Syria

Alia Malek's The Home That Was Our Country is a must read for anyone interested in Syria's geopolitical history, the rise of the Al-Assad family dictatorship, the sectarianism that has come to identify Middle Eastern politics, and the ongoing Syrian Civil War waged by the regime versus anyone who dares oppose it. But more importantly, Malek's memoir offers a domestic narrative of Syrian identity told through the feminine lens of her matriarchal grandmother whose home Malek restores and in which she eventually lives. Malek captures the nostalgia for a Syria of orange trees, food vendors on the streets of Damascus, shopping souks that offer a dizzying array of handmade and artisanal goods, and peoples who for centuries have lived together in close quarters despite their ethnic and religious differences. This book is a definitive text for an introduction to Syrian modern history and politics told through the personal perspective of a Syrian family attempting to live beautiful lives amidst so much upheaval, violence, and ongoing uncertainty...