Defiance

Praise for Defiance

“Candid and absorbing…a stark reminder of the corruptions of power.” —Los Angeles Times

“With curiosity, clarity and an irrepressible spirit, Defiance tells a story not only of a country and a family, but also of how a woman’s courage ignites action.” —BookPage, Starred Review

“A memoir of unlearning where unlearning threatens survival itself. Reading [Defiance], I couldn’t help but think of Ghassan Kanafani’s Letter from Gaza, a classic of modern Palestinian and Arab literature.” —Benjamin Ashraf, The New Arab

“Stunning . . . A fierce ode to a fight for freedom that helped a generation of Syrian artists find its voice . . . [Defiance imparts] others with the greatest gift: an understanding of what it means to give up everything you’ve ever known in the name of something bigger than yourself.” —Kirkus (Starred Review)

“Mrie’s narrative charts a struggle with many kinds of oppression . . . She captures the chaos of Syria’s upheaval with raw immediacy and offers a heartbreaking excavation of [its] psychic wounds.” —Publishers Weekly

“Mrie uses an exceptional eye for detail to evoke her surroundings . . . but the most remarkable aspect of Mrie’s memoir is her unflinching honesty . . . [Defiance] will resonate with readers. —Library Journal (Starred Review)

“A devastating and beautiful book…[that] calls to mind what the poet Carolyn Forché has described as ‘the poetry of witness:’ writing that inhabits the charged space between the personal and the political…Though riven with ancient shadows, this story feels more timely than ever.” —Suleika Jaouad, New York Times bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms and The Book of Alchemy

“Loubna Mrie’s story takes my breath away. Defiance is a nail-biting tale of astonishing courage, a coming-of-age story in which one woman risks everything to fight for what she believes.” —Jeannette Walls, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle and Hang the Moon

“Defiance is a heartbreaking account of a young woman’s struggle for freedom against the rampaging forces of fanaticism and tyranny. It is also a literary triumph that marks the beginning of an exciting career. Every page is marked by blood and tears. It’s unforgettable.” —Lawrence Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower and The Human Scale

“Loubna Mrie has written an anthem against patriarchy and authoritarianism everywhere. Mrie’s memoir, which couldn’t be more aptly titled, embodies a young woman’s contribution in the fight for freedom and for independence—both collective and individual. It is also a powerful account of surviving unfathomable losses—home, family, faith, love—and purposing the grief and rage that follows into action. This must-read debut shows us that revolutions start inside the home and that witnessing is the first line of resistance against oppression.” —Javier Zamora, New York Times bestselling author of Solito

“Defiance is a profoundly moving meditation on the nature of rebellion and our indelible drive for freedom. Through the course of a beautiful, breathtaking narrative, Loubna Mrie comes to see her struggle against her abusive father and rigid gender structures as inseparable from the struggle against authoritarianism. Defiance is a modern coming-of-age story set in one of the most brutal wars on the planet, a truly affecting story of loss, redemption, and ultimately, hope. The book is an unforgettable chronicle of the spirit, one that will stay with you long after the final page.” —Anand Gopal, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist No Good Men Among the Living and Days of Love and Rage