November 6, 2017
Eight-year-old Alabed delivers a gripping first-hand account of the war in Syria, which began when she was three and led to her creating the now-famous Twitter account that brought her story to the world. This memoir, written with the help of her mother, Fatemah, provides striking detail and a plea for the world’s help. Alabed describes how her family’s peaceful life in Aleppo was shattered when her father was taken by the secret police when she was three years old, relaying her family’s confusion and fear with clarity. The writer also recalls being worried about losing her Barbie boots, and the guilt she felt over that worry. Alabed moves easily between normal moments, such as watching cartoons with her brother and sharing a tomato with her family during the siege, and shocking ones, such as hearing her first bomb explosion and coming to recognize the sound of different munitions. Fatemah’s voice also enters the book at a few points, to worry aloud about the future for her country and her daughter. Alabed’s book is remarkable for the clarity of her voice, given her age and harrowing experiences, which culminated in the family’s 2016 escape to Turkey. The story she shares can sometimes be hard to read, but it gives a valuable perspective on war that Americans don’t often see.