Laura Aslan, author of the book 'The Devil Couldn't Break Me,' is arguably one of the strongest girls on the planet. Her book tells of incredible suffering at the hands of two of the warring factions during the conflict in the 90s in the former Yugoslavia. Kidnapped not once, but twice, accused of being a spy and then finding out that she was in the hands of a gang of sex traffickers would have been enough to break anyone's spirit. Worse was to come when one of the kidnappers disclosed that she was about to be murdered and her organs sold to the highest bidder. The fact she came out of it in one piece and managed to write such a detailed account of her journey to hell and back, is testament to the character within. Laura was just eighteen years of age when she fled her family home on the Serbian Kosovo border at the height of the conflict. Her father felt she would be safer in Kosovo, free from the rape camps, massacres and ethnic cleansing that took place on their doorstep. Reluctantly she made the long journey through the mountains and eventually arrived in Pristina. Neither Laura or her father were aware she had entered a city, one US delegate described as, "one vast crime scene." She had no idea what terrors lay ahead as she crossed the path of 'The Chief', a self professed freedom fighter in the Kosovo Liberation Army. On the face of it 'The Chief' claimed to be fighting a noble cause. Behind closed doors he was the mastermind of a huge operation dealing in organ harvesting, people trafficking and prostitution and his evil gang raped, tortured and killed at will. Laura had stumbled through the gates of hell.
Her highly acclaimed book is a movie waiting to happen and on more than one occasion it has been likened to Angelina Jolie's 2011 film, 'In The Land of Blood and Honey,' set in the Bosnian War during the same period. The only difference between Aslan's book and Angelina Jolie's movie is that Aslan's book is not fiction.
Laura Aslan and Angelina Jolie are singing from the same hymn sheet, in that they are both campaigning to end violence and rape against women in conflict zones. Laura Aslan is more than aware of Ms Jolie's campaign but it seems that Angelina isn't aware of Laura's mission, or indeed her book. Laura Aslan is determined that Angelina Jolie will one day be aware of their joint mission and would love to work with her on the project. Laura feels that her book is a perfect, uplifting and inspiring account and dreams that one day it will fall into Ms. Jolie's hands.
It was an old friend who had read Laura's book who telephoned her in September of this year. She disclosed that the Pitt/Jolie brood had booked into her London Hotel where she worked. "You have to get here, Laura," she said. "As soon as she reads your book she will want to make the movie."
And so determined was Aslan to meet up with Jolie and personally hand over a copy of the book that she climbed on the next plane and flew 11,000 miles to meet up with her. She booked into the hotel. It cost a small fortune and she camped out in the lobby for five days. Hats off to the Pitt's/ Jolie security because poor Laura Aslan got nowhere near the celebrity couple. Every good story has a happy ending but sadly not this one. Laura did manage to get a copy of her book to a member of security who promised to hand the book across but alas, she has heard nothing since.
Dejected, but not disheartened Laura made her way back to Heathrow Airport and returned home. It was back to the drawing board. Laura will continue to campaign and is determined that one day Angelina Jolie WILL read her book. The final instalment as they say, is in the lap of the gods.