From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-In Kosovo, in 1998, Serbs and Albanians lead separate lives. Although Drita Binaku, an Albanian, and Zoran Sakic, a Serb, are neighbors, they don't meet until the summer before she is to enter high school. As tensions in their country escalate, Drita's Muslim family pulls her out of the school. She and Zoran continue to communicate through letters left in an old milk churn, and, after Dr. Gashi, her elderly tutor, hires Zoran as a handyman, they occasionally meet at the tutor's home. All three believe that friendship between the two cultures is the only way peace can be obtained. As the civil war heats up, each of the teenagers manages to warn the other's family, but neither they nor the NATO planes overhead can stop the wave of violence that culminates in a massacre in the village. Although Drita eventually returns to her village, she does not know if she will ever see Zoran again. Based on an actual incident, the story is clearly told, but it never really comes to life. The characters are sketchily drawn and their relationship is unclear. There is little to anchor this story in a particular culture, little to help American readers understand how that country could have splintered so badly.
Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DCCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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From the Back Cover
? ?We are the future, Drita. You and me. Albanian and Serb, good friends. It?s the way it must be in Kosovo.? When I think now how innocent we were, it makes me cry.?
It is early in 1999 when Drita, an Albanian, and Zoron, a Serb, become friends. They?re like any other teenagers, but this is Kosovo, and Serb-Albanian tension is rising. When they find that their families are now enemies, Drita and Zoron are forced to meet in secret. The events that follow are enough to destroy even the strongest friendship. Will their friendship survive?
Survivors is an unusual collection of fictional stories based on historical fact. Central to these stories are young people caught up in the conflicts and disasters of their time. Experience through their eyes the day-to-day hardships and dangers they encountered. Line illustrations capture the atmosphere of each story.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.