The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria Free Audiobook Download by Alia Malek

When she was six, her family fled Syria during the war and Alia Malek grew up in a refugee camp in Jordan. She shares stories that give voice not just to the people who experienced these events but also to those still trapped under their shadow who are unable to escape.

The Home That Was Our Country is the story of a single Syrian family during the first years of the conflict. Alia Malek manages to capture the beauty of life in Syria, but also its imperfections; this memoir is full of hope and despair, humor and heartbreak. The reader feels right alongside Alia as she tells her story- she leaves you asking questions about what you would do if faced with a similar situation.

After reading The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria, it is clear that Alia Malek is an exceptional narrator who has mastered the art of telling a story without saying much. Even though I was not born in Syria or have ever visited the country, my emotions were as raw as if I had been through every single event she wrote about herself and her family.

Alia Malek shares her memories of Syria with the listener in her memoir The Home That Was Our Country. In this autobiography, Alia relives the personal changes and political upheaval that lead to the civil war in Syria. The narrative is told through the eyes of a child living in Damascus who witnesses first hand the firing of tear gas into her parent's house by government forces. As she and her family celebrate one Christmas Eve, Alia informs them that they will have to leave their home within 24 hours, which they do without any possessions other than what is on their bodies.

This book was a memoir of Syria from the perspective of a Syrian woman and her family. The author tells the story of how one family's life changed drastically because of the civil war going on in their country. Alia Malek takes you through her memories as they are being re-lived while living out in exile.

Syria was first occupied by the Ottoman Turks in 1517 and remained under the control of Istanbul for over 400 years until the end of WWI. After WWI, Syria came under French occupation. France granted autonomy to Syria in 1922 and on 1 April 1936 Syria became an independent country. There have been sporadic uprisings against Syrian rule, including a major rebellion when Hafez al-Assad took power in 1970.