In my life time, there have been two distinct books that have defined for me, more than any other what it means to be human, are Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" and Primo Levy's "If This Is A Man." But there is now a third book to add to that pantheon: Steven Galloway's "The Cellist of Sarajevo."
The book takes place in a world where simply living through today, tomorrow, and the next feels incomprehensible, impossible. "Siege" is too genteel of a word to accurately convey what "the men in the hills" did to the people of Sarajevo.
If there is any humanity in you at all, this book will hurt you. We have all become nullified from increased degrees of separation from the harsher realities the world has to offer. In the end, this book will remind you that the preservation of not just humans, but humanity is the most important thing a person can strive for.
Because civilization isn't a thing that you build, and then there it is, you have it forever. It needs to be build constantly, re-created daily. It vanishes far more quickly than [we] ever would have thought possible.
The book is short but judge it not for it's conciseness. I can't recommend it highly enough. There are literally whole chapters devoted to a character crossing the street, but... don't look away..
The work of music that i've linked below is related to the book. It's something you will want to hear before you read it, and then again after.
