The Cat I Never Named
The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival
by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan
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| https://www.sabicelrayess.org/book |
Biography
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| https://www.sabicelrayess.org/exclusive-listings |
Some writers adore the limelight
while others enjoy the shadows. Sullivan is an American writer who dwells in
numerous genres ranging from children’s fantasy to historical fiction. Based on
her blog, one can conclude that Sullivan avoids large crowds and labels herself
as a severe introvert. Although she strays from people, she loves to surround
herself with nature and a classic pencil and paper. A majority of her life is
spent outdoors, reading, or writing. Since most of her time is spent isolated,
Sullivan has contributed an abundant amount of books to the community, one of
her most famous being the Under the Green Hill Book Series. She
has written over 40 books for both
teens and adults and plans on writing more. She has received great praise for
her ability to write detailed, captivating, charming stories that entertain all
ages. Her stories are written unconventionally and realistic, making the reader
identify with the story and/or character(s). Sullivan’s writing,
specifically Under the Green Hill, has earned her a position on the Florida
Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List in 2014. Sullivan’s
accomplishments don’t end there as she continues to write and create literary
portals to new worlds for readers to unlock.
Co-writing alongside Sullivan is Dr.
Amra Sabic-El-Rayess. Sabic-El-Rayess was born and raised in Bihac, Bosnia, and
Herzegovina. As a young adult, she survived ethnic cleansing and the Serb
military siege. She emigrated to the United States in 1996 and earned her BA in
Economics at Brown University along with 2 Masters' degrees and a Doctorate from
Columbia University. Currently, she is a professor at Columbia University’s
Teachers College. Her teaching focuses on the ruination of societies and how
the level of education impacts a country. Sabic-El-Rayess’s decision to write
and teach about these topics is birthed from her experience during the war as a
teen. Her writing encompasses the emotions she felt while bringing attention to
the genocide, racism, and oppression that was and is still occurring. She hopes
that her experience encourages readers that relate to her to confront and bring
change to society.
Writing has the power to bring drastically different writers together to create pieces that both play with the reader’s imagination and highlight real-world problems. Sabic-El-Rayess and Sullivan’s literary masterpiece has enthralled readers from around the world to be empathetic and be the generation that creates reform.
Book Review
In
the biography The Cat I Never Named
written by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and Laura L. Sullivan, we follow the family of
Amra, who lived through the Bosnian War, lasting from 1992 to 1995. The account
is a raw one, describing the firsthand experience of a Muslim family living in
Bosnia during the war that was wrought with suffering and atrocious war crimes such
as concentration camps, ethnic cleansing, rape camps, and indiscriminate
killing of non-combatants. All of these hard-to-read topics are prevalent in this
work. The book itself is a riveting experience, where Amra Sabic El-Rayess
tells her story in a way that enraptures and hooks its readers.
This book goes into a raw description of what Amra had seen during her life in the war and offers an invaluable firsthand account of what had happened in her city. She illustrates the rising tensions present in her life even when she was just a teenager. She brings up traumatic experiences she’s had with Serbian nationalists, showing the dangerous mindsets and ideals that foreshadowed the war. But, when the bombing started and lives are lost, Amra’s family had to find a way to survive. An unlikely pillar of hope that presented itself was a stray cat, brought to Bosnia by refugees. Contrary to the title, the family does name the cat Maci, and together, they have to find hope and strength in trying times. This cat is a representation of the good that was left in the world, a presence that would comfort the family, and even save them from death, more than once. Amra especially is attached to Maci, finding that she was a vital part in helping her remain strong even with the death that surrounded her. In her own way, Amra finds hope in education and learning. She uses it to distract herself from the horrors around her, but also to believe in a better future. Amra pursues academic excellence, even managing to receive an academic scholarship during a war. She also becomes an educator, tutoring children, teaching students, and even reaches out to UN employees and officials for a place to work so she could support her and her family. And she succeeds in all these areas, striving for the light in a dark world. But Amra doesn’t only talk about herself, she focuses heavily on her family, for they were the ones who supported her, nurtured her, and ultimately kept her alive in the war. She elaborates on how important her family was for her, that they were the ones who had kept driven and formed her morality. But, she also elaborates on the toll the war had on them too, how her parents went from strong, idealistic parents, to people who were damaged greatly by the war. However, Amra’s important message detailing the importance of family in trying times still stands.
To be honest, this book is a tough read, the content is disturbing at times, and the descriptions unnerving, but the writing feels raw and real, and it provides a narrative that addresses the tragedy that accompanies a war fueled by hate, or any war for that matter. It also helps show the reader how there is hope in the darkness, even in the worst of situations.
Lesson Plan
Pre-Reading Lecture:
Begin by lecturing about the novel's main author Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, including a picture of her. Lecture about the background and history of the Bosnian war using the links provided in the resources, and explain the tensions that started it as well as the atrocities that were committed within it. Try to provide students with a first-hand experience of what going through war such as the Bosnian war is like, and prepare them for the harsh realities that are suffered by Amra and her family and community in the book. Now it’s time to provide instructions for the assignment!
Instructions:
The teacher will begin by explaining what the assignment actually is. They will describe how the students, who are meant to get into groups of 4-6, will spend the entire week reading “The Cat I Never Named”, and then working on this one project. Students are to write a movie trailer script and actually film their own homemade movie trailer based on the story. Movie trailers are to be 3-5 minutes long and include important themes and characters from the book. Groups will be randomly assigned a number that determines the order in which their trailer will be shown in class on the due date.
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Movie Trailer Guidelines and Requirements Handout:
Script Length: 3-5 pages (a typical script will use one page to equal one minute of screen time)
● Includes: Dialogue and/or stage
directions only. Not to be written in prose.
Movie
Trailer:
● Trailers can be presented in two
different formats:
○ 1. Dialogue: Takes dialogue from the
novel and applies it to the trailer. Most of the dialogue will be taken from
the novel, but students can supply their own creative interpretations and add
their own dialogue. Added dialogue should take themes and important parts from
the novel.
○ 2. No Dialogue: Trailer focuses on
conveying the story through creative visuals. Story and themes should still be
clearly displayed through the visuals. Students will pick a song of their
choice to accompany the trailer.
● Must include at least 2 student actors from the group. Other actors not in the group are welcome to participate in the project, but should not be doing the majority of the acting.
● Trailer should include credits at the end that lists every group member's part, along with the book title and author's name. Credit time counts towards the overall time requirements of the trailer, but shouldn’t exceed 15 seconds.
● No content that is overtly graphic.
Scenes and messages can still be conveyed perfectly in subtle ways!
● All visuals within the trailer
should be of the student's own work and not taken from other sources.
● Once completed, trailers can be
uploaded to either Youtube or Dropbox. If you would not like your trailer to be
public, use the unlisted features so that only those with a link can view it.
Groups may also bring their project to class on a flash drive.
● Please provide trigger warnings as
needed for your project. They may either be in the description of your video or placed in the actual trailer within the first 10 seconds.
● All projects will be shown in class
on the due date.
Roles:
Each student will have a role in the project. The roles include:
● Scriptwriter and overseer- The
scriptwriter will be responsible for writing the script and being on set to
oversee that the script is being followed.
● Actor #1 and Editor - This member
will be one of the actors in the trailer, and will be responsible for editing
the trailer.
● Actor #2 and Researcher - This
member will be one of the actors in the trailer and will be responsible for
gathering information needed for the project. This can include gathering
information on what the actors will be wearing, the set location, and props
that will be used.
● Cinematographer and Uploader- The
cinematography will be the one behind the camera filming the project. They will
also be responsible for delivering the clips to the editor and then uploading
the final cut of the trailer. Before filming, they will be in charge of making
a storyboard of all the shots that will be necessary for the trailer.
For groups that have more than 4 members, the roles can be further divided out.
Timeline for Project
● Script due by the end of week 1
● Research for the project is due by the end of week 1
● Storyboard due by the end of week 1
● Final cut and wrap-ups due 2 weeks after script, research, and storyboard are approved by the professor.
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In week #2 students are to start writing their scripts, gathering research, and working on their storyboards. This is a pretty hands-free approach for the teacher; as they mostly just walk around and listen to students’ ideas and provide feedback and opinions on their ideas and thoughts. By the end of the week after having their work approved, most of the students should be ready to start filming or have already begun filming. This week would also be a good day for the teacher to show a movie trailer to the class and point out different qualities that make the trailer so effective. Students are then given two weeks to get together and film their trailers, and Monday will be the big day. This is when the teacher will display all of the trailers on the projector for the class to watch and write (mostly positive) reviews.
Wrap Up:
To finish up, students are to write a one-page summary of what they have learned about the book as well as the Bosnian war. Be sure they include some key themes from the novel such as loss, love, hate, heritage, and/or politics. They can include examples and moments from the book, the trailers, or their own research.
Grade Breakdown:
Script, Research, and Storyboard: 25%
Movie Trailer: 50%
Wrap-up summary: 25%
Lesson Goals:
● Students show their ability to
analyze text and recognize the themes and ideas in the novel.
● Students are to show creativity and
strong cooperation in the trailer-making process and demonstrate developed
technology/editing skills in the video-making process.
● Students show the ability to write
effectively when creating their scripts and develop personal, cultural, textual, and thematic
connections within and across genres.
●
Students show a strong
understanding of historical concepts and the importance of the Bosnian war from
a history-based perspective.
●
Use
narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and
multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
●
Use
precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a
vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
●
Develop
and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience.
History:
Grade 10:
10.10
Students analyze instances of nation-building in the contemporary world in at
least two of the following regions or countries: the Middle East, Africa,
Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and China
1.
Understand the challenges in the regions, including their geopolitical,
cultural, military, and economic significance and the international
relationships in which they are involved.
2. Describe the recent history of the regions,
including political divisions and systems, key leaders, religious issues, natural
features, resources, and population patterns.
3.
Discuss the important trends in the regions today and whether they appear to
serve the cause of individual freedom and democracy.
RESOURCES
These resources outline the history and lead up to the war and genocide that the novel focuses on. In addition, there are photographs provided to further help the interpretation and understanding of the events that took place in the novel. These could be implemented in teaching by showing pictures relevant to certain parts of the novel before students read so that they have a better understanding when going through those sections. There are articles and resources to help explain the backgrounds of the characters within the novel as well. An article that features the author of the novel also explains how racial tensions in America today feel similar to those that took place during the Bosnian Genocide, and what can be learned.
History of the Bosnian Genocide:
- Timeline:
- https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/1990s/bosnian-genocide
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/08/08/bihac-siege-ends-with-celebrations/81421e4e-de37-4d04-8562-92551910d7b8/
- https://museeholocauste.ca/en/resources-training/the-bosnian-genocide/
- Another first-hand
account
- Amra’s words on
how the genocide still is seen in racial tensions today:
- History of
Bosniaks
- Photographs from
the war (non-graphic, SFW)
Works
Cited
“Books by Sullivan Lee.” BOOKS BY SULLIVAN LEE, lauralsullivan.blogspot.com/p/brightwing.html.
Accessed 03 December 2021.
“Bosnia-Herzegovina Profile - Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 8 Oct. 2018,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17212376. Accessed 03 December 2021.
“Bosniaks.”
Minority Rights Group, 5 Feb. 2021,
https://minorityrights.org/minorities/bosniaks/.
Accessed 02 December 2021.
Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, www.sabicelrayess.org/. Accessed 03 December 2021.
“The Bosnian Genocide.” Montreal Holocaust Museum, 31 Mar. 2020,
https://museeholocauste.ca/en/resources-training/the-bosnian-genocide/. Accessed 03 December
2021.
History.com Editors. “Bosnian Genocide.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Oct. 2009,
https://www.history.com/topics/1990s/bosnian-genocide. Accessed 02 December 2021.
“Laura L. Sullivan.” Book Series in Order, 31 Oct. 2019, www.bookseriesinorder.com/laura-l-sullivan/.
Accessed 03 December 2021.
“The Brutality of the Bosnian War Reflected in These Heartbreaking Photographs.”
HistoryCollection.com, 3 Feb. 2020, https://historycollection.com/the-brutality-of-the-bosnian-war-
reflected-in-these-heartbreaking-photographs/. Accessed 02 December 2021.
Pomfret, John. “Bihac Siege Ends with Celebrations.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 Aug.
1995, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/08/08/bihac-siege-ends-with-
celebrations/81421e4e-de37-4d04-8562-92551910d7b8/. Accessed 03 December 2021.
Salihovic, Selena. “Selena’s Story: A Survivor of the Bosnian Genocide.” The Seattle Times
Newspapers in Education,https://www.holocaustcenterseattle.org/images/NIE_Stories/08_Selena.pdf.
Accessed 02 December 2021.
Teachers College, Columbia University. “How White Supremacy in America Feels Familiar: TC's
Amra Sabic-El-Rayess in Al Jazeera.” Teachers College - Columbia University, Teachers College,
Columbia University, 2 Oct. 2020, https://www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/2020/october/how-white-
supremacy-in-america-feels-familiar-tcs-amra-sabic-el-rayess/. Accessed 03 December 2021.
