Damages

"Bazhe's life story is uniquely his own, but at the same time it is a story that we can all relate to. That alone makes Damages a good book worth reading."--"The Weekly News, /i>, FL "Bazhe knew a world that turned to violent ethnic strife after years of civil unrest, echoed by his own inner turmoil. Damages is the story of his inner and outer wars."--"Recorder Newspapers," NJ "Damages" is a memoir about one man's fight to overcome the psychological wounds created by his peculiar upbringing as he struggled to find his true identity and freedom. The story begins with the death of his abusive father, a Communist official. His mother is diagnosed with cancer, and Bazhe immediately returns to Macedonia to take care of her. Meanwhile, his more than thirty-year search for his biological mother ends, and Bazhe tells her his life story, starting with his lonely childhood and adolescence. After finding his "new mother" to be very understanding, Bazhe reveals to her his first gay experience in the army, his desire for self-realization that caused scandals in the College of National Security, his escape to Turkey where he transformed into a stunning transvestite after meeting a handsome wealthy man, and his return to Yugoslavia where he wandered in the underground world of a country that was falling apart. As Yugoslav nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism rose, Bazhe almost lost his life before he succeeded in immigrating to America. Although he finds his biological mother, Bazhe ultimately discovers that it is his adoptive mother's devotion that is irreplaceable.