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A review by givnuapeacesign
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Melissa Fleming
4.0
Powerful story of Doaa Al Zamel's struggle as a young woman in Syria during the Arab Spring time period. After protests in Tunisia appeared to be making a difference, activists took to the streests in Doaa's hometown of Daraa. Doaa and her siblings lived comfortably possessing a strong sense of justice. They joined in the protests which were mostly peaceful. Yet over time the government changed for the worse. Emergency law was abolished, many defected from the Syrian Army forming the Free Syrian Army, and soon the country was in all-out civil war.
After a time, Doaa's family fled to Egypt where they were welcomed for a while. Yet this soon ended as more and more Syrian refugees flooded the country. Resources became scarce as jobs became difficult to find. Prejudices surfaced, and it was no longer a safe place. Doaa fell in love, and she and her fiancee decided they must leave Egypt.
They gave their life savings to known smugglers for boat passage across the Mediterranean Sea. Doaa was terrified of water, never learning to swim. Ultimately she spent four days in the sea after her boat was sunk. Her amazing, heroic story will astound.
Four stars only because this reader feels there was too much prequel to the real story of Doaa. Many pages were given to her early years, her stubbornness, her unwillingness to get engaged, etc. This became tedious and could have been handled in lots fewer pages. The story of this amazing woman, however, is simply amazing. Her faith never wavered. Her devotion to family is a lesson to us all. The reader is left wondering why this had to happen and is still happening today. Millions are still being s=displaced as of this writing while over 400,000 have been killed in Syria. Why has the world allowed this to continue?
After a time, Doaa's family fled to Egypt where they were welcomed for a while. Yet this soon ended as more and more Syrian refugees flooded the country. Resources became scarce as jobs became difficult to find. Prejudices surfaced, and it was no longer a safe place. Doaa fell in love, and she and her fiancee decided they must leave Egypt.
They gave their life savings to known smugglers for boat passage across the Mediterranean Sea. Doaa was terrified of water, never learning to swim. Ultimately she spent four days in the sea after her boat was sunk. Her amazing, heroic story will astound.
Four stars only because this reader feels there was too much prequel to the real story of Doaa. Many pages were given to her early years, her stubbornness, her unwillingness to get engaged, etc. This became tedious and could have been handled in lots fewer pages. The story of this amazing woman, however, is simply amazing. Her faith never wavered. Her devotion to family is a lesson to us all. The reader is left wondering why this had to happen and is still happening today. Millions are still being s=displaced as of this writing while over 400,000 have been killed in Syria. Why has the world allowed this to continue?