of one of the 20th century’s greatest tragedies, but also a crucial testament to the indomitability of life." -Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife

"War Childhood is a remarkable work. Harrowing and heartening in equal measure, it is a reminder that, even in the direst of circumstances, children will find small, sustaining joys. With this compendium, Halilović has made a gripping, humane, and invaluable contribution to the field of peace and conflict studies." -Dan Sheehan, author of Restless Souls

“The testimonies, memories, snippets, drawings and photographs collected in War Childhood transport us to a world no child should ever experience. It is a place of lost innocence, tragedy and pain; but this book is also a testament to the resilience, humour, imagination and play that despite the horror of war trying to quash it, still manages to shine. These young words and memories are filled with tragedy, the incredibly capacity to adapt to difficult circumstances – and hope – but above all the terrible truth of what it means to be a child of war.” -Zlata Filipović, author of Zlata’s Diary

“War Childhood is an unique book that tells the story of Bosnia’s war through the eyes of its children and in an imaginative way – short messages that are like emotional arrows from a war zone. The fighting ended nearly 20 years ago but these messages, and this book, are timeless in their wisdom and passion and, occasionally, their wry humor. What they say – what this book says – is precious and smart and should be read by everyone.” -Peter Maass, author of Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War

Product details

• Assisted by: Jasminko Halilovic (Editor)
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 28.03.2023, delayed
• EAN: 9780999541616
• ISBN: 978-0-9995416-1-6
• No. of pages: 224
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies; REFERENCE / Quotations, HISTORY / Europe / Eastern, ART / Art & Politics