Sisters of the War: Two Remarkable True Stories of Survival and Hope in Syria

Gr 7 Up–Adapted from No Turning Back, award-winning Lebanese Australian journalist Abouzeid narrows her focus here to younger characters forced to witness Syria’s decimation under President Bashar Hafez al-Assad. In 2011, Hanin is eight, the middle of three sisters living in the “fringes” of Damascus. Although the family resides in an overcrowded slum, being Alawite—like Assad—suggests privilege. Nine-year-old Ruha is the oldest of three daughters in a Sunni Muslim (Syria’s majority) family in Saraqeb; her father’s participation in what should have been peaceful protests engenders devastating consequences. Both families will lose relatives, homes, country. British Jordanian Lara Sawalha, like Abouzeid, is fluent in Arabic—Syria’s official language—ensuring a smooth, eloquent narration. Without ever obscuring graphic tragedies, Sawalha’s gentle rhythmic cadence is ideally tuned for younger listeners learning about the horrors of war.