Finalist for the 2023 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction“A lyrical, extremely rich narrative of loss, memory, and trauma.” — STARRED review, Kirkus ReviewsAn extraordinary account of survival in Syria’s most notorious military prisons that is written with “brutal clarity — and yet, there is a poetic quality to the telling.” — Frances Itani, award-winning author of Deafening and Remembering the Bo...

“At times heart-wrenching, but often delightful: a testament to the human spirit and the capacity to love.” — Kirkus ReviewsFrom award-winning author Jamal Saeed comes a collection of stories written in the dark of a Syrian prison. These gripping tales highlight his work as an activist, artist, and author, shedding light on Syria’s ongoing humanitarian crisis and the enduring power of hope.Jamal Saeed wrote the stories in this coll...

Own Voices: fictionalized look at Jamal Saeed's lived experience during the Arab SpringDebut + veteran author duo: Jamal Saeed worked with bestselling author Sharon McKay to bring this story to life.Powerful backstory: Jamal Saeed spent 12 years as a Prisoner of Consciousness before escaping to Dubai and eventually moving to Canada. He shared his own experiences and worked with Canadian writer Sharon McKay on this book, hoping that it would help young readers understand the...

In this moving picture book, inspired by the author’s experience as a Syrian refugee, a child's profound love for his family's apple tree gives him courage when he must flee his homeland.When a young boy asks his parents why he doesn’t have a brother or sister, his mother replies that on the day he was born, they planted an apple tree in their front yard. “The apple tree is your sister,” she says. At night, the boy wraps a blanket around his sister's trunk and duri...

An extraordinary account of survival in Syria’s most notorious military prisons that is written with “brutal clarity — and yet, there is a poetic quality to the telling.” — Frances Itani, award-winning author of Deafening and Remembering the BonesJamal Saeed arrived as a refugee in Canada in 2016. In his native Syria, as a young man, his writing pushed both social and political norms. For this reason, as well as his opposition to the regimes of th...

In this moving audiobook, inspired by the author’s experience as a Syrian refugee, a child's profound love for his family's apple tree gives him courage when he must flee his homeland.When a young boy asks his parents why he doesn’t have a brother or sister, his mother replies that on the day he was born, they planted an apple tree in their front yard. “The apple tree is your sister,” she says. At night, the boy wraps a blanket around his sister's trunk and during ...