"[T]his extraordinary debut illuminates a time and place where civilians fought back....A magnificent tribute, not just to the Sarajevans whose siege Simon reported, but to the indestructible human spirit." Kirkus Reviews
"It is no insult to Simon's novelistic skill to say that his book's excellence rests finally on his reporter's eye and ear....Simon's novel is a fine tribute to the heroes and victims who were his friends [in Sarajevo]."
The Washington Post
"Pretty Birds...is an example of what can go right when a journalist turns novelist. Simon...loads the book with a specificity that comes from a seasoned reportorial eye....[A] riveting — and heartbreaking — tale."
The Christian Science Monitor
"A portrait of resilience, punctuated by mortar blasts and Clash songs"
The New York Times
