Synopsis
THE TRUE STORY OF HOW ONE BOY DID HIS PART TO END THE SYRIAN REGIME
A 2024 YALSA Top Ten Great Graphic Novel for Teens • An NPR Best Book of 2023 • A 2023 NCSS Notable Social Studies Book
"Inspiring and exciting, powerful and very poignant" —Anderson Cooper
★ "[A] gripping narrative, told with great immediacy" —Horn Book, starred review
★ "Highly recommended." ―School Library Journal, starred review
“A powerful true story that demonstrates the power of one young person determined to change the world” — Victoria Jamieson, coauthor of When Stars Are Scattered
A teenage boy risks his life to tell the truth in this gripping graphic memoir by youth activist Muhammad Najem and CNN producer Nora Neus.
Muhammad Najem was only eight years old when the war in Syria began. He was thirteen when his beloved Baba, his father, was killed in a bombing while praying. By fifteen, Muhammad didn’t want to hide anymore—he wanted to act. He was determined to reveal what families like his were enduring in Syria: bombings by their own government and days hiding in dark underground shelters.
Armed with the camera on his phone and the support of his family, he started reporting on the war using social media. He interviewed other kids like him to show what they hope for and dream about. More than anything, he did it to show that Syrian kids like his toddler brother and infant sister, are just like kids in any other country. Despite unimaginable loss, Muhammad was always determined to document the humanity of the Syrian people. Eventually, the world took notice.
This tenderly illustrated graphic memoir is told by Muhammad himself along with CNN producer Nora Neus, who helped break Muhammad’s story and bring his family’s plight to an international audience.
About the Author
Muhammad Najem is an internationally recognized journalist from Eastern Ghouta, Syria. He began his reporting career as a child, under near-constant bombardment by the Assad regime, by taking videos on his cheap cell phone and posting them on social media. His story went viral in 2018, putting a target on his and his family’s backs. In 2019, he and his family fled Syria and moved to Turkey. Muhammad loves video games, association football, hanging out with friends, and playing with his little brother and sister. He invites you to visit him at muhammadnajem.com
Nora Neus is an Emmy-award nominated journalist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York. She has reported from inside a maximum-security prison, from 14,000 feet above sea level in the San Juan Mountains, and from rural Puerto Rico after devastating earthquakes. Nora studied the Syrian conflict for her MA in War Studies from King’s College London. She started her journalism career as a child, writing a newspaper called Neus News for her family and friends. She invites you to visit her at noraneus.com.
Julie Robine is a French-American designer and illustrator based in Brooklyn. Since graduating from RISD in 2015, she has worked on a wide variety of projects, with clients like Little, Brown & Co., Victory Magazine, Barnes & Noble, and more. A middle child, she has been drawing since realizing it was the only thing she was better at than her sisters. Her favorite things include horror podcasts and learning about maligned women in history. She loves drawing characters and crafting their worlds, and reading as many graphic novels as possible. You can find her on Instagram @heyhijulie and at julierobine.com.
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