Author: Mike Thomson
Genres: non-fiction, libraries, library history
How much do you love books and libraries? Would you scour a blighted neighborhood for books ravaged by war? Would you crawl through a dark hole in the ground to retrieve books for a secret library? Some residents of Daraya, Syria did just that at the start of the Syrian Civil War. (Which shows you how much they love books when many libraries in the US and UK are shut down or have reduced services due to closures and/or budget cuts). Why would they focus on rescuing books during such a tumultuous time? As the residents explained to Mike Thomson, author of Syria's Secret Library, they created the secret library as a sanctuary from the war, as a symbol of resistance against Assad's regime, and as an educational center to replace their lost local schools and museums. The citizens of Daraya that supported the library also wanted to educate themselves for the time when Syria would need to be rebuilt- unfortunately, the civil war is still ongoing and their dreams for reinvigorating their homeland will have to wait.
