Crossing the Other Side of the River

“Many children waited for their fathers for days, but they never came. Many mothers waited for their sons. Many sisters waited for their brothers. Many wives waited for their husbands. Many girls waited for their lovers… But they never came.” In her collection of 19 stories, Samira Osmanbegović-Bakšić brings to light the mercilessness of war by narrating the firsthand experiences of those who lived through it. The stories shed light on aspects of the war that we are not familiar with, such as children in orphanages being sold to Italians for adoption or Bosnian prisoners of war ending up in Serbian Hospitals, where they faced torture instead of receiving treatment. These are just a few facets of the war that remain unknown. Despite enduring every form of oppression and pain, these heroic individuals managed to endure and succeed in crossing to the other side of the river – their stories of resilience and survival.