"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 makesDamagesa good book worth reading."—The Weekly News,, FL

"Bazhe knew a world that turned to violent ethnic strife after years of civil unrest, echoed by his own inner turmoil.Damagesis the story of his inner and outer wars."—Recorder Newspapers, NJ

"An emotionally lacerating childhood preceeds an unquenchable search to discover and freely express his identity, in Bazhe's agile memoir. In a tone that can be haughtily defensive, but more often deliberate, staccato, observant and harshly critical, Bazhe explores the full spec­trum of his emotions: the rage he feels toward the cancer; an incredulity that he survived a fair number of his sexual encounters; the distaste he harbors for his neighbors and their narrow worlds; and the anger over his childhood. A revelatory, pained, unyielding ride. Hold on tight."

-Kirkus Discoveries


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.