Dear World by Bana Alabed

Aleppo, Syria

Quick review for a quick read.

This heart-wrenching novel was written in 2016 by then 7 year old Bana Alabed (or al-Abed according to Wikipedia). It accounts Bana and her family’s experience during the Syrian Civil War. I really enjoyed how Bana was the narrator for the majority of the book, but there were sections in which her mother, Fatemah, cut in via letters to her daughter. They were sweet, and it also provided a small amount of insight that Bana could not (while keeping the book at a target audience of 10 - 13 year olds).

The book feels a little white washed (which is a difficult feat in a book with no white characters), but that’s likely what publishers are looking for in this type of book. They were looking for mass appeal. Bana and her family were sort of “perfect victims.” It seems like the publishers spent so much time trying to make Bana and her family feel “just like you and me,” that it feels inauthentic.

Now, of course, Bana’s story is tragic, and she helped raise a lot of awareness and funds towards victims of the war. But all this book feels like is something a white, upper class, fake hippy would read to their child to pat themselves on the back for reading a book about someone from the Middle East.

If somebody has suggestions for a book (whether children’s story or adult) about the Syrian Civil War that they suggest, I would love another perspective.

Review by the Numbers

Overall: 3/5

Writing: 4/5

Plot: 3/5

Message: 3/5

Character Development: N/A (memoir)

Challenges Satisfied:

- Syria (Reading My Way Around the World Challenge)

- A Book About Asian/Middle Eastern Experiences (My Diversity Challenge)

- A Book by a Middle Eastern/South Asian Author (Celebrity Readers 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge)

- A Book That Has the Same Title as a Song (Dear World by Nine Inch Nails, and other songs) (2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge)