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lexilovesreadingggg's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, it's a very very heavy read, because all of the events reported, happened and are probably still happening in some way due to the war in Syria not being over. Still to this day, I admire the way Janine Di Giovanni used language as a tool to give a voice to those, whose stories should be told and shouldn't be forgotten.
aubreystapp's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good, I was hoping it would help clear up my confusion about Syria, and it helped a little... Too much of the author and her opinion in it though, I wanted a more objective account.
hooliaquoolia's review against another edition
3.0
More of a series of short, 20-page memoirs than a work of substantial journalism. Her accounts are moving and authentically describe the realities of war for a newly sectarian country, but they are so consumed by anecdotes that the true scale of the conflict is somewhat lost. In addition, any organized argument for specific action or intervention on the part of the international community is absent amidst her tunnel-vision focus on anecdotes. I feel like she wanted this book to be a call to action--but what action exactly? And for which side? I am left with questions and little direction, which I doubt was her goal.
betweenbookends's review against another edition
3.0
Completely harrowing and emotionally devastating, this is such an important read. While the Syrian refugee crisis, the recent chemical attacks, and so many other devastating incidents have been in the news, the bloodied history of this country and the lives lost is unthinkable. In this memoir, Giovanni, a reporter who has been investigating and interviewing both sides (the Assad govt, and the rebel forces) since 2011, gives a detailed account of the bloodshed and violence that has rocked Syria. It's absolutely traumatising when Giovanni describes the scenes in different parts of Syria and it feels unreal and post-apocalyptic, like a scene from the Walking Dead. To read about the young children, families, the innumerable civilians whose daily life is interspersed with the sounds of bombs and daily sights are dismembered bodies strewn about, is completely horrifying. Giovanni's memoir ends on a very unsettling and disturbing note as the situation in Syria spirals out of control. It haunts you long after you've read it and is a reminder of how cruel humanity can be.
The only aspect which was a bit of misfire for me, is Giovanni tends to write sometimes as a stream of consciousness and it takes focus from the horrific events to her perceptions instead.
The only aspect which was a bit of misfire for me, is Giovanni tends to write sometimes as a stream of consciousness and it takes focus from the horrific events to her perceptions instead.
annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
I read this all in one evening because I wasn't sure if I could pick it up the next morning. And I'm grateful I did - it was an all-consuming reading experience, and I'm still processing everything I read the next day.
The Morning They Came for Us is primarily objective reporting of events that the (Western, non-Syrian) journalist either experienced or her interviewees experienced, and the surrounding contemporary events/context. Every once in a while, the author brings up previous war reporting experiences she's had - notably the Bosnian war - and tidbits about how war journalists/foreign correspondents handle the logistics of these trips. I appreciated the (brief) acknowledgement that she, and other journalists have a new unique privilege of temporarily living in and experiencing a war zone but they're (usually) able to leave. These elements - the more personal/subjective pieces - will not be for every reader's personal preference. But much like personal accounts of war that she includes, I think it adds an additional layer of humanity to the narrative.
The personal accounts, though, are really fucking hard to read. Especially Nada, Shaheeneez, and Hussein - who all were kidnapped/taken, tortured, raped, and brutalized for months. Besides the very graphic details of their experiences, what really hurt was reading about their feelings of betrayal - betrayal from their fellow Syrians, from humanity, and how now they feel separate from other humans. A common thread throughout the book is "This isn't my Syria" - many of those interviewed in the early days couldn't believe that people of their own country would do this to each other - that it must be solely foreigners responsible. As the war progressed, the rise of divisions across religion, ethnic groups, and other ideologies demonstrated how effective separatism and fear is to any regime or group fighting for control and power.
Despite the sense of war's inevitability that pervades this book, what really struck me was how much the rest of the world failed Syria and continues to fail Syria. At the time of publication, the civil war had been going on for 5+ years - at this time of this review, the war is still going on 11+ years later. "The Book of the Dead is not yet finished" (pg 172).
The Morning They Came for Us is primarily objective reporting of events that the (Western, non-Syrian) journalist either experienced or her interviewees experienced, and the surrounding contemporary events/context. Every once in a while, the author brings up previous war reporting experiences she's had - notably the Bosnian war - and tidbits about how war journalists/foreign correspondents handle the logistics of these trips. I appreciated the (brief) acknowledgement that she, and other journalists have a new unique privilege of temporarily living in and experiencing a war zone but they're (usually) able to leave. These elements - the more personal/subjective pieces - will not be for every reader's personal preference. But much like personal accounts of war that she includes, I think it adds an additional layer of humanity to the narrative.
The personal accounts, though, are really fucking hard to read. Especially Nada, Shaheeneez, and Hussein - who all were kidnapped/taken, tortured, raped, and brutalized for months. Besides the very graphic details of their experiences, what really hurt was reading about their feelings of betrayal - betrayal from their fellow Syrians, from humanity, and how now they feel separate from other humans. A common thread throughout the book is "This isn't my Syria" - many of those interviewed in the early days couldn't believe that people of their own country would do this to each other - that it must be solely foreigners responsible. As the war progressed, the rise of divisions across religion, ethnic groups, and other ideologies demonstrated how effective separatism and fear is to any regime or group fighting for control and power.
Despite the sense of war's inevitability that pervades this book, what really struck me was how much the rest of the world failed Syria and continues to fail Syria. At the time of publication, the civil war had been going on for 5+ years - at this time of this review, the war is still going on 11+ years later. "The Book of the Dead is not yet finished" (pg 172).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Child death, Medical trauma, War, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Torture, and Xenophobia
zozo9's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
jasonfurman's review against another edition
4.0
A powerful eyewitness account of the first year's of the civil war in Syria. Janine Di Giovanni does little if any exposition or current events, instead just jumping into journalistic accounts of aspects of the conflict from the perspective of a variety of different people--with a heavy emphasis on relatively graphic accounts of torture, rape, killing, and the like. As powerful and important as these stories were, however, they felt missing some broader context and (as horrible as this is to admit) there is a even a certain sameness to much of the account. I preferred [b:A Rage for Order: The Middle East in Turmoil, from Tahrir Square to ISIS|29875848|A Rage for Order The Middle East in Turmoil, from Tahrir Square to ISIS|Robert F. Worth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465635403s/29875848.jpg|50248645] which covered similar territory (but across more of the Arab countries) for its combination of current events and narrative. And neither comes close to the beauty of [b:The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between|28007895|The Return Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between|Hisham Matar|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457891417s/28007895.jpg|48015462], a memoir centered around Libya.