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jpowerj's review against another edition
5.0
A seriously comprehensive/thorough study of the Syrian revolution, given the fairly short length. It covers everything really well: Syrian history (including the crucial colonizal era), cultural resistance, the Kurdish "side" of the conflict, the role of the myriad international actors, and so on, while remaining critical of "mainstream" narratives throughout. In other words, you'll learn what these mainstream narratives are but also what contradictory "facts on the ground" are important to look at, so that you can remain critical when new narratives are trotted out by Western media. I've now read a couple of books+articles about the revolution, and this one definitely seems to be the best one for people (like myself) with little prior knowledge.
hm_reads's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant look at the Syrian Revolution. These two authors are incredibly well-versed, fair, and insightful. This is the kind of writing that adds nuance to contemporary histories while maintaining a beautiful form of prose that any should be able to access.
binstonbirchill's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very good book for those looking to understand a bit about the ongoing conflict in Syria. I've decided to keep my personal view on the situation to myself and just review the book itself. The book flows smoothly from a brief snapshot of the time leading up to 2011, to the grassroots nature of the revolution, the militarization, the rise of the Islamisms, exile, and then the failure. Certainly the authors have their bias and with the conflict being ever-changing it's incredibly difficult to get a real grasp of the situation. Only after the dust has been long settled will we ever get a definitive account of the conflict, and by then it will be too late to do anyone any good. This is a very good starting point for those interested in the Syrian conflict, many will undoubtedly want more and there is a small bibliography that will help with that.
mothmans_mum's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding book. I'm always hesitant of using the term 'must-read', but the Syrian revolution is so important to the world's politics today that I think everyone really should read this.
idrees2022's review against another edition
5.0
This book is more than just a people's history of the Syrian revolution, it is also a concise history of the country, a catalogue of the deliberate strategies and unwitting mistakes that brought on the counter-revolution, and an indictment of the international community and the western left for their abandonment of a people facing genocide. Above all, it is a necessary corrective to all the crypto-fascist apologia issuing from the Fisk, Cockburn, Glass quarters.
amyrezende's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Murder, and Violence