Review of Voices from a Forgotten Letter

[Tara D Morgan]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Voices from a Forgotten Letter" by Seif-Eldeine.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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This collection of poems shows how war impacts Syria and how life continues. They describe the Syrian people's everyday life, and some depict the lives of people who will die despite the war. There is an elderly mother who has diabetes and is being kept alive with insulin. There are tales of men breaking the rules playing a dice game and smoking heavily under a "No Smoking" sign. They also tell of the slave labor of refugees forced to work in sweatshops. Furthermore, a woman is forced to marry a man she does not love and endure his nightly assaults on her body.

We have all seen the Syrian Civil War reported on news stories. We are appalled at what is happening. Gasping with disbelief at the war-torn scenery and saddened by refugees escaping from their homes. However, this collection of poems gives the other side of these stories. People's lives continue. They have to work, marry, care for their families, and try and keep themselves safe and sane.

I found the imagery conjured up by Seif-Eldeine of life going on despite the war very intense. The pictures created of children playing on rubble where their neighbor's houses once stood made me think. The bitter-sweet poem of a refugee bride far from home and mourning her father's arrest by the security forces broke my heart. She wants her father with her on her special day. He has always been her rock, and then she looks at her husband-to-be and realizes she will be safe with him.

One of the poems that resonated with me the most was about the last thoughts of a dying soldier. He looks up into pine trees and thinks about Christmas and his young son. There is the red of decorations like the red of his blood. Gradually the reds and greens merge until there is a ball of light above him, and then .... death!

I appreciated the addition of a glossary at the back of the book. Some terms and words used are in Arabic, so this resource was invaluable. I have learned a lot more about the Syrian conflict, and I am grateful to Seif-Eldeine for giving me a chance to learn through the power of poetry.

These poems are perfect as they are. I would change nothing about Voices From a Forgotten Letter: Poems on the Syrian Civil War and give a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars. Seif-Eldeine captures the very troubled lives of the Syrian people. His imagery is intense; you are a part of the scene being played out. I learned about the soldiers on the front line, and the lives of the everyday people trying to keep life as normal as possible for the future they all dream of!

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Voices from a Forgotten Letter
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[Laney K]

This sounds like such a powerful and emotional book. Thanks for the excellent review!

[Ignesta Ignetius]

This book sounds like it'll make an interesting read, I'll be sure to add it to my bookshelf. There's always another side to every story-including war stories. Thank you for a great review.

[Leen282]

The review is so touching, the title is inspiring, the cover is captivating. While reading poems is not my thing, I am intrigued by the descriptions of the dying soldier, the elderly woman, the forced marriage. This book is very emotional.

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

As I start reading Seidel-Eldeine’s poetry, I feel deeply the emotion and melancholy brought through in his words. His writing creates a sad image of how his city used was before and what it’s like now. The poems are beautifully constructed with facets of his Arabian culture coming through. It’s all so easy to read, so forlorn, it brings tears to the eyes…..

[Erus]

I think this review is a fair and accurate assessment of "Voices From a Forgotten Letter." It is a powerful and moving collection of poems that deserves to be widely read.

[Kshitija Sonawane]

I have read many books about soldiers and how they deal with things and the things they face. However, civilian is a different thing altogether. For soldiers, they know what they got into. However, civilians have dreams, ambitions, families, money, homes, and jobs before they are rendered incomplete in the most inhumane way possible. Congratulations on BOTD, and best wishes for future projects.

[Patrícia Gomes]

This is such an important book. This topic is not as discussed as it should, we should all be more envolved int his topics and try to understand them to make sure we do not discuss wrong information.

[Hazel Arnaiz]

The book appears to be a welcome addition to poems on war. It looks into the aftermath of conflict through the eyes of civilians, providing eye-opening insights into how daily lives continue in the midst of tragedy and sorrow. 

[Ambatiti]

there is nothing beautiful in this book because this is someone's life time experience we are reading here. i am an emotional person so reading this book will make me cry profusely after knowing what happened in syria with the isis problems. but to be honest people need to know the citizens perspective of the war and how it affected them.

[Rachelle Valencia]

This review captures the emotional depth of the book beautifully, though I haven’t read the book. The vivid descriptions highlighted truly convey the touching and intense side of the Syrian Civil War. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I appreciate the insight you've shared.

[CHANTAL EWING]

‪Voices from a Forgotten Letter. A wonderful book of poetry that will at time bring you to tears and remind you that peace is all we want for the world.

[Orji cyril Kaluokoro]

This poems explore the continuous challenges of the Syrian people throughout the war can be found in Voices From a Forgotten Letter: Poems on the Syrian Civil War. The poetry portray daily existence, encompassing the lives of individuals who would perish in spite of the conflict. Stories about men disobeying the law, women forced to marry unfaithful men, old mothers with diabetes, and slave labor are all featured in the book. Children playing on debris and a melancholy poem about a refugee bride lamenting her father's detention are only two examples of Seif-Eldeine's powerful imagery. The reader can relate to the poetry "The Last Thoughts of a Dying Soldier" because it portrays a dying soldier's final thoughts and their fight to maintain a normal life for themselves and their children in the future.

[Jessica Uchechi Azuka]

It is beautiful that someone chose to detail the experiences of the Syrian during the civil war. I would love to read about this story in details. I am looking forward to reading this book. Congratulations to the author on winning book of the day.

[Mole128]

The book sound interesting. I would love to read about the impacts of Syrian civil war and how they got to continue with the impacts.