Semi Finalist

Assessment:

Idea:  Mujagic's book will take the reader from Bosnia to Boston on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, acclimation, pain, and recovery. Her voice is poignant, comforting, and wise; the reader can tell through her suffering how she has grown and learned valuable life lessons and blossomed into an insightful young woman. She elegantly and humbly shares her knowledge with the reader through anecdotal experiences, playful storytelling, and somber realities concerning xenophobia, racism, domestic violence, and war. The book is strikingly honest, and an absolutely charming read. 

Prose: The prose feels like the winding roads of Bosnia - occasionally meandering, but with beautiful stops along the way. Mujagic takes the reader on a journey, and the sights are not always pretty or comfortable; regardless, she shares her insights and thoughts elegantly. Overall, the writing is beautiful, poetic, and powerful.

Originality: Being a small, often forgotten country in Eastern Europe, it is rare to find a book about Bosnia, and even rarer to find a book about a woman's experiences between her home country and the US. Mujagic has lived a unique life, and her memoir is equally compelling and original.

Character/Execution: Mujagic has done a beautiful job of sorting through her own tumultuous past, and is very much the center of her own story. Additional characters are finely and organically portrayed.

Date Submitted: October 01, 2021