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The Cat I Never Named  By  cover art

The Cat I Never Named

By: Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Laura L. Sullivan
Narrated by: Leila Buck
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Publisher's summary

It is 1992, and Bihac, Amra's hometown, is a multicultural city with Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. But when tensions escalate, the Serbs turn on their Bosnian neighbors. The Serbs control the army, and now they have peaceful Bihac surrounded.

Soon Amra and her family are dealing with starvation and the threat of brutal violence; school, friendships, and the attentions from a new boy have to take a back seat to finding food and the tragic fallout from rising bigotry and ethnic hatred. Through it all, a stray cat, Maci, serves as a guardian spirit to the entire family.

©2020 Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and Laura L. Sullivan (P)2021 Recorded Books

What listeners say about The Cat I Never Named

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Amazing story

I’m a teacher and we are having our ninth grade students read this book. The story is very engaging and I cannot recommended it enough!

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great book

loved how with book is written. Full of emotions and yet so sophisticated. Amra's story is so relatable and timeless. The narrator was greatly chosen, her voice is perfect for this type of story.

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Amazing true story!

A phenomenal book and a phenomenal story which is a must read!
Thanks Amra for sharing it. We must never forget about the cruelties and the war which reckoned so many lives.
Read to learn and to never forget.

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A Story Everyone Needs To Read!

This is a true story of resilience, faith, and terror, yet the story of this family’s love for each other - despite betrayals - makes it easier to read about. I could not put it down, yet I couldn’t bear for it to end. I have told everyone I know to read this book and I cannot wait for the discussions we will have. It’s a story that will stay with you for a very ling time.

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Deserves More Stars

One of the best stories I’ve ever listened to. If I could give more than five stars, I would.

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Amazing!!

I will be recommending this book to all of my friends. It was beautifully written and told. The story was an engaging and painfully beautiful tale of the importance of family and perseverance. Everyone should read this!

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Beautiful story!

I laughed and cried listening to this story. True meaning of love and survival. Bravo!

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This should be required reading!

I sincerely hope that more people will take the time to stop and listen/read this book, especially if they personally know Bosnian people whom had their lives shaped by the Bosnian War. This book has really opened my eyes to how much that war was seemingly glossed over from my experience growing up in the USA both in media at the time as well as in school.

The painful "Othering" highlighted in this book is so relevant today. I have a dear friend whom lives in a Scandinavian country, he has lived there since he was a young child, learning the language, customs, and culture and trying to live a normal life. It seems so unreal when he tells me of the discrimination, harassment, and poor treatment his family has always received as far back as he can remember. This book has really shown me that ignorance, hatred, and fear of people different from ourselves is a global issue.

This is the type of book that should be required reading in school because it puts humanity on the center stage and demonstrates how similar all humans really are, once you go beneath the surface.

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So many emotions!

Great read, but emotional. I am a cat lover and understand the heartache of loosing Matty

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Amazing

I am stunned by the way you brought your story to life
I was almost 14 when the war in Bosnia started, your story brought some suppressed memories back to life.
Although I didn’t live there during the war my dad sent us to Croatia with the last train that left Bosanski Novi
Parts of you book made me laugh and some made me cry
I am so proud of you of all of us that survived to be able to tell our stories regardless how small or big they are
Thank you for putting this in the book and for the world to be able to get at least a glimpse of what happened during the war
Thank you

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