The Discussion of The Cellist of Sarajevo starts here

[Laureen]

Please start your discussions of our June book here

[Jayme]

I just finished The Cellist of Sarajevo and am amazed at how many different themes are in this small, but powerful book. "How quickly people lose their humanity in defending their right to live" I think is the one theme that really resonated with me. Life is always about choices and we choose how to live in war and in peace. Great book.

[Chris]

Kept me tense and on the edge all the way through. Very very good book. Constantly made me wonder what my hometown - and my way of life - would be like in similar conditions.

[Laureen]

I agree with both Jayme and Chris. How quickly do people lose their humanity when defending their right to live? How often do we hear or even say to ourselves that we could not kill another human being or that we couldn't just stand by and let another human being harmed, but do we really know until that time comes what we would do to survive? Or to ensure the survival of those we love? Or the town or country we love? What makes a hero and where is that line drawn - is it killing the enemy, the enemy's family, running and cowering so we can stay alive so we can keep scavenging food and water for our kids? Or is it as simple as playing music to help everyone forget how much they hate for a few minutes each day?

[Diane]

Sorry, I am a little late in posting. I loved this book. It was so well-written and very thought-provoking. I wondered, too, how different the town I lived in and my neighbors might be in a similar situation.