Yasmine Beverly Ranas "The War Zone Is My Bed and Other Plays" followsjourneys of spiritual destruction and redemption from the banks of the Mississippi River and the fallen levees of New Orleans to the conflict-ravaged streets of Sarajevo and Kabul. The charactersin Ranas politically charged and moving plays attempt to seek and sustain love in violent circumstances. In the title play, "The War Zone Is My Bed," a prostitute from Kabul and a journalist from Bosniastumble through a maze of brutality to find solace withineach other. In "Blood Sky" a traumatic event is triggered by a mysterious, animalistic call. Also collected here are "Returning," in which a photographer from Sarajevo is torn between his role as an artist and victim of war and "Paradise," where, as the Mississippi River rises, two lovers who are also illegal immigrants, debate whether they should stay in New Orleansand risk their livesor flee?and, thereby reveal their illegal status. "" "The War Zone Is My Bed" presents the topical and intense plays of one of the most interesting new voices in American theater.