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Back The Year the Maps Changed Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Map
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

The next image was of rocks and dirt and then the camera zoomed out and I realized it was showing us where the skyline had just been.

They’d dropped a bomb on that city, and now parts of it were just . . . blown away.

“While the NATO bombings are said to be in aid of civilians trapped by the fighting between the Kosovo Liberation Army and Yugoslavian security forces, many have criticized Western and NATO intervention, and highlighted that without authorization from the UN Security Council, the bombings are illegal.”

We kept watching as a new video showed hundreds of people, maybe thousands, walking along a muddy path. They were all walking in a line, following each other—I didn’t know where they were going.

While they walked, they cried.

Some were carrying children, while others had bags that were spilling over.

“NATO’s involvement has support from world leaders—most vocally from US president Bill Clinton, UK prime minister Tony Blair, German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, and Australian prime minister John Howard.” The reporter paused and that image of the baby in barbed wire came back before they continued. “But NATO’s peaceful intervention has also resulted in hundreds of deaths and created thousands more refugees and displaced persons. Those still able are now walking across the border into Albania, carrying all their worldly possessions in their arms and on their backs, as they flee Serbian forces and the unsanctioned bombings. . . .”

“What is this world coming to?” Luca asked, but he didn’t expect an answer from anyone.

Anika rubbed the bump of her belly as she blinked back tears, then she said, “Change the channel.”

And so we did.

image

10

Littlest Ridge

It was on the news nearly every night.

Those people were still walking to nowhere with all their worldly possessions. They showed a clip of two teenage boys carrying an old lady between them—their grandmother, maybe?—as they walked along a train track, with a long line of people behind them. The voiceover said they were crossing borders, trying to get away from the bombs that were dropping day and night.

Other times it showed our prime minister, John Howard, saying the bombing that was happening was badly needed. He got up in front of flashing cameras and said it was a war for “genuinely humanitarian purposes,” whatever that meant. But he also said that Australia couldn’t help those people who were victims of the bombings.

And I went to bed one night, still thinking about the baby in barbed wire and how that photo had looked scary, but the truth was happy—kind of. And I wondered how that could be. In school Mr. Khouri had said a picture is worth a thousand words, but I didn’t think it could equal so many questions too.