Syria's Secret Library

Mike Thomson

From Shelf: Wish list

The extraordinary story of how the besieged Syrian town of Daraya found hope and inspiration in a secret underground library

'Hugely inspiring . . . A unique tribute to the power of books and the unquenchable human spirit' MICHAEL PALIN'An inspiring read - humanity at its best' DAVID NOTT, author of War DoctorDaraya lies on the fringe of Damascus, just south west of the Syrian Capital. Besieged by government forces since 2011, its people were deprived of food, bombarded by bombs and missiles, and shot at by snipers. But while the streets above echoed with rifle fire, deep beneath lay a secret library - a haven of peace with books lining almost every wall. Many people had risked their lives to save these precious titles from the devastation of war. Because to them, the secret library was a symbol of hope - of their belief that books would triumph over bombs and help them rebuild their fractured society. This is the true story of an extraordinary place and the people who made it happen.