The Cave by Amani Ballour, M.D.

 "I know what happened because I lived it. I survived it. This is my story which I am telling for history's sake. I will not live forever, but these testimonies, these truths, should.... I will always speak out rather than remain silent. When it comes to illuminating the suffering in Syria, I believe I must speak for the ones who were silenced. I also believe we must tell the truth for history's sake--to let the world know, including the criminals who harmed us, that we are still here. That we have not forgotten what they did to us, or our cause, and that we will fight for freedom until one day we get it." 

 

Amani Ballour grew up in Kafr Batna, a smaller, more rural community in Eastern Ghouta, Syria. The fifth child (and youngest daughter) in a family of eight children, she attended medical school in Damascus in 2006, focusing on becoming a pediatrician. Then the Syrian revolution began in 2011 and life changed for Amani, her family, her community, and the thousands of Syrians who dared to stand up against the brutal Assad regime and demand their basic human rights and freedoms. Amani ended up returning home and going to work in an underground hospital dubbed The Cave, where they treated anyone who needed help, even though they had little equipment, money, or medications.

This is her story. It is also the story of Syria. And of all those killed by Assad just because they longed for democracy and liberty. It's gut-wrenching and heartbreaking...and one of those must read books. The international community may have ignored the dreadful things that happened in Eastern Ghouta-- starvation, shelling, children dying, bombings, Sarin gas attacks, disappearances, arrests, torture, threats, fear, and brutal crackdowns--but we shouldn't.

Yes, this book can be hard to read at times. But this is such an important book!  Amani's story and determination and strength will inspire you. And her sorrows and heartbreaks will make you cry. 

Here's just a taste of her words:

• "I thought the International community would surely do something to stop our misery, that it wouldn't just let Assad kill and punish people for protesting. And I couldn't imagine that starvation would be used as a tactic in the 21st century."
• "I learned through experience that the human capacity to endure hardship is vast; we are capable of extraordinary resilience."
• "I fear for my family and friends in Syria, for my beloved countrymen and -women, and always for the children. But I am not hopeless. I know that human beings are capable of changing history. I believe in the ability of people in democracies to change government policies and to help others elsewhere through humanitarian gestures if their governments won't. We can all do our part. My colleagues and I in The Cave never faltered or wondered. What difference can one person make? Every helping hand is precious. Individual efforts can snowball into group efforts. And group efforts can change the world."

My rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Happy Reading!