Books like Necessary Targets by Eve Ensler

Eve Ensler’s first new play after the success of The Vagina Monologues, Necessary Targets spotlights two very different American women who travel to Bosnia in the aftermath of war. One is a Park Avenue psychiatrist whose clinical distance is challenged by the gendered brutality she sees; the other is a human rights worker navigating the complex emotions of refugees. Their journeys intersect as they strive to help women in Sarajevo deal with the heavy weight of memory while the two protagonists themselves undergo profound personal transformations. The play, which has been performed in New York and Sarajevo by prominent actresses, is praised for its stark depiction of trauma and the resilience of those who survive it. It combines the urgent voices of emerging and seasoned writers, and addresses the lasting impact of war on women in particular.

First publish date: 2001