The Path of No Return

About the Book

This work is an absorbing account of a Bosnian refugee family, forced to flee first to Germany where they worked as migrant laborers. Then six years later, because they could not return home, the family of four was again forced to find another home, this time in the United States. Written by the mother, Marica Prozo, who was a school psychologist in Bosnia, this memoir details her inner thoughts as schoolchildren, along with her family, gradually became caught up in religious conflict. With carefully chosen metaphors, she describes how violence engulfed the countryside, her family's yearning for normal lives, and the pain of leaving relatives and beloved places behind. Despite the disappointment of having to start over again a third time, with yet another language, Marica gracefully depicts the joy of finally being able to put down roots in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania under the sponsorship of a church. Prozo's work is poetic and engaging, presenting much more than the outward details of the refugee experience. The reader shares the ups and downs of their lives and keeps an eye on the bird of hope fluttering through each chapter. Pencil drawings by Marica's son enliven the narrative.

About the Author

Marica Prozo, born in Gojevicima, Bosnia, obtained her degree in psychology and pedagogy from Sarajevo University, then worked in two elementary schools as a school psychologist and taught 11th grade psychology. After civil war began in 1992, Marica fled with her family first to Germany, then to the US.