Triggered to Thinking

Mike Thomson is a reporter and presenter for radio and television news who has reported from conflict zones in the past. His book, Syria’s Secret Library: Reading and Redemption in a Town Under Siege, is well written and serves as a very readable introduction for anyone beginning to study the Syrian civil war.

Thomson explains the story of a secret library in Daraya, a town that, like many places in Syria, had been devastated by the civil war. He describes how the residents of Daraya responded to the destruction of their former town library: “When Daraya’s much-loved former town library had been destroyed by fire, the community at large had been distraught; now this group hoped to create one that was even better” (Thomson, 2019, p. 43).

Books were gathered from the remains of the town. Syrian works of poetry, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Agatha Christie’s novels in Arabic, and various religious texts were among the early additions to the library (Thomson, 2019). It might seem strange that this secret library emerged during a time of civil war, yet writing and a love of literature had been part of Daraya’s culture for thousands of years (Thomson, 2019). A man named Muhammad Sihadeh is mentioned in the book, and he speaks about the resilience of the local people who continued living their lives despite the horrors committed by the Assad regime (Thomson, 2019). Unfortunately, some children were unable to reach the library due to its location and its proximity to enemy forces (Thomson, 2019). Thomson also tells the story of Abu Malik, who kept his identity secret and participated in peaceful protests against the Assad regime. Malik explained how many of his friends were arrested and later tortured (Thomson, 2019).

Thomson emphasizes that the library was more than just a place to store books; it functioned as a meeting place, an educational space, and an area for recreation (Thomson, 2019). Abdul Basit is highlighted as someone who worked tirelessly to restore the library to its former glory, though it was ultimately destroyed by pro-Assad forces (Amphlett, 2025). Thomson’s book also includes vivid photographs of the books found in the secret library. Overall, this book is an inspirational account of how the human spirit can find hope despite tremendous suffering.

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References

Amphlett, B. (2025, January 23). The making of Syria’s secret library. Embrace the Middle East.
https://embraceme.org/blog/the-making-of-syrias-secret-library

Thomson, M. (2019). Syria’s secret library: Reading and redemption in a town under siege. Hachette UK.