The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria by Alia Malek, award-winning journalist and civil rights lawyer, is set in Syria’s capital city of Damascus, in one specific apartment building - the apartment building of Malek’s own family. Malek shares the many stories that passed each other in the hallway and how the fate of Malek’s neighbors mirrors the fate of the nation. This memoir is a blend of personal and researched narrative, highlighting Syrian history, politics, and society and “delivering an unforgettable portrait of the Syria that is being erased.” The New York Times Book Review says, "The Home That Was Our Country, is one of the finest examples of this new testimonial writing... Malek's memoir will remain essential reading in the emerging body of literary reportage from Syria in English... Such stories couldn't be more urgent." Sponsored by the Middle East and Islamic Studies Program, and the Ali Vural Ak Center for Islamic Studies.
