Book Review: GARDENS SPEAK by Tania El Khoury

This book may be very thin but don’t let that fool you. The words within it are heavier than a hundred concrete blocks. 

As someone who was unaware or rather ignorant about the crisis in Syria, this book served as an eye opener and a wake up call. The injustice and atrocities committed against Syrians by their own government regime and terrorist groups are beyond heart breaking.



I really liked the letter writing format used by the author to tell the stories of each martyr. It adds a personal touch and creates more of an impact on the individual reader. Since the author asks the audience in the performance piece of this book to write a letter to the martyrs, I would like to further continue this analysis in a letter format.


Dear martyrs,


I was touched by each and every one of your stories.

The words pierced my heart like bullets

and crushed my soul like a fallen shell.


It numbed everything inside me after each story

and ended up leaving a void within myself.


Tears were coming from my eyes

as each story left me in a state of shock.


Thank you for telling us your stories.

Wherever you all are now, I sincerely hope

you find happiness, peace, and most importantly freedom!

Rest in peace and always in power.


Sincerely,

Rithin.


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