As war overtook their home in Iraq in 2010, the al Rabeeah family sought a safe refuge. Their choice was the ancient and vibrant city of Homs in Syria. But within a year, their hope had turned into a nightmare as Homs became the epicenter of struggle against Syrian president Bashir al-Assad. Abu Bakr al Rabeeah was ten and one of eight children in the al Rabeeah family when the violence broke out, and witnessed the devastating siege of his new home before his family was able to finally escape to Canada. Al Rabeeah recounts his experience of living in the midst of a war zone in Homes: A Refugee Story, this April’s selection for OverDrive’s Big Library Read. In Homes, al Rabeeah writes of the surreal experience of normal events growing up—soccer, friends, and video games—punctuated by occasions of late night firebombs, attacks on his mosque and other acts of unimaginable violence. As told to writer Winnie Yeung, al Rabeeah depicts a truthful portrait of what is happening in Syria, a poignant and timely book that speaks to the refugee crisis that ripples through global affairs.
Homes: A Refugee Story will be available without a wait to all ebook readers through OverDrive beginning next week, April 1 until April 15. Join fellow readers online for discussions, guides, podcasts and more.