by Samar Yazbek
For our final literary and food gathering of the year, we’ll be reading the great Syrian author Samar Yazbek’s book of nonfiction The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria.
I continue to think it’s time to dig in and do some quality reading in these weird times when we are bombarded with so much that is mind-numbing. How many of us really know anything of depth about Syria — its history and its tragic present-day? My maternal grandfather immigrated from Syria as a boy, and I grew up eating Syrian food and hearing Arabic spoken in my grandparents’ home. I even know a curse word or two! I promise to recreate some of those delicious dishes and look forward to a lively discussion about a part of the world that I imagine many of us remain ignorant.