In The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway writes about the daily lives of three citizens caught in the Siege of Sarajevo: Arrow, Kenan, and Dragan. Arrow is a skillful female sniper that has the task of protecting the cellist, who plays his cello for twenty-two days in memory of the twenty-two people killed just outside his window. Kenan is a middle-aged man who must risk his life every few days to collect water for his family, and Dragan is a man who works at a bakery to receive bread. Galloway shows that even in the toughest situations, we must not give up and let issues drag us down, or moving forward will be impossible. Each of the characters experience pain and death, due to the war, and it makes them struggle to survive each day, scared of death. But after hearing the cellist’ music, they remember their lives before the war, and realize they must keep going, not letting the snipers control their lives. The author also tells us to take risks and stand up for ourselves, and not let someone else decide it for us.

How does the strength and courage from the cellist’ music help the characters? They now control their own lives and move forward to rebuild their beloved city.