Below please find a collected list of primary works such as war journals, memoirs and other books. This list is in no way complete; however, it draws upon Bosniak authors as well as western journalists who were witness to the events of the Bosnian War and serves as a starting point for further research. Further down the page you will find local news reporting from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, documents from the National Security Archives and JFK Library, and a set of primary source databases.
Roy Gutman, A Witness to Genocide (New York: Macmillan, 1993) [This book is not a memoir, but a collection of Gutman’s reporting in Bosnia from 1992.]
Zlatko Dizdarevic, Sarajevo: A War Journal (New York: Fromm Intl, 1993)
Zlata Filipović, Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo (New York: Penguin Group, 1994)
Senahid Halilovic, The Fate of Srebrenica (California: CreateSpace Publishing, 1995)
Emir Suljagić, Postcards from the Grave (London: Saqi Books, 2005)
Nadja Halilbegovich, My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary (Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2006)
Judith Armatta, Twilight of Impunity: The War Crimes Trial of Slobodan Milosevic (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010)
Snježana Marinković, Born in Sarajevo (San Antonio, TX: Gypsy Shadow Publishing Company, 2011)
Atka Reid and Hana Schofield, Goodbye Sarajevo: A True Story of Courage, Love and Survival (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011)
Barbara Demick, Logavina Street (New York: Random House, 2012)
Kenan Trebincevic, The Bosnia List: A Memoir of War, Exile, and Return (New York: Penguin Group, 2014)
Hasan Hasanović, Surviving Srebrenica (United Kingdom: The Lumphanan Press, 2016)
Mirsad Solakovic, The Boy Who Said Nothing: A Child’s Story of Fleeing Conflict (Chicago: John Blake Publishing, 2017)
Nadija Mujagic, Immigrated: A Memoir (Omaha, NE: Pioneer Publishing, 2021)
Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and Laura L. Sullivan, The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, And Survival (New York: Bloombury Children’s Books, 2020)
Scott O’Grady with Jeff Coplon, Return with Honor (New York: Doubleday, 1995)
Julia Lieblich and Esad Boskailo, Wounded I Am More Awake: Finding Meaning after Terror (Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press, 2012).
Clea Koff, The Bone Woman: A Forensic Anthropologist’s Search for Truth in The Mass Graves of Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia, And Kosovo (New York: Random House, 2004)
Aleksandar Hemon, The Book of My Lives (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013) [A collection of short stories all pertaining to the Bosnian War and Genocide.]
Kofi Annan with Nader Mousavizadeh, Interventions: A Life in War and Peace (New York: Penguin Press, 2012)
Eric Greitens, “Bosnia,” in The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, The Making of a Navy SEAL (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011), 47-64.
Below is a list of newspaper articles published in the local journal The Sentinel: a daily newspaper based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, serving the Harrisburg/Carlisle metropolitan area.* These articles encompass reports of hardships faced in the construction of the Bosniaks Islamic Cultural Center and other stories pertaining to the Carlisle-based Bosniak community. These articles are listed in chronological order (oldest to newest).
Sandy Evans, “Gifts Arrive in Bosnia,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Mar. 6, 2003. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Gifts-Arrive-In-Bosnia/Article_Edd66041-3c8d-5a58-866e-704e5c922dd1.Html
John Hilton, “New Citizens Had Hard Work, Many Changes,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Jun. 14, 2003.Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/New-Citizens-Had-Hard-Work-Many-Changes/Article_F24d4c24-C0b7-5fc0-B6b4-7fc6a94d4b58.Html
Tiffany Pakkala, “Bosnian Native Goes All Out Preparing Feast,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Nov. 5, 2003. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Bosnian-Native-Goes-All-Out-Preparing-Feast/Article_24be299d-9d6c-5738-Ba7b-52f0e69b7ae8.Html
Tatiana Zarnowski, “Families Work to Help Bosnian,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), May 10, 2005. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Families-Work-To-Help-Bosnian/Article_515b5775-A7d6-5db9-95e0-7753db117db0.Html
John Hilton, “Bosnian Immigrants to Gain Citizenship,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Jun. 7, 2005. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Bosnian-Immigrants-To-Gain-Citizenship/Article_29c8f208-56b5-5612-Bf8e-6fcb0a13c87a.Html
Tatiana Zarnowski, “Immigrants Proud of American Offspring,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Jun. 8, 2005. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Immigrants-Proud-Of-American-Offspring/Article_36624f22-75ec-5761-9c79-699b0c24ab93.Html
Sean Smyth, “Bosnian Family Wins Citizenship,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Sep. 12, 2005. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Bosnian-Family-Wins-Citizenship/Article_39d880f3-7591-5444-Add5-78058534ac8b.Html
John Hilton, “New Americans: 50 Sworn in from 20 Countries,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Jun. 8, 2007. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/New-Americans/Article_Bed81e45-E2ae-504a-93e9-053c57f3cb01.Html
Andrea Ciccocioppo, “Islamic Center Near OK On Alexander Spring Road,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Mar. 19, 2008. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Islamic-Center-Near-Ok-On-Alexander-Spring-Road/Article_137321da-72c1-51ac-B85c-Cc16d46f5a3a.Html
Sentinel Staff, “Sentinel Morning Update: Objectors Open Case Against Newville Road Terminal,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Mar. 19, 2008. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Sentinel-Morning-Update-Objectors-Open-Case-Against-Newville-Road-Terminal/Article_5b9966c7-Dc84-52da-Bf7a-5dbdf2add652.Html
Daniel Walmer, “West Pennsboro Township Officials Vote Down Bosniak[s] Cemetery,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Mar. 23, 2015. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Local/West-Pennsboro-Township-Officials-Vote-Down-Bosniak-Cemetery/Article_C8586d8b-3f64-50ad-Bd1a-420fb804a275.Html
John Maietta, “Guest Editorial: Lessons from Bosnia,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Aug. 20, 2015. Https://Cumberlink.Com/Print-Specific/Column/Guest-Editorial-Lessons-From-Bosnia/Article_B310cd85-3eda-5304-910b-F72188b97169.Html
Joseph Cress, “Club at Bellaire Teaches Students About Preserving a Culture,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Oct. 23, 2015. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Local/Communities/Carlisle/Club-At-Bellaire-Teaches-Students-About-Preserving-A-Culture/Article_88fe7715-64cd-587f-A2d4-E4d737693aa8.Html
Jake Austin, “Cedar Cliff Senior Uses Dance to Express Culture,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Dec. 20, 2015. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Local/Teen_Of_The_Week/Cedar-Cliff-Senior-Uses-Dance-To-Express-Culture/Article_Bf12bdf2-1a4a-54d9-B2cd-835a455a1286.Html
Mallory Merda, “Semsa Alic Finds Her Peace After Surviving Bosnian War,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Jan. 31, 2016. Https://Cumberlink.Com/Sports/High-School/Wrestling/Semsa-Alic-Finds-Her-Peace-After-Surviving-Bosnian-War/Article_Be047bb5-9db7-5393-8858-D0685b5eb636.Html
Joshua Vaughn, “Ask/Answered: Fate of Islamic Cemetery,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), May 4, 2016. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Opinion/Blogs/Ask_Answer/Ask-Answered-Fate-Of-Islamic-Cemetery/Article_F77069cf-A315-54ec-B1ce-D9b11d1cdeb3.Html
Joshua Vaughn, “One Carlisle: Tackling Cultural Segregation in Carlisle,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Feb. 17, 2017. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Local/Communities/Carlisle/One-Carlisle-Tackling-Cultural-Segregation-In-Carlisle/Article_98b6d799-Accb-5361-80d4-F4b3492e95b6.Html
Mallory Merda, “Fueled by Parents’ Stories from Bosnian War, Cedar Cliff’s Sarija Brgulja Paved a Road to a Better Future,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), May 31, 2017. Https://Cumberlink.Com/Sports/High-School/Soccer/Fueled-By-Parents-Stories-From-Bosnian-War-Cedar-Cliffs-Sarija-Brgulja-Paved-A-Road-To/Article_8c725477-567b-5f00-Ab8a-E4b5d15825c4.Html
Sentinel Staff, “YWCA Carlisle, Bosnian Community Center to Host Free Community Dinner,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Aug. 30, 2017. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Local/Ywca-Carlisle-Bosnian-Community-Center-To-Host-Free-Community-Dinner/Article_6da1c474-57e0-5afa-8d27-7787b67d7f62.Html
Tammie Gitt, “Cumberland County Top 10: Faith Plays Vital Role in Cumberland County Life,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Feb. 26, 2018. Https://Cumberlink.Com/Cumberland-County-Top-10-Faith-Plays-Vital-Role-In-Cumberland-County-Life/Article_557e37fe-87cc-5553-A8db-0020b86a00c1.Html
Tammie Gitt, “Carlisle Event Focuses on Bosnian Genocide and Path to Justice, Hope,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Oct. 14, 2019. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Local/Communities/Carlisle/Carlisle-Event-Focuses-On-Bosnian-Genocide-And-Path-To-Justice-Hope/Article_3759066f-6926-5eea-B9fe-0cba08ae31f2.Html
Tammie Gitt, “Carlisle Bosnian Community to Mark 26th Anniversary of Massacre with Walk, Program,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Jul. 8, 2021. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Local/Communities/Carlisle/Carlisle-Bosnian-Community-To-Mark-26th-Anniversary-Of-Massacre-With-Walk-Program/Article_671710f7-Ec5e-5b9a-98c7-3bacf4fb8326.Html
Tammie Gitt, “Carlisle Community Gathers to Commemorate 26th Anniversary of Bosnian Massacre,” The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), Jul. 11, 2021. Https://Cumberlink.Com/News/Local/Communities/Carlisle/Carlisle-Community-Gathers-To-Commemorate-26th-Anniversary-Of-Bosnian-Massacre/Article_935f8f89-7930-5f49-B2c7-3c0a9e2d86af.Html
*Please note that most of these articles are behind a paywall. However, The Sentinel offers a range of affordable and short-term subscription options.
In the year 2003, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library and Museum held a series of forums touching upon international hardships faced in the past decade and the US response. Two of these forums discussed the Bosnian war and feature opinions and insight from renowned experts. These are listed below in chronological order.
John Shattuck, “Bystanders to Genocide” (Forum, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Washington, DC., February 3, 2003). https://www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-awards/forums/past-forums/transcripts/bystanders-to-genocide-forum
Paul Kerk, “Human Rights Wars and America’s Response” (Forum, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Washington, DC., December 9, 2003).https://www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-awards/forums/past-forums/transcripts/human-rights-wars-and-americas-response
The National Security Archive is a key database for any researcher investigating US and UN response to the events of the Bosnian War. Below is a collected list of a few government reports and correspondences. These are not all the sources the archive has to offer (in either print or in a digital form) however, they represent the diversity of the archive and serve as a reference point.
William Clinton and Boris Yeltsin, “Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, President Bill Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin,” William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, October 5, 1993. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/19811-national-security-archive-doc-07-memorandum
United Nations, “United Nations Security Council, Statue of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,” May 25, 1993. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/18561-national-security-archive-united-nations
Lieutenant General Rupert Smith to Main Staff of the Republika Srpska Army, “Warning to the Bosnian Serbs,” UNPROFOR, Jul 9, 1995. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/15901-document-02-warning-bosnian-serbs
Ratko Mladic of the Republika Srpska Army to Lieutenant General Rupert Smith, “Re: Warning to the Bosnian Serbs,” UNPROFOR, Jul 10, 1995.https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/15906-document-07-letter-mladic-smith
Col. Thom Karremans, “Deteriorating Situation in Srebrenica,” International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY), Jul 9, 1995. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/15900-document-01-deteriorating-situation-srebrenica
Alexander (Sandy) Vershbow to Tony Lake, “Massacres at Srebrenica,” Clinton Library and The National Security Archive FOIA, Jul 25, 1995. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/15912-document-13-massacres-srebrenica
The Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, “General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Dayton Agreement,” The United Nations, Nov. 29, 1995. https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/BA_951121_DaytonAgreement.pdf
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, “Prosecutor v. Slobodan Miloševic,” Decision on Motion for Judgment of Acquittal, June 16, 2004. https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/18509-national-security-archive-international-criminal
The list below compiles primary-source databases as well as previous completed and ongoing projects that tell the stories of those who experienced and witnessed the Bosnian war of the 1990s.
Boston University Bosnian Genocide database: https://library.bu.edu/genocides/bosnia
EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History (Selected Transcriptions, Facsimiles and Translations) database on the History of Bosnia and Herzegovina: https://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina:_Primary_Documents#Independence_and_Bosnian_War_.281992.E2.80.931995.29
Clinton Digital Library’s Bosnian Declassified Records related to the Director of Central Intelligence Interagency Balkan Task Force (BTF): https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/collections/show/37
The United Nations digital archive for sources relating to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia: https://www.icty.org/
Remembering Srebrenica: a collection of survivor accounts and testimonies: https://srebrenica.org.uk/category/survivor-stories
44 Months Under Siege: A digital timeline chronicling the Siege of Sarajevo with video interviews and news footage for each month of the siege: https://mjeseciopsade.detektor.ba/en
The AP digital archive includes videos depicting the war, refugee experiences, grave exhumation attempts and the collapse of the Geneva Peace Plan: http://www.aparchive.com/compilationsclipreel/41675/19606/conflicts_te
Bosnia Herzegovinian Newspapers: Database of 20 newspapers out of Bosnia as well as the Balkan region (sources in Serbian, Bosnian, English and Russian) https://onlinenewspapers.com/bosnia-herzegovina.shtml
Collection of historical maps of Bosnia collected by the University of Texas at Austin: https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/bosnia.html
Many public libraries have extensive archives or on-location collections that discuss the Bosnian War or Bosnian immigration to America in some capacity. Consider checking availability at local branches, or consider the Philadelphia Public Library system: https://www.freelibrary.org/ (Note that most of the sources that can be found here are designated for only “in-library” use.)