I Don't Want to Talk About Home

Reviews

It is difficult to convey in a few words how much I loved this book. Full of heart-wrenching moments, it moved me to tears frequently, tears of both empathy and joy.
A beautiful evocation of a lost home and a lost homeland, tender, heartfelt, elegiac, full of humorous and wry observations that create a vivid picture of a vibrant world little known, understood, or appreciated in the west, it gives identity, humanity, and dignity to all those too often dismissed as faceless and nameless 'refugees' or 'migrants.'

Illuminating, vivid, and insightful, this is such a timely book. Full of heart, honesty and hard-learnt wisdom, I Don't Want To Talk About Home addresses complex issues about identity, belonging and family. This book took me on a captivating journey across continents, history and culture. Suad Aldarra possesses a rare gift to when it comes to storytelling; I literally couldn't put this book down. I Don't Want to Talk About Home is a singular and moving portrait of the chaotic times in which we're living. Suad provides a unique view into how, religion, family, and love mix together into a modern story of losing and finding home in a world torn apart by war and conflict. Aldarra writes about being a fire starter and her voice is a bright new spark. An insightful and intimate personal testimony of resisting limits, whether imposed by borders or beliefs, illuminating how our roots and identities are myriad. An excellent and ultimately hopeful memoir, essential for anyone seeking insight into the world of an unwilling migrant. Will prompt readers to reflect that 'this could be me' and in doing so, to hopefully examine their own privilege, their attitudes to and assumptions about migrants. An instantly gripping memoir by a Syrian migrant in Ireland about displacement, suppressed trauma and, above all, love. This is a heart-wrenching memoir. Suad's courage, resilience and determination to find a place she can now call home, shines through. A beautiful book that I read in one sitting. Powerful, fascinating and deeply moving - this book pushes aside our lazy images of human migration and refugees. I loved it. Expand reviews