Not My Turn To Die; Memoirs of a Broken Childhood in Bosnia, By Savo Heleta

During the early 1990s the civilized world watched the destructive war in Bosnia from afar, on TV sets, as if the horror movie they watched would end, or disappear, every time the TV set was turned off.

For Savo Heleta, there was no turning off a TV set; there was no way to make the fear go away; and there was no way to escape from the terror that besieged Gorazde during the Bosnian war.

For two harrowing years, while the city of Gorazde was bombarded by Serb artillery and sniper fire, Savo, lived with his family in fear, detention, humiliation and starvation in the Muslim-controlled city that, once the war arrived there, turned neighbor against neighbor. Any Serbs left in the city were abused, threatened, humiliated and detained in makeshift prisons, where they lived in fear of both the Muslim policemen ‘guarding’ them, and of the Serb artillery shells that would land all around them.

Savo’s story evokes emotion, and on occasion will bring you to tears. As you read of this young man and his little sister watching their parents and grandparents being hauled off to a most certain death, you think of how you would react if seeing the same thing happen to your parents and grandparents, who’ve protected you all their life, guided you, and now were powerless to a group of drunk madmen in uniform.

Most of all, Savo’s story is about courage, as he and his family relied on the strength of each other to survive. Savo’s grandfather, a very influential man before the war, and his grandmother would sacrifice everything just to know that their children and grandchildren were safe.

Savo’s father maintains his humanity when all is lost, and saves his last bits of food for his children to share, even while he is, quite literally, being worked near-to-death.

Savo’s younger sister shows us childhood and innocence, while in the throes of ethnic war, she and her younger Muslim friend play together, share a bag of candy, all the while not understanding what the madness and violence that surrounded them was about.

Savo’s parents deal with the fact that their children suffer because they did not leave the city, as many Serbs did, before the war arrived to Gorazde. They’re children, and family, would be safe if they had.

In the midst of war, Savo learns a valuable lesson about friendship, and the character of his grandfather, when someone was there to provide for the family when all seemed lost.

And Savo faces irony, when confronted with the fact that during a war that pitted one ethnicity or religion against another, Serbs were still being killed by Serb bullets.

The War in Bosnia was a war of propaganda and false hope, started by men who wanted power for themselves and thought little of civilian casualties. We often hear the stories of the atrocities committed against the Bosnian Muslims during the war, and now we see that the ethnic bloodshed and hatred was directed at everyone in Bosnia during those times.

In Savo’s words, he “realized that people cannot be divided into groups by ethnicity, religion, or any other feature, only into groups of good, bad and indifferent people.”

While the indifferent people stood by and ignored Europe’s worst bloodshed since World War II, the bad people continued to get drunk on both hatred and brandy, wage war on each other and terrorize innocent people; and the good people lived in constant fear and risked their lives to help other good people.

Some had faith in a United Nations that couldn’t unite, and later tried to have faith in Safe Havens, that weren’t safe. As the UN consistently demonstrated it’s futility during the war, the Red Cross could do nothing to help the dying citizens of Gorazde.

As the Serb gunmen advanced towards the city center on their final offensive on Gorazde, the Muslims wanted to eliminate any Serb left alive, so Savo’s family decided to escape, risking the cold, treacherous waters of the River Drina to swim to freedom.

It’s a testimony to the character and values of Savo’s Grandparents and Parents that he had the strength to survive this hatred and violence, and then follow the path that he chose to take, once the war was over.

As fighting eventually ceased, many in Bosnia could not cease the fight, as it re-ignited in Kosovo a few years later.

This book is a must-read. We get a first hand account of the horror that was the War in Bosnia, and a deep look into humanity, as innocent people became victims of an ethnic war that ravaged a country. Some chose to pick up guns and fight while others chose to protect the ones they loved while others chose to terrorize the innocent.

Once you start this book, you can’t put it down until Savo’s story is told. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotion that culminates in Savo’s encounter with a man that came to kill his family, and how his father stood there with him, side by side, beaten down after years of abuse and war, and helped his son make the decision that would set the course for the rest of his life.

Savo then borrowed one of his father’s greatest gifts, writing (his father was a journalist), to bring the memoirs of the Bosnian war to the world.

Savo, Good luck in all you do, and thank you for sharing your story. I know I’m a better person for having read this book, all that do read it will have a better understanding of what the War in Bosnia really entailed, and a better understanding of all sides of humanity. On behalf of myself, and all the people you have helped since the war ended, and all those you will encounter through your future endeavors, we’re certainly thankful that……It wasn’t your turn to die.

VFC gives this book Five outta Five stars. It’s a must-read.




Visit the Savo Heleta website at www.savoheleta.com