The Battle for Home: The Vision of a Young Architect in Syria Hardcover – May 17, 2016

How many of us know of a city that we love, that makes us feel like we belong there, and where it means something unique and satisfying to say that you live there? Doesn’t have to be a famous place or a tourist destination. It does have to be home. When that happens, people will identify as citizens of the city, rather than as members of a particular ethnicity, national origin, or religion. This is how Marwa al-Sabouni experienced living in the Syrian city of Homs. This is what has been lost in the raging Syrian civil war. And this is what Marwa al-Sabouni would reclaim. She describes the horrific consequence of bombing and the terror of traveling across town through unpredictable checkpoints. She writes with beautiful persuasive power that the future of Homs depends on a vision of locally grounded urban planning that matches the needs of people rather than corrupt government bureaucrats, developers and landlords. Her passions are family, architecture, Homs, truth … and courage. This is an important book from a number of perspectives. In this time of desperate brutal conflict she calmly insists that her skill as an architect is relevant. As far as I am concerned, Marwa al-Sabouni definitely makes the case.

Great read! We carry out our entire lives in architectural structures and naturally feel different in well-designed, beautiful and functional places .. but I had never really thought about this in depth before reading this book. I think the author has some really creative and progressive ideas about how architecture can influence social dynamics. There are of course so many factors behind the crisis in Syria, but her ideas are convincing. And beyond the actual topic of the book, just hearing a first hand account of someone living through all of this is reason enough to read the book. What I actually found most moving were her descriptions of the every day drudgery, frustrations, and limitations of living in such a corrupt and totalitarian state (long before the current crisis). Will make you think differently about immigrants and the freedoms we have. Highly recommend.

For anyone who's not from Syria, this book will bring some fundamentally new ideas to you. It tackles rampant bureaucracy, the toll of war on Syrian citizens, and some of the author's own very refreshing take on architecture. Whenever you think studying in this field is hard, dig into this book, and think again.

Having lived in Damascus and loving the old cities, it was refreshing to hear a Syrian decry the hideous concrete block apartments that fill tiny streets with such ugliness. But her review of the architecture community does not give me much hope that Syria will be rebuilt with any beauty.

Terrific book. If you're at all interested in the built environment, sense of place, or even curious about off-CNN Syria, I highly recommend.

Enlightening inside view of Syria. Architectural observations were good, but hard to see the possibilities with the current situation.

Fantastic and enlightening book about what the "West" can learn from Islamic culture related to architecture.

The best book I've read this year.

The author appears to be a deep and profound thinker. I particularly like the way she entwines both the past and present history of a country, with the history of her family and extended family. I also like the way she shows just how important architecture is to a village, a town, a city, a country. Architecture must be of positive benefit to the people who live in and near it. It should enthuse and enable people to live in a kindly, sharing, and beneficial way with their neighbours. I would recommend everyone to read the book. I would especially recommend town planners and architects to read this book. Maybe then they will stop imposing soulless concrete blocks on their communities.

Marwa in insightful and spot on.

Excellent read. I hope to read more books of the author in the future, as well as seeing the affect of her ideas in the world.

I found this an astonishing read. The author, writing this while living through civil war, reflects on the war through the lens of her profession, architecture. Marwa's book brings home the reality of life in war torn Syria, from the shelling and slaughter, to comforting a child fearful of the noise of tank fire. But what strikes home the most is the focus on rebuilding and making something better from the rubble - and the hope that brings.

A simply remarkable achievement- this is a wonderful book to immerse yourself in as the author's sublime narrative stimulates you on both a spiritual and technical level. She delves with skill and clear, affecting experience into the architecture and urbanism of Syria and you get a feel for and glimpse into a country that is not conveyed by the six o'clock news. The story is about herself as much as her country and the observations and principles extend beyond her home country, to the ME as a whole. This is a human approach to the built environment and it's need to respond to and reflect it's human constituents par excellence. A wonderful, enriching book.