The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival

by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Laura L. Sullivan

Overview

The stunning memoir of a Muslim teen struggling to survive in the midst of the Bosnian genocide-and the stray cat who protected her family through it all.

*Six Starred Reviews*
"Extraordinary." - Booklist | "A must-read." - School Library Journal | "Unforgettable." - Kirkus | "Gripping." - Foreword | "Excellent." - School Library Connection | "As timely as it is effective." - Publishers Weekly

A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist
A Capitol Choices Remarkable Book
A Mighty Girl Best Book
A Malala Fund Favorite Book Selection

In 1992, Amra was a teen in Bihac, Bosnia, when her best friend said they couldn't speak anymore. Her friend didn't say why, but Amra knew the reason: Amra was Muslim. It was the first sign her world was changing. Then Muslim refugees from other Bosnian cities started arriving, fleeing Serbian persecution. When the tanks rolled into Bihac, bringing her own city under seige, Amra's happy life in her peaceful city vanished.
But there is light even in the darkest of times, and she discovered that light in the warm, bonfire eyes of a stray cat. The little calico had followed the refugees into the city and lost her own family. At first, Amra doesn't want to bother with a stray; her family doesn't have the money to keep a pet. But with gentle charm this kitty finds her way into everyone's heart, and after a few near miracles when she seems to save the family, how could they turn her away?
Here is the stunning true story of a teen who, even in the brutality of war, never wavered in her determination to obtain an education, maintain friendships, and even find a first love-and the cat who gave comfort, hope, and maybe even served as the family's guardian spirit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781547604555
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Amra Sabic-El-Rayess grew up in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After surviving ethnic cleansing and more than 1100 days under the Serbs' military siege, she emigrated to the United States in 1996. By December 1999, she earned a BA in Economics from Brown University. Later, she obtained two masters degrees and a doctorate from Columbia University. Currently, she is a professor at Columbia University studying how and why societies fall apart and what role education can play in rebuilding decimated countries. She has published extensively on education-related issues, and has lectured around the world to adult and adolescent audiences. In her students' feedback, Amra is consistently praised as one of the most inspiring professors they have encountered. She lives in New York with her husband and two daughters.
sabicelrayess.org
@amrasabicPHD

Laura Sullivan is an author and seasoned collaborator of middle grade and young adult novels, including Under the Green Hill (Holt, 2010), Ladies in Waiting (HMH, 2012), and Love by the Morning Star (HMH, 2014). She collaborated with prolific producer and director Adam Shankman on Girl About Town (Atheneum, May, 2016), a Nick and Nora-styled mystery set in 1930s Hollywood, and the sequel. She also worked with YouTube star Joey Graceffa on the bestselling Children of Eden trilogy (Atria/Keywords). Her adult debut, Milady (Berkley) published in July 2019.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/19/2020

In her memoir about the transformative power of love, connection, and education, Sabic-El-Rayess revisits her life during the Bosnian civil war beginning shortly after her 16th birthday in 1992, and the ethnic cleansing of Muslims that she, her brother, and her parents survived at the hands of Serbs. Sabic-El-Rayess communicates the horrors of war—violence, starvation, and death—with frank detail. She also describes the community-building and connections borne amid the suffering, including the creation of a community garden and a makeshift school that allowed children a sense of normalcy and an opportunity to continue learning despite bombs and constant threats to lives. Central to Sabic-El-Rayess’s story is the titular “cat never named,” a stray who showed her reluctant family unconditional love, indirectly saving their lives multiple times. At once a story of an individual surviving horrifying circumstances and an unflinching exploration of the political and societal forces that breed ethnic hate and discrimination, Sabic-El-Rayess’s memoir is as timely as it is effective. Ages 12–up. Agents: Rob McQuilkin and Jason Anthony, Massie and McQuilkin. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gripping. . . . Sabic-El-Rayess's visual imagination is a slipstream. Amra's words have a subtle, relentless force, creating a world where life is a danger, a demand, and a warm, calico presence.” —Foreword Reviews (starred review)

“Boldly tackles the rawness of human emotion in times of severe distress. . . . Unforgettable.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An excellent discussion starter.” —School Library Connection (starred review)

"Her prose balances verve and gentleness as she discusses the horrors of war alongside moments of levity. . . . A must-read nonfiction addition." - School Library Journal (starred review)

"Exceptional. . . . The author has an extraordinary ability to recreate both the beauty and brutality of these years." - Booklist (starred review)

"[A] memoir about the transformative power of love, connection, and education. . . . as timely as it is effective." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This fast-paced, touching memoir reminds readers of the significance of the Balkan ethnic war, and places it into a larger conversation about the ways in which ethnically and religiously diverse societies are under threat from extremism and bigotry" - The Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2020

Gr 8 Up—Sabic-El-Rayess, a Bosnian Muslim teenage girl, was in danger when the Bosnian War (1992–95) made its way to her home city of Biha . Her memoir begins in 1992; the first chapter details her homecoming from Belgrade, Serbia. Her parents, who fiercely believed in the power of education, had sent their daughter away for school. Upon returning to Biha , Sabic-El-Rayess found that things had quickly changed. School was suspended, her Serbian friends disowned her before moving away, and bombings became a regular occurrence. Food was in short supply, and family and friends died. Yet there was one small constant source of hope: an ever-present cat that saved her family's life several times over the six years chronicled in the text. Moving chronologically, the climactic events follow the time line of the war. Sabic-El-Rayess's experience spotlights a significant historical event that may be unfamiliar to the target audience. She comprehensively addresses politics, genocide, rape camps, self-preservation, and, through it all, still being a teenager. Her prose balances verve and gentleness as she discusses the horrors of war alongside moments of levity, be it the cat or a love interest. The narrative is an innately human experience set against a backdrop of destruction and hatred. Her family's survival will pull readers into an emotional tale. VERDICT A hopeful story of a girl's survival and ultimate success. A must-read nonfiction addition to all libraries.—Alicia Abdul, Albany H.S., NY

School Library Journal

★ 2020-06-30
Now a professor in the U.S., Sabic-El-Rayess was 16 when the Serbian siege on her city of Bihać, Bosnia, began in 1992.

Overnight, her life changed: She went from being a typical teenager, excited about her new volleyball shoes and seven-tiered birthday cake, to fleeing bullets. It felt as if overnight Sabic-El-Rayess went from attending her multiethnic STEM school to learning that the Serbs in her life, including her best friend and her favorite teacher, had fled; having received advance warning, they left Muslims, like her family, and Catholics behind to endure the impending siege. Sabic-El-Rayess’ innocence was soon swept away by the realities of war: She witnessed homes being blown up, bombs killing her childhood friends, and deprivation turning people against each other. Sabic-El-Rayess found unexpected solace in adopting Maci (“cat” in Bosnian), a stray calico who followed a Muslim refugee family into town. Maci quickly became a source of comfort for the family, who even credited her with saving their lives. The story boldly tackles the rawness of human emotion in times of severe distress, putting on full display the ways war brings out both the best and worst in people. Sabic-El-Rayess’ viewpoint as an adolescent girl juxtaposes her dreams of the future against fears of losing loved ones, rape camps, and starvation. The crude realities of war are animated by the combination of both graphic scenes of violence and intimate displays of affection and warmth.

Unforgettable. (additional information, author’s note, resources) (Memoir. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews