Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo

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Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 3,424 ratings · 311 reviews

When Zlata’s Diary was first published at the height of the Bosnian conflict, it became an international bestseller and was compared to The Diary of Anne Frank, both for the freshness of its voice and the grimness of the world it describes. It begins as the day-today record of the life of a typical eleven-year-old girl, preoccupied by piano lessons and birthday parties. Bu...more

Paperback, revised, 240 pages

Published February 28th 2006 by Penguin (first published 1993)

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Sep 04, 2007 Leanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Zlata’s Diary is literally Zlata’s diary. Zlata lives in Sarajevo and starts keeping a diary in September 1991, not long before her 11th birthday. She excels in school, enjoys fashion magazines, and watches Murphy Brown on television. Six months later, she is recording the tragedies of war.

Reading about war from a child’s perspective is an interesting experience. Zlata mentions politics several times, writing that “politics has started meddling around. It has put an ‘S’ on Serbs, an ‘M’ on Musli...more

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Apr 08, 2008 Dolores rated it 2 of 5 stars

There's not much you can say about this book. Wartime diaries are a very effective way of communicating what people suffer through on a daily basis. This book was clearly written by an intelligent and sensitive young woman. It was interesting to read her thoughts on being compared to Anne Frank--she didn't want to be compared to her since she didn't want to suffer the same fate. That to me was an insightful comment about people being more than just news items.

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Jan 22, 2012 Mary Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Zlata's Diary is the true story of Zlata Filipovic, a young girl who lived and suffered through the terrible siege in Sarajevo in the early 1990s. She received this diary before the siege began, and it's striking to see the difference in her writings from before and during the war. Before the siege, she was like any ordinary 5th grade girl- she studied, did well in school, took music lessons, watched television shows, and enjoyed family vacations. After the siege, her diary takes a turn to delve...more Zlata's Diary is the true story of Zlata Filipovic, a young girl who lived and suffered through the terrible siege in Sarajevo in the early 1990s. She received this diary before the siege began, and it's striking to see the difference in her writings from before and during the war. Before the siege, she was like any ordinary 5th grade girl- she studied, did well in school, took music lessons, watched television shows, and enjoyed family vacations. After the siege, her diary takes a turn to delve into the horrors of her newfound existence. She has such strength and such poignancy as she tells her story to her Mimmy (the name she'd given to her diary); it was often shocking to me that she was 11 and 12 years old as she wrote this diary. Powerful, heartbreaking recollections of a girl who was witness to her beloved city being destroyed. One particular moment in the book struck me. On January 26, 1993, she writes: "Mimmy, I've noticed that I don't write to you anymore about the war or the shooting. That's probably because I've become used to it. All I care about is that the shells don't fall within 50 meters of my house, that we've got wood, water, and, of course, electricity. I can't believe I've become used to all this, but it seems I have. Whether it's being used to it, fighting for survival or something else, I don't know." How tragic that Zlata was forced into getting used to snipers, shells flying, and war as her every day existence. I don't doubt that it was her focus on survival that led her to getting used to this existence, but how tragic that she- and any child of war- had to get used to this kind of horror, this kind of ruthless violence. As I finished the book, I realized something that I was surprised I hadn't thought of when I started reading. Zlata is only 11 months older than me. After I finished this book, I imagined myself and my life at the same time she was writing this diary and I was thinking to myself about how incredibly strong she was. She is a survivor (she and her family were able to escape to France shortly after the last entry in this diary was written), and her diary lives on as a reminder of what that siege did to Sarajevo. Many were lost, much was destroyed, but Sarajevo lives on. This book is a reminder that though it came close to total destruction, Sarajevo also survived. (less)

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Mar 31, 2011 Anarika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Why do I like this book so much? I really do.
Who is able to convene in this way all the pain, the tragedy and humanity and inhumanity of war, without any fancy shmancy false talk, without any presumptuousness, any falsity or hidden agenda? Simply by scanning the events that matter, from when you understand that this is different. It’s not fiction! This is 1st person singular non - fiction. Nothing’s invented. When this got to my brain, I cried… even though so many years have passed since I had...more Why do I like this book so much? I really do.
Who is able to convene in this way all the pain, the tragedy and humanity and inhumanity of war, without any fancy shmancy false talk, without any presumptuousness, any falsity or hidden agenda? Simply by scanning the events that matter, from when you understand that this is different. It’s not fiction! This is 1st person singular non - fiction. Nothing’s invented. When this got to my brain, I cried… even though so many years have passed since I had the first chance to read it. Then it would have been just too much.
It is written with simple language, appropriate for an 11 – 12 year old little girl who happens to be living in Sarajevo between 1991 and 1993. She’s just like any other pre-teenager from the (Western?) industrialized rich world. She comes from a good, literate and cultured family, and therefore she can write and express herself fairly well for her age. But there is a difference, by the time you reach page 50, she won’t be anymore pre-teenager from the (Western?) industrialized rich world. Firstly because she’ll be demonstrating how mature she is or has become – her parents take care of what she eats, but her psychological strength will permit her to take care of them as well. Secondly, because by the time she celebrates her next birthday, her country will be light years away from the “civilized” Western rich world. It will be a totally different country, territorially split and divided and thorn into pieces, and sociologically wounded and crippled and light years away from the country it was in 1984 when the Winter Olympic Games were held in Sarajevo.
I read that her diary should be compared to other such diaries – Anne Frank comes to my mind – but I am not sure. She had probably read it herself. It’s so easy to feel connected to her, because even though I did not experience any of the hell she’s describing I can still understand, because I grew up in ex Yugoslavia, in Croatia. Her account is accurate and credible.
What she describes – writing, seeing friends, partying, dreaming - you did all that at her age as well, or maybe that’s what your kids, nephews, and nieces, cousins are doing now. But she’s also giving an account of all the miseries of that particular war…her family friends and members are Croatian and Muslim and Serbian…but “it’s the kids” who play at war. And when I think of the conditions they lived in - no water, no food, no places to bury your dead, I think of how amazing it is that they kept sane and human. Yes!
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Sep 21, 2007 Luke G added it Recommends it for: people not trying to figure out what was going on between the Serbs, Croats, and Muslims.

April 17. We got the UN relief package today. YO BABY YO, as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air would say. Tried to watch Murphy Brown but the sound was drowned out by shelling (I know, MORE shelling!) and then the rabbit ears were exploded by a sniper's bullet. RUDE! Pepsi just came out with limited-edition cans with Linda Evangelista on them. I wish I could get one. I haven't tasted processed sugar in over five months.

Got an A in math, biology, and piano! The piano was exploded so had to mime the re...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Ashley Jesus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sometimes, when you're put into a tough situation, you need to grow up, be mature, take care of others before yourself. Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic is the story of a typical 13 year old journal writing girl, except for the fact that she has to deal with one thing most teenagers don't. Zlata lives in Sarajevo, where a war is currently going on. Zlata must grow up and stay strong for her family and friends. She is taken out of school, piano lessons, and forced to temporarily skip through her...more

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Jan 16, 2009 Kathleen Hagen added it

Shelves: 2007-audio-books, 2007-nonfiction

Zlata’s Diary: a Child’s Life in Wartime Serayevo
Zlata Filipovic,
produced by Penguin Young Readers Group and Audible. Narrated by Eve Bianco.
This is the reprinting of the original diary which was printed in the mid-90’s. It was reprinted in 2005 and recorded by Audible this year. I must note here that while Audible provides a great number of books, it doesn’t usually produce them. Its own productions, to my mind, are not recorded with as high a quality as other professional productions. Other...more

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May 09, 2013 Eric rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I'm not sure how to rate this book. If I rate it as a fifth grade student writing sample, it would get full marks. As a diary, I don't really have any say in how it is presented. I would give the translation one star because of a lack of consistency in voice. As a war memory, I would give three. So, in the end I rated it on how I would rate any book: as how meaningful and well-written the book was. The book did bring to light how war might feel to a young girl, although most of the diary was fil...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Daniel Wheeler rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After having some interest in the Bosnian War in the 1990s I thought I’d pick up the book titled Zlata’s Diary, a wartime journal written by the Anne Frank of her time, Zalta Flipovic.
Zaltia Filipovic is the main antagonist who is a 10 year old girl living in Sarajevo,currently the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. One thing that I liked about the book was that the action picked up pretty quickly and that there was not much of an exposition.The exposition was probably only five to ten pages. Mos...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Emily M. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-nd-quarter-books

Zlata’s Diary By Zlata Filipović
197 pages
Non-fiction/Autobiography

This is an interesting diary over 28 months of Zlata’s life in Sarajevo. During this time of this twelve year olds life, she experiences the “Terrible. Horrible. Boredom. Shooting. Shelling. People being killed. Despair. Hunger. Misery. Fear. Stop shooting. Unhappy.” part of war. She starts out as an everyday schoolgirl and ends as a child known around the world. She experiences the ups and downs of war. In the beginning she was...more Zlata’s Diary By Zlata Filipović
197 pages
Non-fiction/Autobiography

This is an interesting diary over 28 months of Zlata’s life in Sarajevo. During this time of this twelve year olds life, she experiences the “Terrible. Horrible. Boredom. Shooting. Shelling. People being killed. Despair. Hunger. Misery. Fear. Stop shooting. Unhappy.” part of war. She starts out as an everyday schoolgirl and ends as a child known around the world. She experiences the ups and downs of war. In the beginning she was scared, worried, and so dreadful of what would happen during the war. She writes in her diary, which she calls Mimmy. At first sight of war, shelling, and shooting the family would go and hide in the cellar until it was safe. Many birthdays had to be celebrated during the time of war and the family and friends tried there hardest to make it the best time possible. Even the smallest gift of food, water, or household items were considered almost life saving. Being war most of it is not fun and games. Many, many people and things died. The Filipović family (Zlata’s) had many family members die. A couple of those people were not people. It was Chicko. The family’s beloved bird. He was known as a part of the family and had been with them for seven years. It was his time to leave the world though. Another thing that died this war was adorable Cici. She was an orange cat that Zlata’s family saved during war. She was pregnant and died because her poor little kitten body couldn’t produce her litter. Cici and Chicko were both buried in the back yard. Meanwhile the war gets longer and longer, and worse and worse. The war goes on longer while the electricity, gas, and water go on and off it can be days or weeks before it goes back on. There is a huge shortage of food and water. The war goes on part of Mimmy (diary) gets published. It is news around the world. Many reporters come and interview and, take pictures of Zlata. She slowly but surely accepts the war into her life style. In the epilogue, Zlata gets to leave Sarajevo and go to Paris! Goodbye family but most importantly, war.

I gave this book 5 stars because I normally don’t like nonfiction books about war. This book I really enjoyed. It used not only language that I understood but presented it to me in a unique way. I find this story interesting, funny, sad, and inspiring. Zlata tells if you just survive life, it will turn bright.
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Oct 23, 2012 Kennedy Kish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book Review
Kennedy Kish

The book I am reviewing is Zlata’s Diary a Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo written by Zlata Filipovic. This book is a memoir about her life during the Bosnian war in 1922. Zlata was 11 years old at the time. She had to experience things that she would of never of dreamed off. As an 11 year old girl you should not hear bombs, shells, and gun shots all around you. An 11 year old should not have to be scared to walk out her own house or watch as a shell come down on the par...more

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May 04, 2012 Tanya added it

Zlata's Diary is the journal kept by an almost 11 year old Zlata beginning towards the end of 1991. She lives a happy carefree life, enjoys school, lessons in Piano and tennis and vacations in Cronotina and Jahorina. However, her happy life is eclipsed by the violent conflict that leaves Sarajevo besieged following the break up of Yugoslavia. In her book "Zlata's Diary" she writes about the events and the experiences over more than two years, that toppled her peaceful and happy life and filled i...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Bria rated it 2 of 5 stars

I thought that this book was OK. That is just my opinion because we had to read it for a project in Language Arts. This book is about Zlata Filipovic and her struggles during wartime in Sarajevo. I think that this was one of the better books that you HAVE to read for school unlike some of the other ones who dont deserve any stars at all. I think the only reason that this book only gets 2 stars for me is probably because it is about wartime and that is not a type of book that I really like to rea...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Margaret added it

Shelves: 2008

A graphic firsthand look at the war in Sarajevo by a Croatian girl whose personal world has collapsed, this vivid, sensitive diary sounds an urgent & compelling appeal for peace. Filipovic begins her precocious journal in autumn 1991 as a contented 10-yr-old preoccupied w/ piano & tennis lessons & saturated w/ American movies, TV shows, books & rock music. Soon the bombs start falling; her friends are killed by shrapnel or snipers' bullets; her family's country house burns down,...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Apryl Anderson added it

(04.04.1994), What a disturbing book! I think about the crises I encountered at the ripe age of 12… my life read more like Cici’s: heartaches for Toms, etc. Anyway, this is a genuine piece of history. Anything else? It doesn’t change anything, does it? How ironic that Zlata refers to the politicians as “kids”— it’s maturity that a child should recognize utterly childish behavior. Why do these ‘kids’ try to kill each other by attacking the innocents? Even Evil should recognize the uselessness of...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I had always wanted to read this when I was younger but never got around to picking it up. I thought this would be a good companion piece to "The Cellist of Sarajevo". Zlata is 11 going on 12 when her diary begins and life is made up of school, music lessons, and friends. But then the shelling begins in March/April 1992, and Zlata's life gets progressively worse. Food becomes expensive and scarce. Furniture and other items are sold for money, or chopped up for firewood. Water and electricity get...more

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Jul 04, 2009 Rk rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bosnian War conflict, history, etc

Zlata’s diary is an autobiographical narrative of an eleven-year-old girl’s experiences during the Bosnian War and the siege of Sarajevo. The memoir account—which parallel’s Anne Frank’s diary in numerous ways—captures the horrors of war through a child’s eyes and conveys the mixed emotions, including fear, anger, and even, compassion, that result from her watching the mayhem unfold. Despite its vivid descriptions of bloodshed, violence, and death, the story car...more Bosnian War conflict, history, etc

Zlata’s diary is an autobiographical narrative of an eleven-year-old girl’s experiences during the Bosnian War and the siege of Sarajevo. The memoir account—which parallel’s Anne Frank’s diary in numerous ways—captures the horrors of war through a child’s eyes and conveys the mixed emotions, including fear, anger, and even, compassion, that result from her watching the mayhem unfold. Despite its vivid descriptions of bloodshed, violence, and death, the story carries strong themes of hope and survival, of tolerance and understanding.

The book contends with cultural clashes in Sarajevo that fueled the acts of genocide and war crimes that were committed during the Bosnian War. Zlata, who never reveals her background, often describes her close circle of family and friends, which includes, Croats, Serbs, and Muslims. She attributes the cause and discontents of war exclusively to the failure of politicians, who are said to have created divisions between the different ethnic/religious groups. She contends, at one point, “Ordinary people don't want this division, because it won't make anybody happy […:] but who asks ordinary people?" (May 4, 1993). Before reading the book, I knew very little about the country and its culture. Being a Muslim, I am somewhat familiar with the practices of Bosnian Muslims, but Zlata’s book makes little to no religious references. Though it may help to have some background knowledge of the political conditions in Bosnia that led to the civil war, new readers of Zlata’s Diary need not be familiar with the features of the Bosnian culture, as—in fact—Zlata is very much submerged in the American culture (i.e., watches MTV’s American Top 20, loves pizza) and so, many of her daily normal experiences are very relatable to the average American’s.

As mentioned, Zlata describes different aspects of both Bosnian and American culture, primarily that pertaining to the media and food. She recalls making cevapcici (grilled meat rolls) while visiting her grandparents in the beautiful town of Crnotina and talks about missing some of her favorite Bosnian sweet treats when war makes it hard to find them in the stores. She also talks about her Christmas experiences; about sleeping in on a Saturday morning after a long week; about going to her friend Ivana’s party; summer vacations; about watching her Grandmother make apple strudel; her piano and choir practice; and catching Top Gun. Her depictions of the cultures, though not in-depth, are believable and accurate. She embraces both cultures and straddles them without experiencing any real identity conflicts.

Although unresolved cultural conflicts escalated to war, throughout the book, Zlata tends to be more preoccupied with how the war directly affects her life more so than with its cause (the battle between cultures). The book is, nonetheless, a great interdisciplinary, primary source for both literacy and social studies classes as it contains the first-hand account of a teenager’s life prior to and during war. It gives clear records of the war—of the day-to-day bombings (the cause of her childhood friend’s death), of the TV news announcements, of Bosnia’s political realities and oppression. The book is age appropriate, accurate, and informative—and just a plain ol’ good read.(less)

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May 18, 2009 Michael VanZandt rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anyone who gives two stars to the diary of an eleven year old girl struggling to survive through war-torn Sarajevo must be cruel and heartless. He-he, uh, yeah ...

This is a firsthand account of the grotesque siege of Sarajevo from 1991 to 1993 [the siege lasted many months beyond the end:]. Janine di Giovanni, the American war journalist based in Europe -- who did much to give Zlata greater exposure in the mid-90's, defends this diary against criticism in the introduction. "No, she's not Anne Fr...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

This firsthand account of preteen Zlata Filipovic was heartbreaking to read, but it gave me a better insight into the Bosnian War of the 90s.

Zlata's view of the war and how it was affecting her life, her friends & relatives, her city and her country complemented the factual books that I've been reading about the war. Reading her diary helped me to understand that not all Bosnians defined themselves or each other by their ethnicity, and that the divisive views of the warring parties were n...more

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Jun 12, 2013 Daksha Chandra added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
The book Zlata’s Diary is about a girl who is living through a rough time in Sarajevo. Around Spring 1992 there was a war that had happened. The war had happened because of the political reason such as the leader needed a change, there was a terrorist attack during 1992 in Sarajevo which made the country unsafe to live in. Before the war Zlata had a normal life and acted like her own age but that all changed once the war had started. Zlata’s mum’s work place was destroyed and it was an issue for...more
The book Zlata’s Diary is about a girl who is living through a rough time in Sarajevo. Around Spring 1992 there was a war that had happened. The war had happened because of the political reason such as the leader needed a change, there was a terrorist attack during 1992 in Sarajevo which made the country unsafe to live in. Before the war Zlata had a normal life and acted like her own age but that all changed once the war had started. Zlata’s mum’s work place was destroyed and it was an issue for them because they needed it for their everyday living. Zlata and her family tried their best surviving in Sarajevo. During the war Zlata’s friends had to stay away from the country because it was not safe. Zlata couldn’t get away because they didn’t have enough money to flee to another country. When Zlata was living with the bombs and the violence around her she kept a diary to Mimi and she wrote all her thoughts down and what was happening around her.

The book Zlata’s diary is non fiction because this was an event that had happen when the war started and when Zlata died people found her diary entry and they made the book Zlata’s Diary. The authors social message is talking about how war changes people and their lifestyles. It affects close relationship which would make them lonely and scared. The main idea of the book would discuss about the history of the war in Sarajevo and how people defended themselves and survived when the war had took place during the novel. When Zlata was in the shelter she would write in the diary entry about what she saw and what was happening outside. Her words help the reader feel what was going on during the war.

At the start I thought that the book was very violent. When I was reading the book I enjoyed myself in the beginning when Zlata’s life is light and happy in school and then suddenly it turns dark and mysterious when she came back home and her mum told her the news that her friends would be leaving the country because of the war. She was stunned by what her mum was saying on what had happen to the people and where they went When I read the book it felt as if I was in the place where the war had started and it felt unpleasant. I found some of the parts of the book difficult to understand.I think this book was effective because it helped the reader understand what was going in the story and it helped me understand on how it was like getting on with the war and finding shelter if the bomb had come. My opinion on the book would be if Zlata had the option to run away then I think that she should have an option to bring her family members but since her mum place didn’t go that well it would be hard for Zlata surviving with her friends gone to another country,(less)

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May 27, 2013 Dalilah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reading someone else's diary is a great way to make you step in someone else's shoes. "Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo" by Zlata Filipovic is a story that describes exactly what the people in Bosnia went through during the Bosnian civil war. She is known as the "Anne Frank of Sarajevo."
Before the war began, 13 year old, Zlata Filipovic was living a great and happy life in Sarajevo, Bosnia. She had been keeping a diary since 1991. She loved pop music, talking about boys, had m...more Reading someone else's diary is a great way to make you step in someone else's shoes. "Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo" by Zlata Filipovic is a story that describes exactly what the people in Bosnia went through during the Bosnian civil war. She is known as the "Anne Frank of Sarajevo."
Before the war began, 13 year old, Zlata Filipovic was living a great and happy life in Sarajevo, Bosnia. She had been keeping a diary since 1991. She loved pop music, talking about boys, had many girlfriends and loved to go to the park after school every day. "Behind me-- a long, hot summer and the happy days of summer holidays; ahead of me--a new school year. I'm starting fifth grade. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends at school, to be together again," (Filipovic 1).
That plan changed on March 1st, 1992. That was when Zlata's life changed and she saw her whole world fall apart right in front of her eyes. Throughout the beginning of the book, small crimes happened in different cities that were lead up to the start of the war. Zlata did not realize the danger that was coming in the future.
"Today is Bajram. There aren't many people in the streets. I guess it's fear of the stories about Sarajevo being bombed. But there's no bombing. Thank god!" (Filipovic 31). Zlata tried to stay positive and believe it wasn't really happening.
A few months later, her friends died while they were playing in the park, no one is allowed to go to school, no electricity, no water, and they're all huddled in the basement of the building because the top floors have been completely destroyed. "You know, Mimmy, we've had no water or electricity for ages. When I go out and when there's no shooting it's as if the war were over, but this business with the electricity and water, this darkness, this winter, the shortage of wood and food, brings me back to earth and then I realize that the war is still on," (Filipovic 114).
As the war was getting worse and more and more people were dying Zlata had more outbreaks. “This stupid war is destroying my childhood, it’s destroying my parents’ lives. WHY? STOP THE WAR! PEACE! I NEED PEACE!” (Filipovic 115) Zlata was struggling. She felt as though she was alone in her own world. Her parents weren’t the same. Her friends were gone. This was the worst part of the war. Zlata finally had a reality check and realized that this is going to be her new lifestyle for now.
A year later, the war was still going on. “God, it’s June already. I got an A on my math test today, so I’m HAPPY. But I have biology to study, so I’m UNHAPPY,” (Filipovic 155). Zlata figured out how to take one day at a time and take joy out of the little things. It feels better to be unhappy about studying biology then thinking about the big picture about what is happening in the world.
I really enjoyed reading this book because my parents were going through the same thing as Zlata was. It was hard for me to understand what they were going through and reading this book really showed me exactly what they went through and how they felt. My favorite part of the book is when she was bumped into her piano teacher on the street that she hadn’t seen for a year. They were hugging and kissing and decided to go back to Zlata’s house and play a few pieces together to catch up. That really shows how passionate they both are with piano playing and how they could take their minds off the war and enjoy life for a few moments by doing what they love. I didn’t really like how descriptive she was with the deaths in the street but she is a kid and she was describing what she saw and how it made her feel. I really liked the book and it gave me the idea to write in my own diary every day.
Zlata Filipovic is the strongest person I know. As a 13 year old girl, getting yourself through hard times like that, seeing the positive and being happy, that shows strength and maturity. "Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo" by Zlata Filipovic is a story that describes exactly what the people in Bosnia went through during the Bosnian civil war. (less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, audio, middle-grade, middle-school, non-fiction, to-recommend, biography

I have heard of this book for many years, but not being a fan of Ann Frank, I never picked it up. I'm so glad I did! Zlata Filopovic is wise beyond her years, and the story is powerful in her sincerity--if it were fiction I would think it was too obviously plotted, but truth is often more compelling than fiction. From documenting her life as a regular 11-year-old girl managing school and social life she genuinely records and responds to living in a war zone. Remarkably, she recognizes when event...more

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May 04, 2012 Amy Singhsachakul added it

This is a story about a young 11 year old girl named Zlata Filipovic it is a non fiction story.She starts off writing in her diary about her normal everyday life, then she gradually starts to write about the war in Bosnia during 1992 and how it affects her childhood and family.She also writes about what she thinks people/children might be feeling. This story is about a young girl that is forced to mature at a much faster rate. I enjoyed reading this book because it is written in a different styl...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Pearl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, history

I've had this book as long as I can remember. My mother bought for me a child and I've just read it now as a twenty one year old, due to the fact I have a friend who was born and grew up in Sarajevo before arriving in Australia after the war finally was over. She say's she can't really remember what happened as she was so young, but I got a some what glimpse from reading this book how it would of been like for her and most notably her parents who are Muslim.

Though, it is not as amazing as the l...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think this is a great book! Zlata's straightforward assessment of all that goes on around her is engaging. Even though she is frustrated by all the suffering and she complains about the politics and all that she doesn't understand, she also speaks with startling clarity in places. Here is my favorite part:

"I keep wanting to explain these stupid politics to myself, because it seems to met hat politics caused this war, making it our everyday reality. War has crossed out the day and replaced it w...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Laina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-2012

My rating: 3 out of 5

Like so many books written during wartime, Zlata's Diary offers the unique and important perspective that only a child can offer. As the war continues we see Zlata struggle but grow into a smart young girl who begins to tackle complex issues in her diary such as politics and religion.

Plot summary:
Zlata's Diary begins as the day-today record of the life of a typical eleven-year-old girl, preoccupied by piano lessons and birthday parties. But as war engulfs Sarajevo, Zlata Fi...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Ellie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

5 stars for Zlata's story, 2 stars for the editor's side of things.

When I read a memoir diary of a child surviving in a war situation, I require several things.

1. An adequate preface describing the war situation providing me with historical context and an idea of why the child is in this war situation in the first place.

2. MAPS. Goodness gracious, give me maps. I'm going to pull out my ignorant American hat and let you all know that I wasn't sure at all where Sarajevo was at all before reading t...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Jill rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel like an insensitive and cruel douchebag for only giving this book two stars.

This is the diary of a real girl who lived during the war in Bosnia in the early 1990s. I read this book when I was little - I'd say probably third grade or so, and I loved it. Looking back, I think it's just because I liked the idea that this girl had a diary and so did I... I don't know.

Reading it now left a bit to be desired. First, there was absolutely no background story about this war. I had no idea who was...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Lexi rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Girls

Shelves: non-fiction, young-adult

I feel bad for not really liking this book... It is a diary of a girl in Sarajevo in the 90's during the Bosnian War.. Don't get me wrong, the diary is interesting, but I was hoping for something deeper and more descriptive.. You know.. Like Anne Frank. The entries are very repetitive, Bombing. Shooting. No electricity.. She didn't really go in to details about herself, or describe the house, or really any details at all.. I think the real greatness of this book is that at the time it brought a...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Mad_Maudie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in reading about the war in Sarajevo

Recommended to Mad_Maudie by: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Shelves: bio-auto-memoir, historical-history, holocaust-genocide-war, ya-and-or-kids

This autobiography was written over a two-year period in the life of Zlata Filipovic while she and her family were struggling to survive the war in Sarajevo. Her writing is very "matter of fact," and she shows remarkable insight for a child, but I guess war makes children grow up and mature much faster than they should. I know many people can't resist comparing Zlata's Diary to The Diary of Anne Frank, but I don't think the comparison is really necessary or fair as each account stands alone on i...more

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About Zlata Filipović

Zlata Filipović is a Bosnian-Croat writer and author of the book Zlata's Diary.
From 1991 to 1993, she wrote in her diary (called "Mimy") about the horrors of war in Sarajevo, through which she was living. Some news agencies and media outlets labeled her the "Anne Frank of Sarajevo". Unlike Frank, however, Zlata and her family all survived and escaped to Paris in 1993 where they stayed for a year....more

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“It looks to me as though these politics mean Serbs, Croats and Muslims. But they are all people. They are all the same. They all look like people, there's no difference. They all have arms, legs and heads, they walk and talk, but now there's "something" that wants to make them different.” — 7 people liked it

“How you can come to love an animal! She doesn't talk, but she speaks with her eyes, her paws, her meows, and I understand her.” — 2 people liked it

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Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo

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