The stories and images out of Syria have haunted me. I want to know more, read more, understand more. I thought My Country would be a fortunate reading opportunity for me to attempt those things, and I am grateful that Kassem Eid survived to tell this story, his story.
My Thoughts:
My Country: A Syrian Memoir by Kassem Eid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
4.5 stars to the powerfully written My Country: A Syrian Memoir! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5
Kassem Eid, a Palestinian immigrant, describes his childhood in Syria, the jasmine-scented streets, and his experiences in school. He notices that he is treated differently at school because he is Palestinian. He is always an outsider, and his accomplishments are somewhat limited because of that.
While Eid is growing up, Bashar al-Assad becomes the new leader of Syria, and any wish that he would be more tolerant than his father is quickly dashed. Al-Assad is known for his tyrannical ways to this day, and as his hold on Syria grows stronger, a revolution is generated in response. Al-Assad, in turn, reacts with arrests and extreme violence. As a result, Eid experienced a civil war in his country during his teen years.
In 2013, Kassem Eid is living in Moadamiya, Syria, just outside of Damascus, when there is a gas attack by the government. While a large number of residents are killed right before his eyes, Eid survives. The same day, he is hit by a mortar while he is assisting the Free Syrian Army against al-Assad’s army (i.e., the government’s military). While Eid survives physically, all around him is completely wiped out. He loses everything, and he continues to feel the aftershocks and ongoing devastation that happens in Syria on a daily basis.
This book is beyond timely and exceedingly important. Eid’s experience is human, raw, and beautifully written. My favorite parts are his descriptions of the majesty of Syria during his early childhood and his family life, but the salient, paramount parts, though difficult to read, are everything else.
Thank you to Bloomsbury for the ARC. My Country: A Syrian Memoir will be published on July 3, 2018.
Synopsis:
An unforgettable memoir of growing up in Syria under al-Assad’s regime, surviving a gas attack, and rallying worldwide support to break the siege of cities across the country, with a foreword by Janine di Giovanni
Born to Palestinian refugees, Kassem Eid grew up in the small town of Moadamiya on the outskirts of the ancient city of Damascus. The streets that he and his many siblings played on were perfumed with jasmine. A precocious child, he excelled at school, and had a natural gift for languages. But it didn’t take long for Kassem to realise that he was treated differently at school because of his family’s resistance to the brutal government regime.
When Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father in 2000, hopes that he would ease its severity were swiftly crushed. When the 2011 Arab Spring protests in Syria were met with extreme violence, it was yet another blow – and as Kassem reached young adulthood, life in Syria became increasingly precarious, as the country spiralled into civil war.
Then, on 21 August 2013, Kassem nearly died in a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians. Later that day, he would pick up a gun for the first time, to join the Free Syrian Army as they fought government forces. For Kassem, this marked the moment that he and his country changed forever.
A searing account of oppression, war, survival and escape, My Country is both a brave and deeply felt memoir of one man’s life, as well as a compelling indictment of a world that turned its face away as a nation fell apart.
This is not a book I’d normally reach for but I adore your book reviews! You make me want to read this book! 👍🏻 I can’t imagine growing up in Syria… thanks for writing this review! I’ll add it to my growing list! 😁📚
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Thanks, Lana! You always say the most supportive things! It was different and special to hear from someone who’s actually living it rather than through a news report.
I hope you have a wonderful 4th! I feel like I’ve been on vacation with you this week! Some day I’m going to have an RV, and I’m going to Sunriver! ♥️
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We could read by the pool together! Lol
It’s an amazing place, I wish I could spend all summer here. Thank you, I hope your holiday is wonderful too!
I enjoy an occasional change to my normal reading habits sometimes. I usually read for fun, but occasionally I like to throw in a book that makes me feel a bit more informed. ☀️
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We would have so much fun with our books and talking! 💜 I feel the same about reading. I mix up my genres a lot, but I especially love to escape when I read.
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This definitely sounds powerful! I’m glad he survived to tell his tale as well. I’ll have to make the time to read it.
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Yes, extremely powerful! I hope you find it meaningful if you are able to fit it in.
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Great review Jennifer! So heartbreaking!💔💔
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Thanks, Sus! It is! It’s hard to wrap my head around what happens there every day. 💗
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Sounds like such a worthwhile memoir. I will have to keep an eye out for it.
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Definitely worthwhile, Marialyce. I hope you have a chance to read it.
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Awesome review, Jennifer. I am definitely reading this one. It sounds like a must. ❤
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Thanks, my favorite M. I have a feeling this one will be extra poignant for you. 💗 Happy 4th!
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Stories like this make me realize how blessed we are to live in a relatively safe country. Great review, Jennifer.
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Absolutely, Jacquie. So very true. Thanks so much for reading my review. ♥️
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Pretty picture. A great review, Jennifer. i am adding it to my tbr list.
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Thank you, Virginia, and I really hope you enjoy the book if you end up reading it. 💗
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I’d not heard of this memoir before, but it’s definitely one I’d like to read, great review!
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Thanks so much, Janel! I’ve been on the hunt for books about Syria, and this one came across my radar. I hope you enjoy it, and I will be looking for your thoughts if you are able to fit in.
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Great review! I don’t usually read memoirs, preferring the distance you get from history books – memoirs can feel too visceral somehow. But this sounds as if it’s very well done and gives a real feeling for how it must be to be caught up in dreadful events like these. We in the West think we’re so powerful, but places like Syria show us we really have no way of stopping horrors from happening in the world, however much we’d like to.
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Thanks so much, FF! For memoirs, I want the experience and not just the facts, but I love history as well. You are so right about the power and thinking we can stop horrors. It also reminds me of the genocide in Rwanda, which really wasn’t that long ago.
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Jennifer amazing review! This book looks so terribly interesting💜
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Thanks, Berit! It definitely kept me captivated! 💕
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Wow, I can’t imagine surviving something like that. I haven’t been reading too many nonfiction lately and this seems so perfect and important. Awesome review, Jennifer!
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Thanks so much, Kathy! 💕 It is hard to imagine what daily life is like there, and to live through all he has. I try to throw in a nonfiction/memoir every once in a while, and this one turned out to be a great one!
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Fantastic review Jennifer! Wow this looks like such a difficult but important read. I’ve never read any memoirs that have come out of Syria before but I think I need to read this one!
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Thanks, Beth! If you are able to pick this one up, I hope you find it meaningful. I hope more Syrians will tell their stories as well, as I’m sure there are many to be told.
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Lovely review Jennifer!
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Thanks so much, Carrie!
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You’re welcome! 🙂
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