Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky

"Sometimes I think I'm the only one in my neighborhood with any worthwhile dreams. I have two, and there's no reason to be ashamed of either one of them. I want to kill Vadim. And I want to write a book about my mother." -Alina Bronsky Broken Glass Park


In life it is important to dream big and follow your heart. But what if your dreams have been defined by an unimaginable tragedy that dramatically changes your life forever? The book Broken Glass Park by Alina Bronsky introduces us to Sascha Naimann, a strong, witty, and determined 17-year-old Russian immigrant living in the rough outskirts of Berlin. She has recently witnessed the murder of her mother by the hands of her abusive stepfather. Sascha has vowed to avenge her mother's death in two ways. First, by killing her (now jailed) stepfather, and then by writing a book about her, although she has no clear plan for how she will accomplish either of these things. This highly affecting story is a powerful example of how uncontrollable life circumstances might begin to define a person, but that ultimately each of us is in control of our own destiny.

Destiny is a funny thing. Some believe that destiny is set for each individual and that life itself is predetermined by some greater power. Others believe that we control our own destiny and that life choices, rather than a higher power, determine who we become and where our lives take us. This story made me think a lot about life's destiny, but Sascha Naimann is too lost in her grief to consider it. Though she is an incredibly bright, headstrong young woman, horrible life events and a very difficult living situation hold her back from focusing her attention on herself, and on leading a normal teenage life. Her number one objective in life is to kill Vadim, the man who murdered her mother, regardless of the consequences.

Throughout the story Sascha repeatedly refers to her plan to kill Vadim. For example, in the beginning of the book she tells her little brother "There's a thousand ways I could do it. I could poison him, suffocate him, strangle him, stab him, push him off a balcony, or run him over with a car." (pg. 19).  Avenging her mother's death becomes an obsession; she thinks of little else. Until one day a small headline in the daily newspaper reveals something that renders her plan impossible. She is enraged, heartbroken yet again, and uncertain of a direction in her life. At this point in the story it becomes clear to me that she has never had the chance to really consider what she wants for herself in life. As a child she endured abuse, racism, and being uprooted from her homeland only to land in an even worse living situation. Then, on the cusp of becoming an adult, the murder of her mother turns her focus even further from herself.

Still, Sascha's life is far from over. As she starts to let go of the demons from her past she begins to open her eyes to life's possibilities, and most importantly what she wants to do for herself. This book prompted me to reflect on my own life and how easy it is to put the needs and wants of others before my own, and to lose sight of what I truly value in life. I think many others can relate to this idea because it is easy to become consumed with pointless pursuits and worries at the detriment of ourselves and those around us. Without fail life with supply us with plenty of hardships, but we all have the ability to continue to make choices that help ourselves along on the life path we truly wish to lead.