The Cat I Never Named: wartime memoir

 

The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War and Survival by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan is a young-adult memoir that resonates with anyone who has had connections to persecution, uncertainty, and wanting to live life with dignity and hope.  This is the story of Amra, a survivor of the Bosnian Genocide from 1992-1996.  She is 16 when she learns that because she is Muslim and lives in Bosnia, her life is threatened.  Although she lives among Serbs and Jewish people, there are tensions of war coming closer to her town, Bihać.  

The only light in her life is when she befriends a stray cat.  The cat, Maci, ends up performing miracles and saves the life of multiple people throughout the war.  While Amra and her family find ways to evade starvation and build community despite the whole world seeming to ignore their strife, Maci continues to be the constant comfort in their lives.  Amra's parents hide Muslim soldiers who run away from serving in the Serbian army. One solider tells Amra, "Thank you, you and your parents for being lights in the nightmare of my life."  When refugees pour into their city, Amra and her family find ways to help them.  "Without question, without reward, we help."  Her father, Tata, says, "A drop in the ocean. But many drops can turn a tide."

The constant hope that Amra has is to survive the war and continue her education.  She says, "One of the greatest responsibilities is knowledge."  How can she hold on to this hope when there is such devastation around her?  She finds that, "The world is a beautiful place.  It's not beautiful everywhere, but that just makes it more important to look for the beauty." Amra's strength comes from her family's belief in her abilities.  She is determined to be successful at any cost. "I won't let the world go black around me. I'll kindle a new light.  With study and knowledge and persistence...and hope."

 

Told with a rawness that will make you want to learn more about this horrific war, Sabic-El-Rayess and Sullivan detail the events and connect them with strong characters.  This story will remind people of where they were when they learned about the genocide in Bosnia and what was being reported in various parts of the world.  It is especially interesting because Sabic-El-Rayess and Sullivan do not stop the story once the war is declared "over".  Too often people who are apart from a war think it is like closing a book.  This story is unique in its exploration of what happens to cities and its people after a war.  "Left for any traumatized survivors is yet another trauma."  This is in terms of rebuilding one's life and country.

For further reading at the end of the book is a comprehensive list of books and sites for further research.  There are even film suggestions about the war in Bosnia.  The author's note describes how her story parallels life under the current COVID-19 pandemic with being isolated and wanting any sense of normalcy, school, anything!  She continues to share the state of Bosnians and Serbs today.  Her hometown of Bihać is currently taking in refugees from around Europe.  She also gave an excellent interview about her book.