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All She Lost: The Explosion in Lebanon, the Collapse of a Nation and the Women who Survive - Between Civil War, Israel and Hezbollah
'Poignant and compelling… will resonate with anyone who cares about justice and the abuse of power' - Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor and author of Sandstorm
'Essential and urgent' - Kim Ghattas, journalist and author of Black Wave
Lebanon and the wider Middle East is in crisis. For this extraordinary book, journalist Dalal Mawad conducted a series of searing interviews with women in Lebanon - weaving an extraordinary story of survival, corruption and impunity.
On August 4 2020, a huge explosion in the heart of Beirut killed hundreds of people – it was the apocalypse of a sequence of events that have led to Lebanon's unprecedented collapse. Award-winning journalist Dalal Mawad was in Lebanon when the blast happened, and was one of the first journalists to report on the mysterious and devastating explosion.
During her reporting, she discovered something else – that it is the women who stay behind, and it is through their stories that the history of the Middle East must be re-constructed. She set out to record the stories of those she met, the women long discriminated against, and those whose stories are untold.
She spoke to mothers who lost their children, spouses who lost their partners, refugee women who have fled from the war in Syria – and who now find themselves in another failing state. We hear from the Lebanese grandmother, bankrupted by the small nation's collapse, who remembers Beirut's glory days of the 1960s – when the likes of Brigitte Bardot and Miles Davis came to Beirut. And then the women like Dalal herself, who have left their home behind.
The women in this book all experienced the explosion and suffered unimaginable loss and tragedy, but it is not just this one event that brings them together. Their personal stories converged to tell the story of a nation whose glory days are long gone, now riven by protracted violence, lurching from crisis to crisis, and fighting to survive. It tells not only of what these women have lost, but also what Lebanon has lost, and a part of the Middle East that is no more.
'Essential and urgent' - Kim Ghattas, journalist and author of Black Wave
Lebanon and the wider Middle East is in crisis. For this extraordinary book, journalist Dalal Mawad conducted a series of searing interviews with women in Lebanon - weaving an extraordinary story of survival, corruption and impunity.
On August 4 2020, a huge explosion in the heart of Beirut killed hundreds of people – it was the apocalypse of a sequence of events that have led to Lebanon's unprecedented collapse. Award-winning journalist Dalal Mawad was in Lebanon when the blast happened, and was one of the first journalists to report on the mysterious and devastating explosion.
During her reporting, she discovered something else – that it is the women who stay behind, and it is through their stories that the history of the Middle East must be re-constructed. She set out to record the stories of those she met, the women long discriminated against, and those whose stories are untold.
She spoke to mothers who lost their children, spouses who lost their partners, refugee women who have fled from the war in Syria – and who now find themselves in another failing state. We hear from the Lebanese grandmother, bankrupted by the small nation's collapse, who remembers Beirut's glory days of the 1960s – when the likes of Brigitte Bardot and Miles Davis came to Beirut. And then the women like Dalal herself, who have left their home behind.
The women in this book all experienced the explosion and suffered unimaginable loss and tragedy, but it is not just this one event that brings them together. Their personal stories converged to tell the story of a nation whose glory days are long gone, now riven by protracted violence, lurching from crisis to crisis, and fighting to survive. It tells not only of what these women have lost, but also what Lebanon has lost, and a part of the Middle East that is no more.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2023
18 people are currently reading
635 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 10, 2024
Read around the world project - Lebanon
I’d describe All She Lost as a collection of interviews with Lebanese women, on its surface focusing on the physical and emotional impacts of the 2020 explosion at Beirut’s port, but actually focusing on opinions re: Lebanese politics, economy and history.
I feel like this is mostly an it's-me-not-you situation, because these are obviously important stories to tell, but I have to admit I really struggled finishing All She Lost. This might be partially due to reading this as an audiobook, as first person is used both for interviewees in their transcripts as they described their experiences, and by the author to recount her own experiences. As a result of this interweaving of storylines, I sometimes couldn't figure out who was talking! Nor could I ever figure out how the interviews were organized into sections. But in general, I’m not a huge fan of nonfiction that is mostly interview transcripts (I DNF-ed The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11) and I was kind of confused why All She Lost was centered on the port explosion (I feel like describing this book as a review of general Lebanese women’s experiences would have been a better center point than the explosion itself). Again, worthy and important voices to share - but I have to admit I didn’t really enjoy my reading experience.
I’d describe All She Lost as a collection of interviews with Lebanese women, on its surface focusing on the physical and emotional impacts of the 2020 explosion at Beirut’s port, but actually focusing on opinions re: Lebanese politics, economy and history.
I feel like this is mostly an it's-me-not-you situation, because these are obviously important stories to tell, but I have to admit I really struggled finishing All She Lost. This might be partially due to reading this as an audiobook, as first person is used both for interviewees in their transcripts as they described their experiences, and by the author to recount her own experiences. As a result of this interweaving of storylines, I sometimes couldn't figure out who was talking! Nor could I ever figure out how the interviews were organized into sections. But in general, I’m not a huge fan of nonfiction that is mostly interview transcripts (I DNF-ed The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11) and I was kind of confused why All She Lost was centered on the port explosion (I feel like describing this book as a review of general Lebanese women’s experiences would have been a better center point than the explosion itself). Again, worthy and important voices to share - but I have to admit I didn’t really enjoy my reading experience.
May 16, 2024
Honestly so sad. Informative and necessary book on Lebanon with a focus on womans’ lives the country in the aftermath of the August 2020 Beirut port explosion.
February 14, 2024
This is a difficult book to review. All She Lost lifts the voice of Lebanese women who are often forgotten, neglected, or devalued by our historians, politicians, and lawmakers. Mawad gives women from different socio-economic backgrounds, nationalities, and religions a space to share how the traumatic events of 4 August 2020 impacted their lives, empowering them in their fight for justice and ensuring that we don't forget the atrocities committed to us at the hands of our government.
Mawad also intersperses the stories with helpful historic and political background to provide the reader who is unfamiliar with Lebanon's tumultuous history with important context.
I was in tears repeatedly throughout the book, especially when reading a chapter early on about a Lebanese Red Cross volunteer who described the damage to the LRC headquarters. My dad was supposed to be at the LRC HQ at the time of the explosion, and it was fate that he was running an errand for my little sister instead.
My rating and my review are biased because I am personally affected by the subject ofthis book, but I do think it's a good introduction to Lebanon, it's people's plight and recent history for anyone who is interested but has no or limited knowledge about the country.
Reader beware, it's not an easy read.
Mawad also intersperses the stories with helpful historic and political background to provide the reader who is unfamiliar with Lebanon's tumultuous history with important context.
I was in tears repeatedly throughout the book, especially when reading a chapter early on about a Lebanese Red Cross volunteer who described the damage to the LRC headquarters. My dad was supposed to be at the LRC HQ at the time of the explosion, and it was fate that he was running an errand for my little sister instead.
My rating and my review are biased because I am personally affected by the subject ofthis book, but I do think it's a good introduction to Lebanon, it's people's plight and recent history for anyone who is interested but has no or limited knowledge about the country.
Reader beware, it's not an easy read.
May 8, 2025
I really feel torn about this book. Unbelievably sad - a horrendous explosion kills so many people. This is then compounded by a country that is on its knees as it has so many failing services including hospitals. This is after many decades of terrible civil wars, wars with neighbours and just general killing people. The economy has tanked and no one who had money has any after the banks couldn’t give them their savings. This book is relentless in the misery as the journalist interviews real women who have lost loved ones in the explosion and have had no justice. A necessary read but cannot recommend as it is so hard to read.
October 18, 2023
Compelling and devastating interviews. Top quality journalism. Recommended.
(I was half way through this, when Oct 7th 2023 happened. I thought: This is the wrong time for me to read this. It's too much. But maybe it was the perfect time, after all? Mawad is wise.)
(I was half way through this, when Oct 7th 2023 happened. I thought: This is the wrong time for me to read this. It's too much. But maybe it was the perfect time, after all? Mawad is wise.)
February 5, 2024
This was a very intense read about Lebanese society, the fallout from the 2020 Beirut explosion, and more. I highly recommend it.
September 23, 2024
Easily the most powerful book I’ve encountered in a long while
August 8, 2024
This is not a long book, and it has short, simply-written chapters that are mostly direct quotes from people interviewed by Mawad. Yet it took me so long to read, and long to write about reading it. I found I could not read more than a chapter at a time, sometimes less than that. There were people in there that I'd seen pictures of in the news, people I'd read about elsewhere, laying bare their experience for a skilled interviewer who was herself deeply affected by the Beirut port explosion in 2020. Within their tales of the event itself are interwoven their ordinary experiences as women in a country that has failed - some forced to emigrate and abandon elderly parents, forced to work in a foreign country under the kafala system that practically enslaves them and leaves them vulnerable to criminals, some trying to raise children in safety without support from religious institutions or husband, women forced to reenter the workforce at an advanced age for the lack of a government safety net. Mawad's love for her country is evident, and I understand that, having been lucky enough to see it right before its self-destruction in 1975. I can almost see the Beirut of the 50s and 60s she describes through some of her interviewees. I could also see in 1975 the Lebanon she describes now. So many of the politician names of that time are still around now. How sad for a beautiful country with such wonderful natural resources and well-educated citizens I'd watch man a switchboard in four languages without batting an eye. As time goes by and nothing is done, I see the pain of our Sandy Hook and other parents whose government failed them in the words of these interviewees. It is an abject and shameless oligarchy of selfish men in power, buying votes then abandoning those who vote for them. It's hard to read such things while watching changes in my own country of people who come to power shamelessly exploiting others for personal gain, poking the bear of racism and antisemitism in order to divide and win votes - is Lebanon really in our future? Is that what we really want? Mawad wants accountability above all. But with few exceptions our politicians are no more accountable than these degenerates she describes. We just haven't had our civil war yet.
August 19, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did. Initially, I was skeptical about the book being mostly focused on storytelling through interviews.
But the in-between explanations of Lebanon’s political system and civil wars offered incredible insight into the history behind the struggles of the Lebanese people following the bombing incident.
It’s heartbreaking to read how many people silently suffer under corrupt government officials and institutions, lacking even basic respect for the truth.
I remember seeing this event on television, but I never understood the meaning behind the explosion. Now, after reading this book, I realize that the explosion wasn’t a coincidence or a singular event—it was part of a long chain of incidents and tragedies on Lebanese soil. These were caused not only by external forces but also by a deep-rooted lack of accountability and responsibility among those in power.
But the in-between explanations of Lebanon’s political system and civil wars offered incredible insight into the history behind the struggles of the Lebanese people following the bombing incident.
It’s heartbreaking to read how many people silently suffer under corrupt government officials and institutions, lacking even basic respect for the truth.
I remember seeing this event on television, but I never understood the meaning behind the explosion. Now, after reading this book, I realize that the explosion wasn’t a coincidence or a singular event—it was part of a long chain of incidents and tragedies on Lebanese soil. These were caused not only by external forces but also by a deep-rooted lack of accountability and responsibility among those in power.
October 29, 2023
Wow. This book is a stunning portrait of the reality of life in Lebanon. It perfectly encapsulates the nostalgia of loving a country that often feels broken beyond the hope of repair.
March 30, 2024
Poor Lebanon. A history of abuse!. Every politician should read this. We are in your hands.
October 15, 2025
As a Lebanese woman, my review will not be so straightforward. This book was hard to read yet easy. It made me angry, sad, and kind of interested that someone wrote a book about this event from a woman’s point of view.
But for me, the problem was that there’s a lot of mixing between the interviews, Dalale’s story and ideas, and the historical facts. It didn’t feel smooth to me — the line of the book wasn’t clear. I really enjoyed the interviews, but the historical parts sometimes felt misplaced, and her own story was often mixed with others. For me, it’s a documentary type of writing, like a journal she wrote to heal from Lebanon and to insist that she made the right decision to leave.
So, mixed feelings — but a very interesting story about the consequences of this harsh moment that will stay with us forever as Lebanese.
But for me, the problem was that there’s a lot of mixing between the interviews, Dalale’s story and ideas, and the historical facts. It didn’t feel smooth to me — the line of the book wasn’t clear. I really enjoyed the interviews, but the historical parts sometimes felt misplaced, and her own story was often mixed with others. For me, it’s a documentary type of writing, like a journal she wrote to heal from Lebanon and to insist that she made the right decision to leave.
So, mixed feelings — but a very interesting story about the consequences of this harsh moment that will stay with us forever as Lebanese.
March 17, 2024
This is a deeply personal book from the author and numerous women speaking via the author.
The author I expect will be able to educate anyone (like me) who reads the book on the reality of life in Lebanon from the perspectives of women, from different generations.
What this book accomplishes is that it makes everything personal, from the perspective of individuals, including the author herself.
Media makes everything a statistic, there is no shortage of atrocities and pain of people to report on, so everything becomes a statistic.
The purpose of this book I think and one should pick it up for a very tough education, nothing else. And education is what only helps us go beyond our own bubbles and the statistics.
The author I expect will be able to educate anyone (like me) who reads the book on the reality of life in Lebanon from the perspectives of women, from different generations.
What this book accomplishes is that it makes everything personal, from the perspective of individuals, including the author herself.
Media makes everything a statistic, there is no shortage of atrocities and pain of people to report on, so everything becomes a statistic.
The purpose of this book I think and one should pick it up for a very tough education, nothing else. And education is what only helps us go beyond our own bubbles and the statistics.
March 13, 2025
Incredible project written by the women of Lebanon. What I admired most about this book is that Dalal not only interviewed women born in Lebanon but also the many resilient immigrants of Lebanon who come from many backgrounds.
The diversity of experiences really provides the reader with many perspectives on the current situation of Lebanon and the attitudes towards those who have been in power for decades. I have a lot to think about and research after reading this book.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the writing style. It could be my own preference but I personally found it difficult at times to follow when the author would switch from another women's story to her own narration.
The diversity of experiences really provides the reader with many perspectives on the current situation of Lebanon and the attitudes towards those who have been in power for decades. I have a lot to think about and research after reading this book.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the writing style. It could be my own preference but I personally found it difficult at times to follow when the author would switch from another women's story to her own narration.
January 1, 2025
A must-read for anyone who would like to understand better the Middle East and Lebanon. Personal stories from different women whose lives were altered permanently by the explosion in Beirut port on 4th of August 2020. Most of them were enduring hardships already before the explosion due to the economic crisis, corrupt government and the different conflicts Lebanon has gone through the last decades.
The book has a personal touch to it and at the same time explains with facts and data the recent history of Lebanon that sets all the personal stories in a wider context.
The book has a personal touch to it and at the same time explains with facts and data the recent history of Lebanon that sets all the personal stories in a wider context.
March 23, 2025
The interviews with survivors of the port blast offer a compelling portrayal of its devastating impact on women, Beirut, and Lebanon as a whole. Combined with Mawad's overview of Lebanon's history and current geopolitical landscape, the interviews expose the persistent corruption and injustice that define daily life for many Lebanese, highlighting why so many of us hold a deep but conflicted love for our homeland.
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August 21, 2023The New Arab speaks to award-winning Lebanese journalist Dalal Mawad, author of the new book whose release coincides with the third-year anniversary of the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
Read our full review here: https://www.newarab.com/features/leba...
Read our full review here: https://www.newarab.com/features/leba...
May 14, 2024
Me and my organization began our humanitarian work in Lebanon began right after the explosion. We are still helping those impacted. This book shed light on the long-term ramifications caused by this disaster and the detrimental effect it had on families and especially Lebanon's women.
October 25, 2025
The book is at its strongest when it focuses on the heartbreaking accounts of Lebanon’s disenfranchised women; it is at its weakest when the author plays into the sectarian landscape and finger pointing she is attempting to rise above.
January 1, 2024
Wonderfully written despite the tough reality it covers, a reality we all must know… A heavy book on the heart but a crucial truth we must never forget
April 22, 2024
Compelling and deeply personal.
July 11, 2024
This was an interesting read. I know very little about Lebanon as a country. This was sad in parts but I do feel more informed.
October 29, 2024
This was impossible for me to put down, despite the devastation detailed within. For anyone unaware of life in Lebanon, this should be your next read.
Want to read
April 23, 2025I started the Audiobook, but the format of the book doesn't help much, and it's a bit confusing. One for a physical/Kindle copy.
July 20, 2024
Sad stories, but the author kept inserting herself into them which in my mind took away from the individuals’ agencies. Also, for a journalist, she has lousy grammar.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews