Escape from Aleppo

I originally borrowed this book from the library and then decided to buy it. I’m always looking for books for my kids that will give them perspectives from real-life experiences that they (hopefully) wouldn’t experience otherwise. Historical fiction is so great for that, in my opinion. I think this book would be just right for ages 10 to 12. It has enough tension and emotion without it being traumatic.

ESCAPE FROM ALEPPO by N H SenzaiWar is terrifying. When you are 15 and suddenly separated from your family in the middle of a desperate flight with family members slated for imprisonment, civil war becomes a terrifying reality.Nadia, raised in an upper middle class family with all the modern conveniences Americans enjoy, is left in war torn Aleppo on her own after a bombing raid. Her family is making their way to safety in Turkey. ESCAPE FROM ALEPPO makes war real while presenting the political realities of an international crisis. The book does not sugar coat the situations Nadia encounters in her flight from the city. The situation is realistic. The characters are complex. The politics are presented from a Syrian’s point of view. The writing and plotting is intense. The devastation in once beautiful and vibrant Aleppo is made clear.The novel is aimed at Middle Schoolers but might be too intense for this younger group. High schoolers will identify with Nadia, a “modern” teen. This would be a good book for discussion, especially of politics and the repercussions of decisions made by foreign leaders.5 of 5 stars

This book was a contender for the 2018 Global Read Aloud. It was well worth the read and will allow many adolescents to learn about the conflicts in Syria and the millions of displaced citizens. Students as young as grade 6 will enjoy the story.

Nadia has watched, over her short life, her country go from normalcy and peace to complete war and chaos. It is in the latter environment that she has to make her way, alone, to the Turkish border. Along the way she meets others who need to escape, and together they make their way through dangerous places and people.Senzai captures the beauty and richness of Syria's history in a gentleman Nadia meets along the way. Senzai also does a wonderful job of explaining how and why the war rages on. It is while Nadia is leaving her country that she realizes what all Syrians are losing. Senzai balances the heartbreak of a broken country with the hope of reuniting with family.A tough but necessary read. I'm left wanting to know more about Syria's history, and rooting for all who've lost anything in the war that continues to dessimate the country.

I very much enjoyed this glimpse into Aleppo. I hadn’t thought as much about the history and art of Syria, this gave me pause to do so.I loved the 4main characters; they show me what refugees in Syria are up against. Great premise too: could a family ever stay when one they love is assumed dead and they are fleeing?There is a lot of the history and politics of the war, and while I liked it (as an adult), I wonder if my 6th graders will be lost...

Great book. A sad story but the sense of community in those found on the same journey reflects true humanness.

Nice teaching tool for the classroom!

N.H. Senzai’s newest novel, Escape from Aleppo, demonstrates the power of storytelling and the importance of family, history, and culture, all while creating a story that makes the topic of Syria approachable to both young and older readers. Escape from Aleppo tells the story of Nadia, a young girl living in a war-torn Syria, who attempts to flee with her family but gets separated from them during the chaos of bombs dropping nearby. Throughout the novel, Nadia often compares her life before the civil war--in which her greatest concern was mostly her painted nails--to the life full of hardship, caution, and tragedy she was currently experiencing. In this, Senzai contemplates the desensitized culture of today’s society, where the people focus on the “important” things in their life, while drowning out the problems of the rest of the world. However, through Escape from Aleppo, Senzai also re-sensitizes readers to the horrors occuring in our world, as well as the drastic differences in lifestyles (even though there are many similarities, too). Although the main audience for this novel are middle-grade readers, older readers can still benefit from Escape from Aleppo: Senzai touches upon PTSD and anxiety (Nadia freezes when she hears the bombs because of a previous incident), fear and loneliness, and family and the idea of home. When I began reading this novel, I had a general idea of what was happening in Syria, but I was less informed than I should have been. Even though Nadia’s story is one of fiction with a happier ending, its backdrop tells the true story. In Syria, Bashar al-Assad’s authoritarian government holds control, but the emergence of multiple rebel groups challenges this corruption with, more often than not, violent strategies. Thus, Syria has been locked in a civil war since 2011, which, as Senzai writes extensively about, has destroyed more history of culture of Syria than all of the wars before. Although the story primarily focuses on Syria, Senzai also refers to the religious conflict that has exploded in the Middle East while giving small insight into Islam and its practices, a religion which has always been peaceful. Towards the end of the novel, Nadia is exposed to ISIS, who are not portrayed as a violent militant group, as the media generally does, but rather with a more human edge. Especially in times of war, many lose the perception of people as human. As Senzai expresses in the author’s note, Escape from Aleppo allows readers to see the human faces behind the warring nations.*Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*SARA | @lyrical.reads

Okay

The author sets out the story of Nadia who is left behind as her family escape in the nick of time to flee their neighbourhood as their home is barrel bombed by the Syrian dictator Assad's men. This is happening in 2016 - just four years into the strife that is still tearing Syria apart. Nadia meets up with an old man (and his donkey) who is worldly wise about what is happening to the country and Aleppo the city. Together they fall in with two teenage boys, Basel and Tarek who have been torn away from their families. The essence of how the dreadful circumstances afflicting Syria have evolved is captured in their conversation and experience en route out of Aleppo and towards the Turkish border and the possibility of Nadia being reunited with her father, who will wait for her at the border crossing. The author expresses the hope that by telling Nadia's story she will provide a window into the lives of the Syrian people, their country, its history arts and culture. This she does with elegance and simplicity. Human resilience is portrayed a step at a time. The ending holds out the positive promise of Nadia being reunited with her family. I don't imagine I am the only reader left with a sense of helplessness that such tragedy is still ongoing with little prospect of any stability any time soon. It is a book with an adult as well as a teenage appeal.

The book is good writing. IT came on time. I reccomend the seller