‘I can’t stop thinking about Syria. I can’t forget all that I’ve been through, and, above all, I can’t believe that humanity has become so deaf and blind to the thousands of Syrians with stories like mine. I was lucky enough to live to tell this tale while so many others struggled, fought and died silently.’

On 21 August 2013, Kassem Eid nearly died in a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians. Later that day, he would pick up a gun for the first time, to join the Free Syrian Army as they fought government forces. For Kassem, this marked the moment that he and his country changed forever.

A searing account of oppression, war, survival and escape, My Country is both a brave and deeply felt memoir of one man’s life, as well as a compelling indictment of a world that turned its face away as a nation fell apart.

 'An account of oppression, war, survival and escape as the world ignored what was going on. A touching tale, this humanises the story of war when often all we want to do is look away' - Metro, The best new books by BME authors you’ll be reading this year