A really interesting diary from Syria.

Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review!

This is a short book but well worth a read. It is heartbreaking that this is happening in real-life and is a very difficult book to read. It's told through the eyes of a man in his early twenties who is living in Raqqa, under the control of the Islamic State and the fight for survival.

I think it's important to read this book to truly understand the atrocities people have to endure.

5 stars for the writing and for the bravery of 'Samer'.

A quite unique book in my experience.
These are the writings; the memories and recollections of life in Raqqa under the rule of Islamic State, Daesh in the words of this diarist.
“Every person starts their journey of life with a dream that they live in hope of achieving one day. There are many obstacles along the way. These stop some people, while others carry on.
I am trying to find the remnants of my dream. It’s fading away in the midst of an overwhelming feeling of disappointment.
As I write these words, sitting on the dusty ground. I am surrounded by thousands of refugees. Like me they were forced to flee their homes, leaving behind broken dreams of their own.
I still have hope for my country’s people. It springs from those who risk their lives to oppose injustice and oppression. “
“The area I am in is full of people like me. Thousands who have fled their homes, running from either Daesh or Assad’s regime. Their suffering, and mine, is not over yet. It is not even close to being over.”
“Every single person here has lived with horror. Yet instead of weeping or cursing, they all try to help each other.”
These comments are bad in themselves to read and contemplate. The death and horror exacted on Muslims by a warped corruption of that faith by Islamic State. The victims being ordinary citizens with a deep and enduring faith that cannot reconcile the brutality and extremism promoted in the name of religion. We in the West are appalled when this violence spills over into our streets by radicalised individuals but our pain and suffering although great and personal to those whose lives are affected at first hand or within families and relationships. Our losses pail into insignificance to the daily realities of living under this perverse sharia law.
The diary is written with humility and long suffering. A love for his people and his homeland. He has only dismay at the lack of support from western nations and the UN when the initial revolutionary ideals were suppressed by force and indiscriminate killing. He writes…
“The fact that the world is standing idly by, just watching what is happening, does not surprise anyone here anymore. Everyone I meet, whether it is a child or an old person who has witnessed many horrors, pins their hopes on our own revolutionaries. The outside world has not answered our calls.”
An incredible story retold at great risk to the writer. Someone if you were to meet you’d want to embrace for his humanity. Sadly, he would likely shun you or spit at your feet because we are those who have stood idly by, and closed our hearts and borders to those who have endured so much.

Anybody who has the inhumanity to suggest that the rest of the world should turn away refugees needs to read this book before they are allowed to continue their argument.

It's not that long, more of a novella really, so even these people should be able to manage it. There area a few big words, but dictionaries are readily available - at least in free countries!

Samer and the people of Raqqa had lived under Assad's regime but life had continued with some 'normality' - his life was that of many young people; high school, university, even falling in love.

However, when Daesh arrived in Raqqa, everything started changing dramatically. Stonings and beheadings became commonplace, and fear thrived. Everyone became suspicious of who were friends, and who were the eyes and ears of Daesh - self-preservation can spur people into acting uncharacteristically. And that was even before the indiscriminate airstrikes started - killing far more of the townsfolk than Daesh.

If you wonder why the majority of those that have plucked up the courage to even attempt escape are young men, I implore you to read the story of this one brave soul.

The Raqqa Diaries

The Raqqa Diaries is an intriguing must read. Documenting what I imagine is a small portion of life in Syria; this book is powerful and heart wrenching.

I think unless you have experienced these atrocities first hand, you cannot begin to comprehend the life under Daesh that 'Samer' describes in his diary entries. He does however give a small, horrifying glimpse, a glimpse I think it is important that people read about. Samer tells us about some of the alarming and unbelievable acts of ISIS; but he also tells us how people still have hope in spite of these acts.

I really hope that everyone reads this book, we've all seen things in the news about what is happening in Syria, now read what is happening from this inside source.

With immense thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, I'm so glad I read this book. 5*•

One man's tale of the horrors of being just an average person trying to live their life in war-torn Syria. Short, but powerful.

This book is important with its subject matter. The pictures were stunning and haunting, they really added to the narrative. However, I felt the story could have done with some better editing. I wasn't drawn into the book as I have with other books on the subject.

A short basically written record which gives great insight into how the peaceful Muslims are suffering in their own country. Everyone should read this and would be good for high school children to read - would help educate them on the realities of cruel regimes. All too often we only see the bits that encourage racism, this shows that not everyone is the same. It's just a pity it was so short. Heartfelt!

Beautifully Poignant- This tells the stories of the people behind the headlines.
I read this book in one with what felt like one breath. This dialogues the events of the regime change from the Assad regime to being controlled by the Daesh (Islamic State). You see a city (Raqqa) turn from jubilation that Assad had been overthrown into despair at the brutality of the Daesh regime. Samer sees his friends, family, neighbours and city suffer at their hands with beatings, public beheadings, crucifixions, lashings (he himself suffers) and bombings losing many in the process. Anything seen as a form of rebellion is punished under their warped view of Islamic Laws. Whatever idea of the suffering these people are going through that you glean from new reports is a mere speck to what they are really going through. This book details the brutality but also the hope of these people, how a child born in such conflict can bring joy to many. How there will always be the defiant willing to lose their lives to protect their beliefs. Samer was one of the “lucky” few to escape these tyrannical harbingers of death but he lives with the loss of those he left behind. I urge everyone to read this book, its short but powerfully executed to bring the terrors of this war to the forefront. I would like to thank Samer for risking his life to show us what life is really like under IS control, Mike Thomson for making his voice heard and the publishers for getting his word out into the public domain.

cover105964-mediumMichael Palin called this book ‘A clarion call to all of us that we should not give up. Somewhere there is a voice in the wreckage.’

For anybody interested in the reality of life in Syria over the last few years The Raqqa Diaries is a must read. The fact that the information is even available is miraculous as since Raqqa has bean under the control of the so called Islamic State it has become one of the most isolated and fear ridden cities on earth. Internet use is monitored and blocked and no-one is allowed to speak to western journalists or leave Raqqa, without permission. If the diarist had been caught he would have been executed. Probably in front of his mother.

The diarist Samer (not his real name) risked his life to tell the world what is happening in his city. He was part of a small anti-IS activist group, the diaries were written, encrypted and sent to a third country before being translated.

He sees so much. His father is killed and mother badly injured during an air strike, he sees beheadings, his fiancé is sold off to be married to an IS commander, he sees a woman stoned to death, he himself is arrested at one time and. is sentenced to 40 lashes for speaking out against a beheading. Suddenly wearing your trousers too long if you’re a man or not covering every inch of skin if you’re a woman is dangerous.

They show how every aspect of life is impacted – from the spiralling costs of food to dictating the acceptable length of trousers.

This book is quick to read, getting the information out was difficult so there isn’t too much of it. But though it can be read quickly it won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

It’s numbing. There is so much horror in such a short book. And knowing it’s true makes it so much worse.

Syria is a complicated place at the moment, and this doesn’t give an in depth analysis of the situation. But it does show you what life is like there for people like you and me.

5 Bites

NB I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in return for an honest review. The BookEaters always write honest reviews

An important book for our age given the horrific situation currently in Syria. Samer's experiences are harrowing, and dehumanising, to the point it reflects how much we take the issue for granted and how much we have turned off watching the terror unfold. It's gruesome, and terrifying, but that's expected given the topic. Hats off to the author for providing this piece to the world.

The Raqqa Diaries is a collection of diary entries from an average man living in Raqqa, Syria, as his town is 'liberated" by IS/Daesh. The atrocities that the civilians are subject to viewing each day is absolutely heartbreaking as is the oppressive living conditions they are made to accept in order to survive. All civil liberties have been taken away from them, and everyday civilians live in a constant state of fear. All forms of technological communication is heavily monitored by IS, so to have these words by Samer is a courageous and selfless act.
This book will tear at your heart and make you rage with feelings of injustice, yet through all this, Samer lives with hope. Samer's words are accompanied by beautiful illustrations, which makes this book a complete package to savour and reflect upon.

Scary, compelling and intensely saddening. An important book that might just be read for generations to come about the Syrian conflict

This is an incredibly important book that I urge you all to read.

It is horrifying and heartbreaking yet full of hope and love. We need to open our hearts and help them rebuild their lives without fear of Daesh (IS) and show them they're no alone on their fight.

Highly, highly recommended to everyone!

his is a fairly short but incredibly moving account of life in Raqqa, Syria from the time ISIS arrived in the area and how Samer experienced extreme hardship and tragedy before escaping to a refugee camp. It is told in journal extracts, smuggled out of Syria at great danger to the BBC to publish, from a city where social media and talking to any journalists is punishable by death. The fact that to this day there are people still struggling in Raqqa after years of terrible fighting and cruelty is both a tragedy and a travesty.
Samer's final paragraphs of this book sum up succinctly how abandoned the people of Syria feel and yet how they remain hopeful that one day something good will return to them.
A heartbreaking, unique insight in to why so many people have fled this area and the horrors they have witnessed. A must read for all. In fact the only reason I've held back a star is because I hope eventually this could be extended to detail more about life in Raqqa before the invasion and detail the history of peace to war and hopefully back to peace.

Hard to read, unbearable to write, unimaginable to live through

This is one of those books that any reader must wish had never needed to be written. ‘Samer’ is the pseudonym of a young man, living in Raqqa, who was part of a resistance group within Syria, struggling to survive under the harshness of the Assad regime, and then struggling to survive after Daesh captured the city. The small group he belonged to were endeavouring to let people in the outside world know what their terrifying existence had become.

In Raqqa controlled Daesh, communicating with the western media is punishable by beheading. And of course, Western journalists are not allowed into the city. Those who are determined that the outside world should be aware of what their lives are like are in permanent danger of discovery, permanent danger of death, and also place their families in danger. It is a vicious choice to have to make, bearing witness seems the only possibility of any kind of less bleak future. The activist group Samer belonged to had made contact with the BBC. Samer’s resistance was to keep a journal of events (something, of course, punishable by death)

The journal was published after his escape from Raqqa – his present whereabouts are in a refugee camp in northern Syria.

I received this as a digital review copy from the publisher via Netgalley. It is a book I did not want to read, but felt I must

Samer tells the bleakness of his country's present story simply. Too much of what happens is unbearable to linger on, and, living amid horror I suspect that allowing full realisation in would make surviving impossible. There is only so much pain which can be borne. Here is the experience of one who should have been an ordinary young man, one who loves his country, his family, his friends, his religion, one with ordinary hopes for an ordinary future. Exceptional events, orchestrated by terrible people, have forced ordinary people into making heartbreaking choices - for Samer, telling this story meant a certain death, and leaving his country, his family, his friends, was the hard choice. Resistance is the act of bearing witness.

Line drawings by Scott Coello are similarly spare. Samer's diary is translated by Nader Ibrahim. Excerpts were originally broadcast on Radio 4.

The Raqqa Diaries Amazon UK
The Raqqa Diaries Amazon USA

“The Raqqa Diaries: Escape from Islamic State” by a young man with the alias of Samer, is a heart-wrenching account of his life in Raqqa before and after it was taken over by Daesh. He also describes how he escaped from the city and made his way to a refugee camp in northern Syria.
As he said, life was not easy before the war began. The Assad regime had been in place for 40 years or more and many people hoped to see the end of it. However, the rebels were unable to hold Raqqa, which was overrun by Daesh. Life under the so-called Islamic State was horrific. Samer saw so many dreadful sights – executions, some carried out by children; women being stoned to death; men arrested for wearing their trousers too short.
Under this regime, the people of Raqqa became poorer and more despairing by the day. Many feared for their lives. Men, especially, were suspected of being revolutionaries and there was the daily expectation of being picked up and executed.
I was interested to read that Samer decided to escape from the city that he loves at the insistence of his mother. She was terrified that he would die at the hands of Daesh. Maybe this is the answer to the question that I have heard raised as to why there are so many young men who are fleeing from Syria; their families wish them to survive rather than face the daily prospect of execution.
This is a book that one can read quickly, but it should be read. Lives were risked so that we could have a glimpse of life inside Raqqa. I think we owe it to Samer and all involved in this.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this harrowing, but important, book.

Touching

Samer, not his real name, has bravely written this book - risking his life to do it. Surely, the least we can do is give it a read. This book is his endeavour to inform the world of the destruction in Syria under the surveillance of the Daesh. He lived in Raqqa, Syria and hopes to be able to go back home. This book is made up of powerful diary extracts from his perspective, the perspective of a young man trying to figure out the ways of the country he thought he knew. Samer is a modest revolutionary, the quiet type, who has long since realised that the fight for freedom is, upsettingly, a long one.

This book offers a voice for just one of the refugees out there. It helps us to relate, as someone who studies history I've recognised how it's easy to detach ourselves from the information, and desensitize it. I've done it myself, it makes it easier to deal with the overwhelmingly bewildering numbers. Samer could be anyone, he has dreams just like many of us- he wishes to continue his university education- but, the chaos and staggering instability have forced him to put his life on hold. He is an innocent shackled by corruption and repression. He has lost so much already but, where most of us would stop- Samer persists. He's a determined force. He may have lost his optimism, he has been rid of his naivety, but his determination is unwavering. I pray this will remain.

He dedicates this book of his to Syria’s media activists, the friends, neighbours, family he has lost who were killed for exposing the Daesh's crimes. This book while simplistic in language, and quite a quick read, is immersive. Personally, I hated witnessing Samer's enthusiasm and bubbling excitement for the fall of the Assad regime only then to watch as he discovered that Syria under the Daesh was terrifying. The ever- tyrannical Daesh who survive by instilling fear, who work to ruin and brutally tarnish the religion of Islam, a religion of peace. and remain committed to punishing individuals for their humanity.

Samer writes how he holds on to 'the idea that in the end, good will prevail...' With reflection, he makes it known that he hopes 'the world will learn from this and stop it happening again.' No doubt, this is something that we've heard countless times after countless tragedies and world conflicts. He also shares his hope that the sacrifices made by his 'people will finally banish the cruelty and evil that has long stalked... [the] land. Unlike him, we are in a privileged position in that we can do more than hope: we can sign petitions, raise money, raise awareness.... Samer is a man who faced an impossible situation but still did what he could out of it. We are not in the same situation so, we should do more.

I received this touching book from NetGalley.

This book needs to be read by and given thought to by everyone. It took me a while to build up enough courage to read what I knew would be a horrendous account of Samer' s existence but so pleased I did take an hour to read what is a very hard hitting glimpse of a terrible reality for too many people.

This book is based on some short broadcasts made on Radio 4. As Raqqa was "liberated" by Daesh (IS) it became impossible to report from there. However a reporter from the BBC made contact with some people who were effectively underground there and one of them was prepared to offer a diary of his experiences and thoughts which were smuggled out and the broadcast. This is Samer's story.

It tells, in fairly understated language to me, of some of the day to day events affecting the people of Raqqa who now found themselves under Daesh rule. The sheer barbarity of some of the scenes is remarkable. That these are carried out in the name of religion is frankly frightening.

Indeed this book does show the fear felt by Samer and the inhabitants of Raqqa but it also conveys anger graphically too. I found this a very powerful story and it made me think far more about issues that I only hear as fairly sanitised headlines. The rawness of existence in Raqqa for ordinary people is vividly sketched.

This is not a long book. It is simply written. It would not take much of your time to read it. It will probably make you think. It deserves reading by anyone with the smallest interest in humanity.