User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Fantastic novel that touches the heart of the reader I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This novel is absolutely heart-wrenching. I was generally aware of what's going on in Syria. However, this story put everything in a different perspective for me. The story focuses on a young teenager, Zaid Kadir, who is separated from his family in Aleppo after it is over run by the rebels. Along with his two best friends, Salman and Fatima, he has to survive the horrors of a war that no child should ever have to face.
The author does a great job of humanizing Zaid. He's a normal 13-year-old boy no different than any American or European kid. He has dreams for the future. He is experiencing his first true crush (maybe even love). He wants to be accepted by his peers. By the author doing that, I felt like I could relate to Zaid at an entirely different level, and I felt like I was in his place. At times, it felt like I could literally feel the bombs dropping and the shooting as Zaid and his friends have to fight to survive time and time again.
Like I've heard the author say, this book isn't about the politics. Instead, it shows the bravery of humanity as we see the people of Aleppo rescuing one another time and time again. We also see humanity at its worst in the form of the rebels, soldiers, and some of Aleppo's citizens who have become lost to the chaos of war.
I truly believe this is a book everyone should read! Not only does it give a better understanding of The Syrian Civil War, but it also helps us understand the plight of the people in war torn regions in a way that we might not otherwise get. Thank you to the author for giving me a copy of this book in advance of its publication!
Rating: really liked it
This is way out of my comfort zone: I never read books about war or follow news about it. I've mostly heard about the Syrian Civil War in terms of territories being seized or recovered as if they were pieces on a game board. Zaid, the 13-year-old hero of this story, was similarly protected by his parents from unpleasant and worrying news, so it is all the more shocking for him when he is present at the initial assault on his home town of Aleppo. Within an astonishingly short time, this bright, bustling, modern city is reduced to a silent, smoking ruin. Zaid and his friends are separated from their families and struggle to return home to them.
It becomes clear that neither side in the conflict is even considering the civilians caught in the crossfire. They must rely on themselves. Zaid, the dreamer, finds reserves of strength and courage within himself; gentle Fatima calmly treats knife and gunshot wounds; and her older brother Salman shoulders unaccustomed responsibility. I was impressed with the messages of hope and heroism, and with the restrained treatment of religious faith.
I would like to see this book read in schools. It's entirely appropriate for that. It has the excitement of a post-apocalyptic adventure with the sobering knowledge that this destruction actually happened in our lifetime. It powerfully evokes the chaos of war. And also it gives a picture – through flashbacks – of a strong culture and community that our hearts can recognize.
Rating: really liked it
We have seen the heartrending images of babies crying on missile-shelled, bullet-riddled streets, heard the furor of debate over desperate people seeking shelter from a war-torn country, but rare is the first-person account from a youthful perspective that gives us a window to feel it all up close. This coming-of-age story (realistic fiction) starts with a 13-year-old Syrian boy running for his life through a battle zone to no safety at all.
The narrative then slams backward, to a place any young person will recognize: the classroom and a tedious lesson. The teacher is driving home the message of what Assad’s presidency has meant to the people of Syria. Zaid’s classmate Ahmed is one who, echoing his father, presumes Assad is a great man who helped the economy.
Readers who have not grown up in dictatorships may find it strange that school lessons include whimsical “leader” stories given on a daily basis. Such propaganda is a reality that children in free societies are spared.
Zaid’s life seems normal in the sense that families get up, go to work or school, and come home to eat and sleep, but his 13-year-old neighbor and classmate, Fatima, notices that nine students are absent.
The Heart of Aleppo is a courageous and versatile account of young Zaid, who discovers the “heart” of his home city even as it is destroyed. His life moves from some semblance of normality living over his rug merchant father’s shop to learning how to survive with young Fatima and her brother Salman as adults die around them. Zaid comes to question every notion or tradition that structured his life before chaos. Prefabricated ideas of who and what represent safety fall away as government soldiers and rebels fire through civilians to dominate each other. There is no safety.
Ammar Habib is a prolific young author who skillfully makes a 7,000-year-old city under onslaught come to life. Readers will feel they are running in the rubble and understand what it must mean when there is no way to stay out of a fight—not when it has engulfed an entire country. I strongly recommend this book not only to young readers but school librarians.
Rating: really liked it
Heart-wrenching, powerful story that portrays heroism and hope under the worst circumstancesThis is a beautifully written and emotionally charged book that gives its readers a glimpse of the terrible ordeals people in war-torn countries go through. This is not a political tale nor does it take sides in any way. It simply tells the story of an average young man and how his life gets turned upside down when his country and it's government decide war is the only solution to their problems.
This story is told in first-person from the perspective of Zaid, a 13-year-old boy that is no different than any 13-year-old boy you may know. He has plans for a future, he has a crush, he has homework. But everything changes around him when his city becomes a war zone that he and all of the other civilians are stuck inside of.
Ammar Habib's writing and descriptions are so clear and well-written I could feel the destruction around me and hear the battle as it raged. His characters are so real, my heart hurt for Zaid when he was down and soared for him when he was proving how good people could be.
This book truly opened my eyes to things happening in other parts of the world that I'd had no idea about.
Rating: really liked it
Thirteen-year-old Zaid and his friends, siblings Fatima and Salman, leave innocence behind when their parents send them away at rumors of rebel attacks. The teenagers discover that nowhere is safe, as they are besieged repeatedly by rebels, and learn that the military cannot be trusted—they are alone. Strangers sacrifice their lives; strangers betray them; strangers ask for help…evoking survival instincts and humanity’s courage in the darkest hours. They are children, separated from their parents, who must fear multiple, murderous factions and their own government, kids who days ago were living normal teenage lives, as any teenager in any country.
Habib’s portrayal of Syrian teens on the run from death, as well as their daily lives before the war, was supplemented by his friendships with native Syrians and interviews with Syrian refugees for accuracy. His hope is to bring more awareness to the world of a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians who desire only the freedom he enjoys.
Rating: really liked it
The heart of Aleppo is not the city's centre, it's the people loving and living it.
I'm lucky to say that I don't know what it feels like when, after a normal, carefree childhood, your whole world falls apart. But I think Ammar Habib does a great job describing just that.
Very shocking and touching! And, sadly, realistic story. Not one I will easily forget...
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Rating: really liked it
I am very excited for this book's release. It's definitely the most meaningful work I have written thus far as it displays the terrors many people in Syria continue to face. I truly hope readers connect with this work!
Rating: really liked it
A beautiful novel that will stay with me for a long time. Habib managed to write Zaid as a character many people will be able to relate to. A teenage boy with hopes and dreams of the future, who's innocence is quickly destroyed when the first bombs start to fall. The conflicting emotions Zaid experiences about his brother, his family, the military and life in general are put into words beautifully. Thanks to Habib's writing I was able to really picture Aleppo and the destruction that took place. I would definitely recommend this novel to other people to gain more insight of what is going on in Syria and to see things from a different perspective. Rather than all the news coverage we've all seen before, this novel allows us to understand the humanitarian aspect.
Rating: really liked it
This is a very powerful story of a 13 year old who is growing up in Aleppo during war time and is trying to escape the devastation that is fast approaching his home area. Zaid and his two close friends set out to run towards a safer area and we are taken with them on this journey.Habib does an outstanding job of describing what the streets of Aleppo are like during war time. The reader can feel the full effects of the war and the raw emotions of the characters in the book. It is a very powerful read, riveting, and emotional. I’d like to thank the author for providing me an ARC of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Rating: really liked it
I was given this ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review:
Wow! That is all I can say. This story absolutely touched my heart. As the premise suggests, this novel follows a young boy, Zaid Kadir, as he is separated from his family in the midst of the Battle of Aleppo. Along with 2 of his friends, he is forced to survive the chaos of war. The book is a balancing act in how it shows the brutality and chaos of war, and helplessness of those caught in the crossfire.
The book's theme seems to be the spirit of humanity and that courage is often found in the darkest times. I really appreciated those messages and the way that Habib showed them. I cannot say much without spoiling the story, but I will say that the ending, along with other parts of the novel, had me in tears.
What I enjoyed about this novel is that it is not about the politics of war, and it chooses to instead focus on the humanity of war's effects. Habib does a good job of showing how Zaid does not fully grasp the politics of the war, as most children would not. The destruction has a very hollow and abandoned tone, and the characters are very relatable even to those who are not familiar with Syria's culture. It's clear that the author's religious background does help him flesh out the characters. I can honestly say that having read this work has given me a better glimpse into the lives of Syria's war refugees.
Thank you to the author for allowing me to read this terrific novel!
Rating: really liked it
Devastatingly Powerful This is a devastatingly powerful read, an emotional roller coaster, and a story I'll never forget. The author hopes to humanize the tragic stories we see on the news from all the wars across the globe, specifically the Syrian Civil War, and he accomplishes that masterfully!
The protagonist, Zaid Kadir, is a normal pre-teen boy living in Aleppo, Syria. He goes to school, has friends, and is in that "awkward" stage of life. He has a crush, wishes he was as cool as some other boys, and looks up to his older brother. But everything changes in one night; everything changes when the City of Aleppo is attacked. Overnight, the peaceful city is turned into a war zone. Zaid is separated from his family, and he must now survive an experience no child should ever go through.
The 1st-person narrative style puts you in Zaid's shoes. We feel his confusion, feel his fear, feel every emotion of loneliness that he experiences. But above all else, we see his transformation. The darkest hours often pull out the best of humanity. Zaid's coming-of-age story happens over the course of a few days. We see him go from the fragile boy and into a young adult, one who realizes that his city is not a place. Now, Aleppo's heart is inside its citizens. And Zaid fights to keep that heart alive, to help the people around him.
The Heart of Aleppo is a courageous and versatile account of young Zaid, who discovers the “heart” of his home city even as it is destroyed. As the chaos grows worse, Zaid comes to question every notion or tradition that structured his life before chaos. Prefabricated ideas of who and what represent safety fall away as government soldiers and rebels fire through civilians to dominate each other. There is no safety. Not anymore.
There is no politics in this story. Just a beautiful tale of the human spirit. Ammar Habib brings this story to life masterfully. I would like to see this book read in schools. It has the excitement of a post-apocalyptic adventure with the sobering knowledge that this destruction actually happened in our lifetime. It evokes the chaos of war and shows how war can wreck entire cities and cultures in the blink of an eye.
With the world we live in, we NEED more stories like this!
Rating: really liked it
This book was absolutely gut-wrenching, and one that everybody should read. Beautifully written, the author weaves his tale around Zaid, a 13-year-old Syrian boy whose life changes in a single night.
Like many other boys his age, Zaid worries about school, has a crush, and would much rather play with his friends than doing homework. He loves and respects his family, and dreams of being a doctor – if only he could learn to stop daydreaming in class! All was well, until one night, he is roused from sleep and hustled into a car with his two friends, Salman and his sister, Fatima. They are to be sent away because danger was coming soon, and leaving the Aleppo was the only possible way to keep them safe. Unfortunately, they never arrive at their destination and together, they embark on a journey of courage, bravery and determination.
I just… LOVE this book. It’s beautiful, emotional, and so well done. The author pulls you right into all of it and I felt like I was with Zaid, Salman and Fatima while they faced rebels and soldiers, bullets and bombs. There is absolutely zero hidden agenda in this book – it’s not about politics, or religion, or swaying the reader to choose a side. Instead, it’s about finding humanity and courage in the face of adversity.
I would love to see this in libraries everywhere. It’s extremely relevant and completely approachable for middle school and older. Just an absolutely wonderful book and one hundred percent recommended to everybody.
**I got a copy of Heart of Aleppo from the author and Voracious Readers Online for an honest review**
Rating: really liked it
The Syrian Civil War is a topic I admittedly don’t know much about, so I learned a few tragic things from reading the book. More importantly than the true events this book describes, I was able to sympathize with the characters, regardless of the cultural differences. I’m an 8th grade teacher, and I plan on purchasing more copies of this and adding them to my classroom library for my students to read. My students can learn a lot about what real courage is by reading this book.
Rating: really liked it
Told through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy,
The Heart of Aleppo brings alive the horrors of the Syrian Civil War. With their home city of Aleppo turned into a war zone over night in 2012, Zaid and his two closest friends struggle to survive amidst the violence in the streets.
A short novel that packs an intense punch. Powerful, timely and important, infused with a defiant sense of hope in the face of death and destruction. Read it.
Rating: really liked it
Wow! What a read. It really touched my soul as I read about how Zaid and his friends had to endure what no child should ever have to go through. I think everybody living in first-world countries should read this book to get a better understanding of what people in war-torn nations are experiencing.
