“Sabriya: Damascus Bitter Sweet” by Ulfat Idilbi is a young adult novel first published in Syria. In 1995, Peter Clark translated the text and it was published in the Emerging Voices series. The author of this novel was born in Damascus and grew-up during the French Mandate of Syria. She began her literary career by publishing stories about the resistance movement within the country and went on to be a prominent advocate for women in the Middle East. “Sabriya: Damascus Bitter Sweet” is a true window into the life of a Syrian women during the early 20^thcentury Mandate.

Salma, a 15-year old girl, begins the novel by sneaking into her grandfather’s funeral. She is not supposed to be there because she is a girl, and their culture does not permit this. While there, Salma notices that her aunt Sabriya is being harassed. It turned out that Sabriya planned out the funeral, which should have been arranged by her brother Raghib. However, Raghib is regarded as a screw-up by their family. After the funeral, Sabriya commits suicide, leaving her family shocked. Before she dies, she leaves her memoirs to Salma. Sabriya’s memoirs chronicle her life growing up in Damascus. As a child, she and Raghib have always conflicted with each other, stemming from when their father said to Raghib “If I had been luckier…you’d have been born a girl and she a boy (Idilbi, p. 43, 1995).” This has left him very bitter towards Sabriya. As Sabriya enters college, the revolt picks up against the French. Sabriya falls in love with Adil, someone she meets through her best friend Sami. However, both Sami and Adil join the war. Tragically, Sami dies during the battle. After Sami’s death, Sabriya and Adil attend and protest against the French Mandate. Raghib tells their mother and father about this, and they respond by pulling her out of school and force her to undergo a ‘purity test’: a physical exam to ensure she is still a virgin. Following her removal from college, Adil tells Sabriya that he wants to marry her. Raghib also ruins this for his sister. The next day, Adil is found murdered. For the next decade, Sabriya is stuck at home taking care of her parents, and has little to no freedom because of her gender.

This story demonstrates the historical suppression of women’s rights. Sabriya begins her memoir by describing clothing she was forced to wear: a headscarf, because men were not permitted to see her uncovered. In this patriarchal society, Sabriya’s father denies her permission to work. She is also restricted to educational access. For instance, there is only one secondary school open to women for enrollment. Based on the rights of women in Damascus during this time period, it is evident that life for women was very bleak. “Sabriya: Damascus: Bitter Sweet” also paints a sad picture on the impact of gender roles in Syria. While being beaten by her father, he states “From now on there’s to be no more college. No more demonstrations. You will not go out of the house. No college, no demonstrations (Idilbi, p. 134, 1995).” This brutal scene clearly shows to forced gender roles Sabriya is forced to live through during her life in Damascus. She is stuck to being a caretaker and refused permission for education and self-betterment. Another instance of strict gender role enforcement is the discussion of Raghib and Sabriya’s futures when they were children. “She’ll be getting married soon and will be devoting all her time to her home and her children,” he says before questioning Raghib’s plans (Idilbi, p. 43, 1995). The way he states this displays the clear intention of women in this society, and the lack of basic rights that they have due to gender.

“Sabriya: Damascus: Bitter Sweet” is a very powerful novel due to its graphic content and depressing plotline. Ulfat Idilbi has had personal experience living within this society, and her novel directly tells the reader about the tragedies that have occurred during it. She brings you into a complicated web of family conflict, colonialist mandates, and oppressive cultural values to paint the story of those affected most by it all. The message of this story, while depressing, can hold great value as an educational piece of YA literature. In addition to being an honest portrayal of women in this society, the novel is also in context with the French Mandate of Syria and Lebanon. Syria since then has endured continued war and hardship on its people, even a century later. This makes me question the women since Sabriya who have also had stories like hers but have not been heard. That makes the novel relevant today and is why it can be used in education to ensure those voices are not lost.

Works Cited

Idilbi, U. (1995). Sabriya: Damascus bitter sweet (P. Clark, Trans.). Northamoton: Interlink Books.

In the 19^thand 20^thcenturies, Great Britain colonized Nigeria in West Africa (Falola and Ajayi, 2019). This began in the 1850s with Britain attacks on Lagos, which were performed to oust slavery and gain influence in the region. The colony of Lagos was annexed in 1861. Later in 1884, Britain claimed the formation of the Oil Rivers Protectorate, which was used to control trade. Following this act, the Royal Niger Company was established, and conflict arose with neighboring territories and tribes. British militarization of the region expanded in the 1890s and into the new century. The actions of the British had extreme implications on those native tribes of Nigeria, but the victims of colonialization are often forgotten.

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is a young adult novel set in the 1890s (Achebe, 2018). It demonstrates the conflict that arose between the white colonial Nigerian government and the traditional indigenous Igbo people. This novel’s protagonist is Okonkwo, the leader of the Umuofia clan of Nigeria. After he accidently kills a clansman’s 16-year old son, Okonkwo is forced into exile with his family. Meanwhile, the white man has been busy destroying other villages. In retaliation, a compound and Christian church are burned down. Okonkwo is summoned back by the District Commissioner, and then jailed and beaten. After being released, messengers sent to his tribe tell him to stop all war activity. In the end of the story, Okonkwo commits suicide after the colonial government’s messengers are released, realizing he will be seen as weak forever. A white writer says that this will make for an interesting paragraph on his book about Africa.

Stories on subject matter such as that covered in “Things Fall Apart” are of importance in YA literature. Due to colonization and the tragedies that have ensued, these stories are often lost without authors like Chinua Achebe. This book contrasts the cultures of Nigeria with white colonials, giving a first-person look into the aftereffects of colonialism. The author was born in Nigeria in 1930, during the reign of Great Britain over Nigeria. His multicultural background, being educated at the Government College while also being raised by those who till lived the Igbo culture, allowed him to present a YA novel that shows perspective from each side of history. More YA novels regarding events that have silenced cultures should be brought to light. Without them, our youth may go through their entire educational careers without learning of them.

Works Cited

Falola, T. O., & Ajayi, J. A. (2019, March 14). Nigeria as a colony. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria/Nigeria-as-a-colony

Achebe, C. (2018). Things fall apart. S.l.: Penguin Books.

The Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC) is a national non-profit organization that strives to increase knowledge on middle eastern culture (“Middle East Book Award,” 2018). Their board consists of members from multiple academic institutions and international organizations. Each year, they give out the Middle East Book Awards, which includes a Youth Literature Category Award. Other categories include Picture Book (children’s and youth non-fiction. The purpose of this award is to recognize meaningful contributions to Middle Eastern-based literature.

The 2018 winner for the Youth Literature Category was Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar with her novel “The Map of Salt and Stars.” The plotline follows two female protagonists (Joukhadar, 2019). Nour is a Syrian-American refugee that loses her mother, who was a cartographer. She is forced to return back to Syria, where they are again in harm’s way. The other main character is Rawiya – a girl from the 12^thcentury who must dress like a boy to work for a famous mapmaker. She leaves home and begins a journey from the Middle East and across North Africa.

The previous year, Hala Alyan took home the award for the novel “Salt Houses.” The story is set during the Palestinian displacement of the 20^thcentury (Alyan, 2018). Jumping from the view of multiple narrators, the novel follows one family through generations. It provides a look at major issues affecting the Middle East today through its approach of style.

In 2016, “When the Moon is Low” by Nadia Hashimi was the co-winner for the Youth Literature Category. This story follows a family’s journey to escape Afghanistan during the rise of the Taliban (Hasimi, 2016). Fereiba and Mahmoud seek refuge in Europe through underground networks using forged papers.  They lose their son to human trafficking and must continue on for their other children. These three novels are excellent representations of the MEOC’s mission.

The cause of the MEOC is extremely important in today’s society. The Middle East has become a hot-button issue in the political world, but not all media portrayal on their issues has been fair. By awarding those who accurately and purposefully showcase Middle Eastern culture, the MEOC is taking progressive action towards the future. This is done by their decision of having literary awards for children young adult novels. This will hopefully lead to more adaptation of Middle East YA literature in the classroom. Only through education of can our youth receive an accurate portrayal of various cultures and doing so through award-winning YA literature can make for an impactful learning experience.

Works Cited

“Middle East Book Award.” Middle East Outreach Council, 2018, www.meoc.us/book-awards.html.

Joukhadar, J. Z. (2019). The map of salt and stars. New York: Atria Paperback.

Alyan, H. (2018). Salt houses. London: Windmill Books.

Hashimi, N. (2017). When the moon is low a novel. New York: William Morrow, an imprint of    HarperCollins.