The Cellist of Sarajevo (Jill)
For 22 days in 1992 during the siege of Sarajevo, local cellist Vedran Smailovic played in the spot where a mortar killed 22 people who were standing in line for bread. At any time while he played, he could have been shot by a sniper, but he survived each day, committing a small but significant act of resistance that became the inspiration for Steven Galloway’s new book, The Cellist of Sarajevo.
In this book, Galloway depicted the the lives of three (fictional) Sarajevo residents: Arrow, a sniper with deadly accuracy, sent to protect The Cellist; Kenan, a married father of three who risked his life every five days to get water for his family and neighbor; and Dragan, a man whose wife and son evacuated to Italy, which left him alone and unconnected to his fellow humans.
The Cellist was a minor character in the book, but his 22 days of music were what bound these characters’ stories. For the characters, The Cellist inspired each one to defy the atrocities around them, by doing human tasks, such as removing a body from the street or getting 
water for a cranky neighbor. By committing these acts, each character proved that while the war raged on, they were committed to being human. To survive the siege, the characters not only had to dodge snipers, but keep the spirit of Sarajevo alive within them.
Undoubtedly, Galloway swept the reader into the besieged Sarajevo so that you heard the gunfire and The Cellist’s music; you saw the shelled buildings and the haggard looks on people’s faces; you felt the citizens’ desperation as they looked for food or firewood. Galloway’s ability to transport readers to this place in modern history made The Cellist of Sarajevo so impactful and unforgettable.
Thankfully, Sarajevo is making a comeback, but it’s important that books like this one are being published so people can learn more about what this city and its citizens endured – and ultimately how their small acts of defiance during the siege laid the groundwork for Sarajevo’s restoration now.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about how people can rise above the ugliness of the world around us. (5/5)
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