An extraordinary true account of the enormous tragedy
of the Syrian civil conflict.


Since the 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 first-hand 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.