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    Pretty Birds
    Pretty Birds
    Pretty Birds
    Audiobook13 hours

    Pretty Birds

    Written by Scott Simon

    Narrated by Christina Moore

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Celebrated NPR personality and acclaimed author Scott Simon is an Emmy and Peabody Award winner. This astonishing novel is based on his experiences covering the siege of Sarajevo. Teenaged Irena and her parents are forced into hiding when Bosnian Serbs launch their war of ethnic cleansing against Muslims. But Tedic, a strong-willed Muslim man, convinces Irena to become a sniper and take up the defense of her home and people. A deadly chess game, Irena's story plays out against the backdrop of a city brutalized by war. Based entirely on true events, Pretty Birds is a powerful and striking tale.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 11, 2009
    ISBN9781436143936
    Pretty Birds

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    Reviews for Pretty Birds

    4/5

    85 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I never really understood what caused or influenced the outbreak of the Serbian-Bosnian war and [Pretty Birds] by Scott Simon doesn’t really delve into these issues either. Instead it tells the harrowingly haunting story of Irena Zaric a seventeen year old school-girl interested in pop music, boys and being the star of her basketball team whose world changes overnight as she and her family are forced to flee their home, live on starvation rations, learn to duck bullets and live in a new world, one of horror and violence. “Ethnic Cleansing” is a terrible, dirty phrase, yet one I fear the world is still hearing about from many different quarters.Irena’s world quickly develops into one where she, her family and her friends are classified according to their ethnic background. Irena’s best friend, Amela, is classified as a Serb. Irena and her family are considered to be Muslim, although their background is truly mixed. Irena is slowly drawn into the war until she finds herself being trained as a sniper. Many young girls on both sides were trained as snipers thereby freeing the young men to join the front lines of their respective armies.Scott Simon is a journalist and tells this story in a straight forward, unemotional way. Yet through the development of his characters, great emotion is shown and felt. Irena’s parents, a pair of grown up hippies whose world has crumbled, are wonderful characters, showing both dignity and humor in facing their situation. One scene comes to mind that was filled with humor, dismay and grace was an evening meal prepared by Irena’s mother that included both grass cuttings and chopped up snails, along with their U.N. provided macaroni. As they chew on this stew, no complaints are made, instead they all start making animal sounds, mooing like a cow or bleating like a goat. When one member pulls a chewy piece of macaroni from their mouths and discovers it is really a worm, they simply get on with their meal. I was glued to the pages of this book finding it gripping, emotional, painful, and yes, at times even funny. Like a small time capsule one minute I am reading about Irena’s joy in her Air Jordans and Espirt jeans, or her crush on Johnny Depp, suddenly something will happen to throw me back into the horror that the beautiful town of Sarajevo became in the early nineties. This was a truly moving read.
    • 4/5
      Story of the siege of Sarajewo during the Bosnian war.A tale of friendship, love, betrayal and survival in the divided city once knows as the Jerusalem of Europe for its tolerance of multiple religions. As the war begans friends and families are forced to choose side ina desperate attemt at survival. One Muslim girl a bosnian becomes a sniper for their army while still maintaining a relationship with her best friend who has fled over to the Serb controlled part of the city.
    • 3/5
      This book gave me nightmares. I actually didn't finish it, but almost made it to the end before I decided not to put myself through any more. Still, for what it is, it is a good book.
    • 5/5
      A compelling story of modern warfare includes the use of young (late teen) women as snipers and pawns of war in an urban setting.The characters and story line are believable and heartbreaking.This book brings to mind other books about youth and war: All Quiet on the Western Front and A Separate Peace.
    • 5/5
      A very human, believable take on the conflict in Yugoslavia. Powerful.
    • 4/5
      Filled with funny moments which made me squirm through the laughter. This book follows a seventeen year old muslim girl through her experience of the war in Bosnia. Scott Simon is a reporter for NPR and based the book partly on people he met while covering the war.