The Sojourners

By: J. William Hauck

Narrated by: J. William Hauck

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

It is 1999, at the end of the bloody Kosovo War in which Christian Serbs have sought to eradicate the Albanian Muslims. As the brutal Serbian militia draws near, Jusuf Hasani must choose to flee to safety or stay with his defiant grandmother. When fellow Albanian, Sali Noli, joins the Kosovo Liberation Army to protect his family, his 11-year-old son Lek must help care for his four younger siblings as the Serbian militia closes in.

Captain Jack Richards and his company of US marines are ordered into Kosovo as peacekeepers, but the fighting is not over. The last holdouts of the ruthless Serbian militia and the vengeful Kosovo Liberation Army are still at work. As the four fight to survive and make sense of the world around them, their lives become intertwined and forever altered.

©2014 J. William Hauck (P)2018 J. William Hauck

Compelling Story

This was a compelling story of the conflict between good and evil, especially during civil war. The imagery is outstanding and the realism is heart-wrenching. This historical fiction helped me understand the horrors of religious ethnic cleansing and the often illusive nature of which side is right and which is corrupt. The story unfolds during the war in Kosovo and made me feel like I was actually there witnessing the events. The characters are diverse and dynamic. The narration, by the author, is animated and exciting to listen to.

I highly recommend this book!

Doing the Kosovo War justice with a riveting story

Within the first 30 minutes of listening you instantly know that this story is about something so horrifying and yet quite common in human history; religious war.
My brother's best friend and his family fled from Kosovo during this forgotten about war, and I always thought with the stories my brother's friend told that this could hold stories that would open the eyes to the realities of this religious horrifying cleansing.

Well, this day came with J. William Hauck's book.
I don't want to spoil, but J. William manages through historical fiction to bring this conflict to light in a way that you will remember it. And to top it off he also narrates the book himself and does it thoroughly engagingly! Having a raspy twang and pace to keep it interesting throughout.

Well done, and you are now on my radar.

A very compelling story of hope through human hardship

This was a fascinating listen! I knew very little about the conflict in Kosovo prior to listening to The Sojourners so it was very interesting—and sometimes heartbreaking—to learn about that bit of world history. This book made me feel a great deal for its characters and the true nation it’s based on.

I also think it worth noting that the reader is very captivating. No falling asleep while listening to this one like I do with some audiobooks.