Acclaimed Author Amra Sabic-El-Rayess: Genocide Survivor and Educator on Compassion

This is a very special episode of The Dr. Rod Berger Show presented by Fair Observer! Dr. Berger dives into the story of a young woman amid warfare, emerging as a scholar and award-winning author depicting the power of life, friendship, and never-ending hope. 

From the author of the young adult memoir The Cat I Never Named—which received seven starred reviews and a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award—comes another epic memoir, this time for middle-grade readers, about coming-of-age in the years leading up to the Bosnian Genocide. Three Summers by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess is the story of five young cousins who grow closer than sisters, navigating the joys and pitfalls of adolescence as ethnic tensions escalate over three summers in 1980s Bosnia.

This is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for the next generation, aiming to build empathy and compassion in readers. Beginning with the tragic loss of her brother, Three Summers is Amra’s captivating tale of healing and coming-of-age through friendship that seamlessly weaves classic adolescent experiences of first crushes and pimple woes, against the backdrop of deeper, lesser-known historical events. Written with incredible warmth, Amra takes readers on a journey that will break their hearts and put them back together again.

With identity-based hate on the rise, Amra hopes her story will put faces and names and human identities to Muslim people and genocide survivors, like herself, so kids who are from different backgrounds can build empathy and start to look at each other with curiosity, not judgement. Complimentary backmatter will feature a history of the Bosnian War, author's note, timeline, and a family tree among other topics, since most readers will not learn about the Bosnian War in middle school.

Amra Sabic-El-Rayess grew up in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 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 is also the author of the critically acclaimed young adult memoir The Cat I Never Named.