Mike Thomson

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Daraya lies on the fringe of Damascus, just southwest of the Syrian capital. Yet for four years it lived in another world. Besieged by government forces early in the Syrian Civil War, its people were deprived of food, bombarded by heavy artillery, and under the constant fire of snipers. But deep beneath this scene of frightening devastation lay a hidden library. While the streets above echoed with shelling and rifle fire, the secret world below was a haven of books.

Long rows of well-thumbed volumes lined almost every wall: bloated editions with grand leather covers, pocket-sized guides to Syrian poetry, and no-nonsense reference books, all arranged in well-ordered lines. But this precious horde was not bought from publishers or loaned by other libraries--they were the books salvaged and scavenged at great personal risk from the doomed city above.

The story of this extraordinary place and the people who found purpose and refuge in it is one of hope, human resilience, and above all, the timeless, universal love of literature and the compassion and wisdom it fosters.

This was an amazing view into an aspect of Syrian culture I'd never even thought of before. I hope to see more non-fiction exploring topics like this in the future.… (meer)

From glancing at other reviews, I gather this book did not receive universal public acclaim, but I beg to differ. Thompson was not writing a novel, or trying to. He was chronicling the lives of persons living under siege. My guess is that unless and until we experience this, no one else's experience can ever fully reveal the terror and the boredom it entails.

Lots of names? Yup, many people lived in Daraya. Lots of differing reactions? Yup, we all see through a different glass; some darkly, some with hope.

I finished the book with two thoughts paramount in my mind: first, the Library changed lives and allowed those who frequented it to have hope for some type of future. And secondly, I wished Thompson had kept quiet about it. His BBC broadcast did not result in European (forget U.S.) aide to Daraya, but very well could have alerted the regime's awareness of the library. Would it have been unearthed so quickly? Perhaps, yes. But that will always be a question mark.

One thing is certain: The Mobile Bus Library would not have come into existence if they had not seen what it could mean. Who knows what any one action sows?

The photos were worth the price of the book, if not more. Thank you, Mike.… (meer)

A worthy contribution to the genre of accounts of libraries created and treasured under the most extreme of circumstances (see, e.g., "The Librarian of Auschwitz").

I confess to being one of those not fully aware of what was going on in Syria. This book fills in a lot of those gaps. Rather than a first-hand account, this journalist was in sporadic internet/social media contact with the main actors. As such, the account lacks a certain immediacy: While we learn the gut-wretching struggles, it is more through his eyes, how he felt hearing about the hunger and terror, than the hunger and terror itself.

Still, though it all, he communicates the central role that the library they created out of scavenged books came to assume in their lives. Nothing better communicates the value of books than hearing what they mean to those on the brink of complete destruction. Thomson does his informants proud by telling the story of this ideal of the best that mankind can achieve, that for them actually existed, if only for a moment.… (meer)

**I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Thomson writes a moving tribute to those who risked their lives maintaining a secret library in the town of Daraya in Syria. Amid bombs and gunfighting, citizens of the town made their way to the secret location, where they discovered hundreds of titles saved from shelled buildings and offices. This book showcases war, but also shows how those amidst the fighting can find refuge and hope. I appreciated Thomson’s interviews with a few of those instrumental in the creation and implementation of the library, following through with them over the course of several years, while Daraya lay under siege.

Such an important book; I am so glad I read this one.… (meer)