Podcast
Fresh Air
This memoir detailed the author's awakening, rebellion against the Syrian regime, and her survival in the country. The interviewer found the toxic family dynamics within the book to be familiar, while also noting how thoroughly the author documented the country falling apart.
Lubna Murai's new book is called Defiance, a memoir of awakening, rebellion, and survival in Syria.
— Episode: A daughter's rebellion against a regime...
Episode: A daughter's rebellion against a regime and her fa...
This memoir detailed the author's awakening, rebellion against the Syrian regime, and her survival in the country. The interviewer found the toxic family dynamics within the book to be familiar, while also noting how thoroughly the author documented the country falling apart.
Lubna Murai's new book is called Defiance, a memoir of awakening, rebellion, and survival in Syria.
Two parts in particular really got under my skin. First, the toxic family dynamics that honestly feel wincingly familiar to me and probably to many of you listening. And then the less familiar part, she documents how her country fell apart.
Because memoirs, especially memoirs that are filled with pain and grief, they are very difficult to write because you really need to write about people with love and nuance. And write with love even about the people that you hate and despise the most.
And pain tempts us, pain and anger tempts us to see things in absolutes, to flatten people into heroes and villains. And when you do that, you risk leaving parts of the truth out.
I found defiance to be breathtaking. And I was really pulled in, frankly, because I'm worried about the stability of my own country, the United States.