BRACO

THE YEAR IS 1995. The city of Srebrenica falls to Serbian forces. While women and children cling to uncertain security in the UNprotected area of Potocari, thousands of men escape into the woods.Within a week, more than half of these Bosnian men will be executed. Braco—the Bosnian word for little brother—follows fourteen-yearold refugee Atif Stavic's agonizing five-day journey through the woods. His goal: the safe city of Tuzla. To get there, Atif must navigate fifty kilometres ofminefields, artillery fire, and firing squads, then cross the heavily guarded road that stands between himand his dream of sanctuary in the safe zone. In this ambitious and electrifying debut, former Canadian Forces peacekeeper Lesleyanne Ryan reveals Atif's vividly realistic flight through a kaleidoscope of perspectives. A novel of searing detail and prismatic vision, Braco plunges full force into the traumatic events of the worst European conflict of our time and creates a testament to the power of human perseverance in the face of chaos and cruelty. Lesleyanne Ryan is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and served as a Peacekeeper in Bosna from 1993-1994. BRACO is her first novel.