We are continuing our literature unit about children in war with Zlata's Diary, which was written by a young girl who lived in Sarajevo.
Most of you were familiar with World War II, Adolph Hitler, and the Holocaust; but I'm willing to bet that you don't know much of anything about the Bosnian War.
Honestly, I'll be doing a lot of learning along with you. The Bosnian War occurred from 1991 to 1995 - a time when I was growing up. During the height of the crisis, I was your age and was more concerned with my own life than something that was happening in a land that I knew little to nothing about. However, I wasn't totally ignorant, and I couldn't help but notice the pictures, videos, and statistics about the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. The situation in Bosnia - and the town of Sarajevo in particular - was an eerie reminder that the hatred and racism of the Hitler era had not been totally eradicated.
So, as we read Zlata's Diary together, I will revisit an era of my life when I should have been more aware of the world around me. I hope that, through our studies of The Diary of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary, your eyes will be opened to see that, despite our advancements, many people in our world still cannot enjoy the comfort, freedom, health, happiness, and safety that we take for granted.
And that realization is the first step in making a change. A change in thinking, speaking, and acting. A change in the way we live our lives. A change in our plans for the future. A change that influences others. A change for the better.
And it starts now.
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