Amra Sabic-El-Rayess

PROFESSOR, RESEARCHER, STORYTELLER

About Amra Sabic-El-Rayess

Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess first became a teacher as a young teen during the Bosnian Genocide. In a letter written by President Joe Biden himself, he wrote: “I am inspired by the bravery and strength you have shown in the face of heartbreaking tragedy and persecution.” Reflecting on Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess’ award-winning memoir The Cat I Never Named (Bloomsbury, 2020), the President described her as “the very idea of America” itself. As a Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) woman and survivor of the Bosnian Genocide, who immigrated to America, Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess has transformed from being an object of hate-fueled violence to a renowned scholar, author, activist, and storyteller who is an exemplar of resilience in the face of hate and extremism. Today, Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess is a professor and researcher at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught, researched, and published on a range of issues in education, including Educational Displacement, hate prevention, and storytelling. Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess engages regularly with diverse audiences around the world.

Amra’s Experiences

Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess has worked in various capacities for Columbia University, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, UNDP, IFES, IMC, OSCE, UNICEF and other globally renowned institutions.

Columbia University, Teachers College

Associate Professor of Practice

Harriman Institute

Affiliated Faculty Member

  • “To us, American values seem universal and unimpeachable: democracy, fair play, and hard work. We wonder how anyone cannot hungrily embrace such obvious virtues. But to a poor, forgotten person in a ravaged country, the simple helping hand and moral guidance of a caring mentor can prove far more persuasive.”

    — AMRA, HUFFPOST

    Learn More

  • “Rather than wage a hearts and minds battle with bombs and bombast from on high, America must engage with moderate Islamic communities.”

    — AMRA, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

    Learn More

  • “If you can build an educational system that allows the best and the brightest to achieve the most, you are adding the greatest value to your economy through education. In some countries, unfortunately, I have studied the issue of corruption in education, which results in educational systems producing graduates that do not have the skills they need to successfully compete in the global economy.”

    — AMRA ON AZERBAIJAN’S TEMEL TV

    Learn More

  • "Many children are told, by everything they see around them, that they aren’t a vital part of the world’s story. Some are victims of racism and hate. Many suffer from economic deprivation. Whatever makes a child seem like an outsider, has the potential to rob them of the opportunity to be the main characters in their own narrative."

    — AMRA, REIMAGINE RESILIENCE

    Watch Webinar

  • "If we ban talking about what matters to our students, they will find someone who will listen. Extremists are very good listeners. They secure new followers by capitalizing on students’ grievances and presenting them with “solutions” that can lead to radicalization."

    — AMRA, EDUCATIONWEEK

    Read More

  • "The war didn’t spring on me all at once. Instead, like a cat, it stalked me quietly. There might have been a rustle of leaves, a glint of golden eye. But like a mouse, I didn’t believe it was there until it pounced."

    — AMRA’S MEMOIR, The Cat I Never Name: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival

    Learn More

Amra’s Books

A True Story of Love, War and Survival. Selected as the Junior Library Gold Standard. Amra was awarded a 2021 Finalist Medal for Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction by the American Library Association and Best Book recognition by School Library Journal, Malala Fund, Capitol Choices, and Children’s Center for Literature for her biographical exploration of resilience to targeted violence and hate. The Cat I Never Named has been integrated into the K-12 curricula and higher education courses throughout the United States as one the defining texts on resilience to hate, empowerment through education, and a Muslim experience in the context of the Bosnian war. Click the book cover image below to purchase.

THE CAT I NEVER NAMED

THREE SUMMERS

A Memoir of Sisterhood, Summer Crushes, and Growing Up on the Eve of the Bosnian Genocide. Amra’s next nonfiction contribution, Three Summers (Macmillan Publishers-FSG, 2024), is a story of sisterhood and resilience in the three years leading up to the Bosnian Genocide. Three Summers is the story of five young cousins who grow closer than sisters as ethnic tensions escalate over three summers in 1980s Bosnia. They navigate the joys and pitfalls of adolescence on their family’s little island in the middle of the Una River. When finally confronted with the harsh truths of the adult world around them, their bond gives them the resilience to discover and hold fast to their true selves. In bookstores, April 2024! Click the book cover image below to purchase and watch the trailer here.

Contact Dr. Sabic-El-Rayess