As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

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But it’s not that anymore. Layla’s home has lost its spark, the colors completely faded, leaving a sunken gray shade in their wake. It’s a husk of a home. Several men stand outside the supermarket, their faces gaunt and marked with malnourishment but their eyes sparkling with light. When I pass by, I hear bits of their conversation, but I don’t linger. I know what they’re talking about. It’s what everyone has been talking about for the past nine months. We held our heads high and planted lemon trees in acts of defiance, praying that when they came for us, it'd be a bullet to the head.'

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) bahkan sampai menobatkan Suriah sebagai negara dengan krisis pengungsi terbesar di dunia. Sejak tahun 2011, lebih dari 14 juta warga Suriah terpaksa meninggalkan rumah mereka untuk mencari tempat yang lebih aman. Lebih dari 6,8 juta warga Suriah masih menjadi pengungsi internal di negara mereka sendiri, di mana 70 persen penduduknya membutuhkan bantuan kemanusiaan dan 90 persen penduduknya hidup di bawah garis kemiskinan.Ahead of its September 13 release, read an excerpt of the first chapter from As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow below.

Fear is a cruel thing. The way it distorts thoughts, transforming them from molehills into mountains.” If you're meant to be in Munich, you will be, even if the whole military rips this place apart. And if you're not, not even a private plane landing in the middle of Freedom Square to whisk you away will do that." But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, when she crosses paths with Kenan, the boy she was supposed to meet on that fateful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all. Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are-not a war, but a revolution-and decide how she, too, will cry for Syria's freedom.Assad sebagai panglima tertinggi Angkatan Bersenjata Suriah dan sekretaris jenderal Komando Pusat Partai Ba’ath Sosialis Arab tak segan mengeksekusi mati warga sipil. Dilansir dari Washington Post, sejak 2011 Angkatan Bersenjata Arab Suriah di bawah komando Assad dan pasukan paramiliter pro-Assad bahkan tercatat telah terlibat dalam lebih dari 300 serangan kimia di Suriah. Serangan kimia ini mayoritas menyasar pada kelompok rentan, yaitu anak-anak dan perempuan. Don’t focus on the darkness and sadness. If you do, you won’t see the light even if it’s staring you in the face.”

There are so many other quotes but I don't want to spoil anything so you can experience it fully yourself,In the book Ghibli is a recurring theme and its influences show beautifully through Zoulfa's writing (romanticizing the small things etc)