When the Bosnian peace agreement was announced in Dayton, Ohio, I wanted to ask Elma Softic what she thought of it all. I had just finished reading her book Sarajevo Days, Sarajevo Nights (Key Porter: translation by Nada Conic), and I wanted her to cut through the political rhetoric for me—to let me know if this peace agreement was really going to work. But Elma Softic lives in Sarajevo and the only way I know her is through the letters and diary entries in her book. Elma describes her terror when the bombings start, as well as the hardships of living in a modern city without electricity, running water, or much food. Her vivid descriptions brought this war into focus for me, and made me care about it, and her black sense of humour helped me understand what it feels like to be a pawn in a dangerous game. But more than that, this war has shown Elma the other side of our humanity—a side she never dreamed existed as she lived a comfortable middle-class life. When pondering why she does not leave Sarajevo she says, "I do not want to forget even a moment of this horror. I want to remember everything. Simply so that nothing that human beings can do will ever surprise me again."