Mini Book Review #10: We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria, by Wendy Pearlman.
We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria is a key book to read if you want to understand the Syrian Civil War beyond the news flashes and painful photographs.
This is the story of the Syrian revolution, in the words of Syrians. Wendy Pearlman interviewed hundreds of refugees over a number of years and then used excerpts from their stories to build a picture of the Syrian civil war that is heartbreaking in its clarity. These refugees tell of hopes for democracy that were shattered by an oppressive regime, other nations’ intrigues, and Islamic extremists. While this book primarily explores the viewpoints of people who were not supporters of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, it shows a people with great understanding and compassion for each other’s differences.
Read this book not only to help you understand what has happened in Syria but also for the sheer beauty of these survivors’ words as they express their hopes and griefs.
Some striking quotes:
From a man who was brutalized in a Syrian prison and eventually released so the regime could use him to track down all his contacts:
“I moved from a small prison to a big one.”
From a mother in Aleppo:
“We had gotten used to oppression. It was part of our life, like air, sun, water. We didn’t even feel it. Like there is air, but you never ask, “Where is the air?””
From a beautician who fled to Greece:
“We don’t have a problem with death. Our problem is life without dignity.”
From an activist:
“We know that freedom has a price. Democracy has a price. But maybe we paid a price that is higher than freedom and higher than democracy.”
From a Syrian media organizer:
“What’s crucial in this whole process is that you don’t matter. You as an individual—your aspirations, your ideas about what is right—mean absolutely nothing. And that’s when you understand why people get radicalized. I completely understand why somebody would join ISIS or al-Qaeda or the Assad regime or the Kurdish groups. You are in dire need for a narrative that can justify this futility. There has to be a point. So you become radical. This suffering has to be for a reason. Otherwise it’s too painful.”