Book Review: We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria (Wendy Pearlman)

Wendy Pearlman reshapes what you see as the Syrian War from a war against terrorism to a war fighting for dignity. The Syrian War cannot be ignored: “As of early 2017, more than half of Syria’s prewar population of 22 million had been forced from their homes since 2011.” The media is filled with pictures and opinions of what we should do with Syrian refugees and with the Syrian War- it seems to be the situation that no one wants to touch with a ten foot pole. Pearlman’s collection of over 300 narratives allows Syrians to give their own accounts of their history of the revolution and their desire for freedom that fueled it.

Pearlman’s book has a unique voice—it lacks her own narration. She wrote the introduction, detailing how she has had twenty years of experience speaking Arabic and studying Middle Eastern history, and her four year process of documenting interviews with Syrians in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. The rest of the introduction details the contextual events surrounding the narratives of the 8 chapters: Starting in the 1970s with Assad Bashar’s ruling, chapter 1 “Authoritarianism” until present day refugees living across the globe in chapter 8 “Flight.” Pearlman’s lack of personal narrative is intriguing and refreshing. She takes a step from journalist to historian by recording Syrian voices alone. Many of the names are pseudonyms, and descriptions of the interviewee are only the profession and their city of residence during the incident. The stories then speak for themselves, and you feel as though you are either watching a documentary or sitting down at a coffee shop with them yourself—allowing you to form your own opinion of the subject matter.

When watching American media covering the Syrian War, the most used words are terrorism, ISIS, Shia, and Sunni. The most surprising aspect of the book was finding out that most Syrians did not see the religious factions as a contributing factor to the revolution before the war. Assad himself is in a minority Shia sect, and many of the narratives describe how citizens were not able to discuss which religion they were apart of. Many of the protests started with religious statements such as “Amen!” or “Praise be to God!”… statements that all Muslims, Jews, or Christians would unite under. But it is under those united truths that these Syrians are imprisoned, beat, and killed for. For Syrians, the fight is not about having their religious leader leading the country in a religious takeover- Syrians are instead searching for freedom.

In Pearlman’s style, I will include one of my favorite quotes to better show you what the Syrians are fighting for:

Since the media has tied the revolution to terrorism, if a Syrian asking for asylum says he was with the revolution, European authorities ask for details: … ‘Did you interact with any terrorist? Who?’...It’s easier to say that you’re simply running away from the war…and in this way, the truth of the revolution gets buried. It’s getting lost, without our intention or without us even knowing that we’re doing it. And that alone is a crime against everything that has happened in Syria.

By combining her passion and expertise for Middle Eastern History with her careful documentation of Arabic Syrian narratives, Pearlman exemplifies exactly what has led up to the War and what Syrians need now—dignity: “I met a journalist. She told me, ‘The most important thing is that now you’re safe.’ I told her, ‘But we haven’t come looking for safety. We’re not afraid of death.’ And it’s true. We don’t have a problem with death. Our problem is life without dignity.”

Before deciding whether or not we should welcome refugees in the States, casting your vote on how we should intervene in the Syrian War, or even how to start a conversation with your new Syrian refugee neighbor, I implore you to read Pearlman’s book. The most popular genre right now is dystopian novels dealing with heroes that challenge the system and prevail—the Syrian War may look like a fragmented, impossible mess, but instead we have the opportunity to cheer on and join those who believe in a hopeful future for Syria.

I read We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria by Wendy Pearlman (ISBN 0062654616) on Overdrive (a free app through your local library), but you can purchase the book on Amazon for $16.99 here.