Review: "The Raqqa Diaries" by Samer

Photo credits: Penguin Books

"I have been greatly affected by Khalid's death. I am now more determined than ever to fight this criminal group and expose what they are doing. I want it to be known what they are doing to us. Not only how their actions affect us physically, but what they have done to our dreams, our revolution, our way of life. Yet I also find myself overwhelmed by fear. It's not just the horror of what happened to Khalid; it's the knowledge that the same thing might happen to me, in front of my mother." page 74

The Raqqa Diaries is a non-fiction graphic novel about Samer's (a pseudonym) story how he escaped Raqqa (Syria) after the Islamic State took over the city. The way he describes the cruelty and horror of the regime is incredibly heartbreaking. I had to remind myself constantly that what I am reading isn't fiction. It's happening to thousands of people right this moment. This is definitely a must-read for everyone interested in Syria's situation. I normally don't write a (small) review when I finished reading a non-fiction book, but for this book I felt like I had to do it. I wanted to do it for Samer, to spread his words since he risked his life providing the BBC with his information. Samer, thank you for your incredible courage to let the world get an insight on Daesh's regime in Raqqa.