The people of Goražde have lived through years of extreme violence and hardship, often under the constant eye of combatants, with limited resources and harsh conditions. Despite this, the community members refuse to allow the conflict to destroy their community. People work to not only keep the physical community functioning but also preserve a sense of community and mutual support in dark times.

Edin demonstrates to Sacco how the town fights under siege from the Serbs, who block aid trucks and cut off electricity. The locals constructed mini centrales (small hydroelectric generators) to keep some power coming into the town: “They were fashioned out of wood, barrels, parts of cars, bits of washing machines, and other scraps…The river turned their paddle-wheel generators, and electric wire brought a modest current into a small percentage of Gorazde’s homes” (48). The machines produce little energy and, being in the river, are vulnerable to attacks by the Serbs. Nevertheless, the townspeople keep them functioning, building and repairing them with any materials they have on hand. The creativity and hard work results in some electricity for the town, reflecting how the people of Goražde use what they can to survive.

The community also seeks to keep alive its cultural and educational life as best as it can. When Sacco visits the Cultural Center in Goražde, he finds a building torn apart and damaged by the war, though it still serves a purpose: “Despite these and other setbacks, in the course of the war the Center had managed to record musicians, publish an anthology of local poetry, and show the work of the town’s finest artists” (74). Children and teens are also still encouraged to attend school whenever they can, even though the schools are damaged and sometimes lack supplies and classes cannot always be offered consistently. Edin serves on the front lines while still taking time to teach. Despite feeling frustrated and saddened by the clear impact that the war is having on his students’ progress, he continues trying to help his students. In keeping both the Cultural Center and school open, the town keeps up morale and helps people find meaning and direction in the midst of the conflict.

The community also demonstrated its resilience through the final armed struggle that Edin and the other locals engaged in as the Serbs tried to take the town in one last push. Although they were seriously outnumbered and outgunned, Edin and the other townspeople rallied together, putting up a spirited defense and refusing to give in even when the Serbs forced their way into the town. The townspeople ultimately saved Goražde, holding out long enough for NATO to finally decide to step in, forcing the Serbs to negotiate for peace.