''The Book of My Lives'' is the first book of nonfiction by the Bosnian-American novelist
Aleksandar Hemon
Aleksandar Hemon ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Xeмoн; born September 9, 1964) is a Bosnian-American author, essayist, critic, television writer, and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels '' Nowhere Man'' (2002) and '' The Lazarus Pr ...
. It's a collection of nonfiction pieces about Hemon's childhood in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
and his adult life in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. The final essay tells of his young daughter's brain tumor and untimely death; it was first published in
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
under the title "The Aquarium."
Hemon’s ''The Book of My Lives'' was shortlisted for the