“If we have to start apologizing for showing a friendly face in an emergency, that’s not my country” (Mustafa 220). Moving away can be a stressful and rigorous process that most people go through at least once in their lifetime. It can become even more strenuous with any outside fear or physical ailment. In The Girl From Aleppo, Mustafa tells firsthand of the hardships of fleeing her home country under the possibility of death. Cerebral palsy has always been with her, but Mustafa has never had to perform feat of this honor. Her minuscule living space was all that she had ever known until the revolution in Aleppo occurred, killing many and forcing countless families to flee. Mustafa was only sixteen when her family was uprooted from their home. She had not witnessed anything beyond her apartment balcony until the year 2014. Her days of watching soap operas, game shows, and history lessons were over. Nujeen would have to face the real world, while in a wheelchair. The Battle of Aleppo was gaining more publicity as Assad acquired more power. The Mustafa family contemplated leaving for awhile, but when the bombings became more centered on their village, they did not hesitate to leave. Mustafa is not your typical boy-band obsessed teenage girl. She thinks very logically and applies logos to her everyday life. Memorizing dates and statistics is her niche and she uses the power of the internet to educate herself. From the English language to the timeline of Hitler’s life, Mustafa can grasp any concept. These accomplishments might seem insignificant, but throughout the novel, these learned concepts came in handy along her journey. This story is one that must be read in order to fully understand the severity of the Syrian crisis. Mustafa outlines important facts while tapping into her own first-person outlook. Reading about and living through a matter such as this one are on two opposite sides of the spectrum. Mustafa conveys the motif of commensurateness by showing that just because people differ in physical attributes, mental capacity, geographical location, and family background does not mean that a certain percentage of one group is any less human than another. The dehumanizing and horrific experience that Mustafa shares puts the entire concept of life into perspective. Overall, this novel is one that I believe every person should read. It not only educates but it enlightens the reader. It is refreshing to be reminded not to take freedom for granted and that there is more to life than what is inside our bubble.
Mustafa was only sixteen when her family was uprooted from their home. She had not witnessed anything beyond her apartment balcony until the year 2014. Her days of watching soap operas, game shows, and history lessons were over. Nujeen would have to face the real world, while in a wheelchair. The Battle of Aleppo was gaining more publicity as Assad acquired more power. The Mustafa family contemplated leaving for awhile, but when the bombings became more centered on their village, they did not hesitate to leave.
Mustafa is not your typical boy-band obsessed teenage girl. She thinks very logically and applies logos to her everyday life. Memorizing dates and statistics is her niche and she uses the power of the internet to educate herself. From the English language to the timeline of Hitler’s life, Mustafa can grasp any concept. These accomplishments might seem insignificant, but throughout the novel, these learned concepts came in handy along her journey.
This story is one that must be read in order to fully understand the severity of the Syrian crisis. Mustafa outlines important facts while tapping into her own first-person outlook. Reading about and living through a matter such as this one are on two opposite sides of the spectrum. Mustafa conveys the motif of commensurateness by showing that just because people differ in physical attributes, mental capacity, geographical location, and family background does not mean that a certain percentage of one group is any less human than another. The dehumanizing and horrific experience that Mustafa shares puts the entire concept of life into perspective.
Overall, this novel is one that I believe every person should read. It not only educates but it enlightens the reader. It is refreshing to be reminded not to take freedom for granted and that there is more to life than what is inside our bubble.