The Home That Was Our Country

The Home That Was Our Country follows journalist Alia Malek's quest to reclaim her grandmother's apartment in Damascus and restore it as her family home. Through this personal narrative, Malek reconstructs her family's history in Syria across multiple generations. The book spans nearly a century of Syrian history, from the Ottoman Empire through the French Mandate period to the rise of the Assad regime and the recent civil war. Malek interweaves her own experiences living in Damascus in 2011 with stories of her neighbors and extended family members. The narrative moves between past and present as Malek documents her grandmother's building and the lives of its inhabitants while simultaneously reporting on the uprising against Bashar al-Assad. Her perspective as both insider and outsider - an Arab-American journalist with deep Syrian roots - allows her to capture details of daily life alongside broader historical events. Through intimate portraits of ordinary Syrians, this memoir illuminates universal themes about home, belonging, and the complex relationship between people and the places that shape them. The book offers a window into how political forces transform private lives and physical spaces across generations.

Readers value this memoir for weaving personal family history with Syria's broader political transformation. The parallel narratives of the author's grandmother's apartment building and Syria's descent into civil war help make complex historical events accessible. What readers liked: - Clear explanations of Syria's religious and ethnic dynamics - Rich details about daily life in Damascus - Balance of personal stories with historical context - Perspective as both insider and outsider What readers disliked: - Timeline jumps can be confusing - Some found early chapters slow - Details about property rights and real estate felt excessive to some - A few readers wanted more focus on recent events Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (678 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (89 ratings) "The building's residents serve as a microcosm of Syrian society," noted one Goodreads reviewer. Another Amazon reader praised how it "humanizes Syria beyond news headlines" while a critical review mentioned "getting lost in the many family connections."

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🏠 Author Alia Malek worked as a civil rights lawyer before becoming a journalist and writer, bringing a unique legal perspective to her family's story of displacement from Syria. 🗝️ The apartment building at the heart of the book was originally built by the author's great-grandfather in 1936 and was later seized by the Assad regime through manipulative rental laws. 🕊️ The book spans nearly a century of Syrian history, from the Ottoman Empire through the French Mandate period to the rise of the Assad family's dictatorship. 🌍 While writing the book, Malek lived in Damascus from 2011-2013, personally witnessing the start of the Syrian Civil War while renovating her grandmother's apartment. 👥 The narrative weaves together stories of Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Armenians who lived as neighbors in the same Damascus building, offering a microcosm of Syria's once-celebrated religious diversity.