This NPR Best Book of 2020 is an extraordinary true account of the
enormous tragedy of the Syrian civil conflict.
Since the revolution-turned-civil war in Syria began in 2011, over
500,000 civilians have been killed and more than 12 million Syrians have
been displaced. Rania Abouzeid, one of the foremost journalists on the
topic, follows two pairs of sisters from opposite sides of the conflict
to give readers a firsthand glimpse of the turmoil and devastation this
strife has wrought. Sunni Muslim Ruha and her younger sister Alaa
withstand constant attacks by the Syrian government in rebel-held
territory. Alawite sisters Hanin and Jawa try to carry on as normal in
the police state of regime-held Syria. The girls grow up in a world
where nightly bombings are routine and shrapnel counts as toys. They
bear witness to arrests, killings, demolished homes, and further
atrocities most adults could not even imagine. Still, war does not
dampen their sense of hope.
Through the stories of Ruha and Alaa and Hanin and Jawa, Abouzeid
presents a clear-eyed and page-turning account of the complex conditions
in Syria leading to the onset of the harrowing conflict. With Abouzeid's
careful attention and remarkable reporting, she crafts an incredibly
empathetic and nuanced narrative of the Syrian civil war, and the
promise of progress these young people still embody.