The Heart of Aleppo
by Ammar Habib
YA Coming of Age/Contemporary
235 pages
After standing for over 7,000 years, Aleppo’s ruin came overnight. Separated from his family during the night the rebels attacked the city, thirteen-year-old Zaid Kadir is lost in the middle of a war zone. Alongside his friends, he is forced to survive the dangers of a civil war he does not even fully understand. Zaid witnesses the destruction of the brutal Syrian Civil War as it grows more deadly by the day and rips his city apart. However, as he braves this destruction, as he desperately tries to survive this catastrophe, he discovers something. Zaid realizes that it is in the darkest hours when humanity’s spirit of hope burns brightest.
SNEAK PEEK
Two days before Nabeel leaves for the last time, I find him standing at the kitchen counter with his friend, Zakariah. I don’t know his rank, but Zakariah serves directly under Nabeel in the army and only lives two miles down the road. The two of them always seem to be on leave at the same time. Their voices are low, almost secretive, but I catch the look in Nabeel’s eye. Except back then, I didn’t recognize it. “What are you guys talking about?” Seeing me enter and hearing my voice, they both look my way before exchanging glances. That gleam in Nabeel’s eyes disappears. I excitedly run up to the two of them. “Tell me!” Nabeel looks back down at me as he stops leaning against the counter. Reaching down, he ruffles my hair. “You’re too young to know about that, Zaid.” “Aww, what’s that about? I’m not part of the group now—” My brother playfully flicks me on the forehead as he crouches down a little. “I’m sorry, buddy. Maybe next time.” “You’re always saying that.” Zakariah laughs as he comes closer to me. He puts his hand on my shoulder. “That’s just not fair, Nabeel. You’re a horrible brother for leaving Zaid out like that.” I see a concerned expression momentarily wash over Nabeel’s face. However, Zakariah glances up at Nabeel and shoots him a quick wink as he continues. “Why don’t I just tell you then?” My eyes light up. “Really! You’re the best, Zakariah.” Coming to his knees, he puts his arm around my shoulders and leans close, acting as if he is about to tell me the world’s biggest secret. “You see, Zaid, your brother and I were having a discussion about which one of us would win in a wrestling match. We all know that I’m stronger, but he just won’t admit it.” He sighs and shakes his head as he looks back at Nabeel. “But you agree with me, don’t you, Zaid?” I don’t hesitate to respond. “No way!” He moves his head back in surprise. “Huh?” “Sure you’re pretty strong, but my brother would beat you!” Zakariah is slow to reply, taken aback by the statement. “C’mon, Zaid. You do realize that I’m older than him—” “Age has nothing to do with it, Zakariah! My brother was the school’s wrestling champion. He wouldn’t lose to you.” I whip my head to look back at Nabeel. “Right, big brother?” Nabeel is slightly smiling now. With a chuckle, Zakariah rises back to his feet. “Alright, alright. Well, I best be off, Nabeel. We can finish our little discussion next time.” Nabeel shakes his hand. “Give my greetings to your folks.” “I will.” Zakariah grabs my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “See you, Zaid—no, sorry: Dr. Zaid.” Did he really just call me that? How did he know? Hearing Zakariah’s footsteps grow faint, I turn back to Nabeel. He opens the fridge door and rummages through it. “You told him?” I ask. Nabeel doesn’t look my way. “I tell everyone.” I watch him pull out a pound of chicken meat rolled up in brown paper as he turns back to me. “Aisha is visiting her parents tonight and Abbi and Ummi are having dinner with friends. So looks like it’ll just be you and me.” Nabeel shoots me a wink. “I’m going to make some shwarma for dinner. Just the way you like it: tomatoes, lettuce, onions, lots of chicken, and even more spices.” He starts setting the ingredients on the countertop. “I went by Sohail’s shop today. The mangoes he was selling were ripe, so I picked some up. We can have them for dessert. That is if we have room.” He looks back at me with a smile, but it fades when he sees my expression. “What’s wrong, Zaid?” I glance at the ground before replying, “I don’t think I want to be a doctor anymore.” “Why not?” “…I don’t think I can.” He takes a few steps towards me before crouching down to come to my eye level, urging me to continue. “Ms. Farooq said I’m not smart enough.” “She did?” “I got the lowest score in the class on the last math test. She said I’m not cut out for it.” “I didn’t realize Ms. Farooq could tell the future.” I don’t respond. “Did you tell Abbi or Ummi?” I shake my head. He takes a deep breath and glances down at my feet. His eyes look like he’s weighing something, wondering if he should say it or not. When he does speak, his voice is different. It’s no longer speaking to me as his younger brother but as his friend. “You know, Zaid, Zakariah was joking about what we were talking about.” “Really?” He nods before his gaze focuses back on me. “Not even a few weeks ago, my soldiers and I were in a bit of a… well, situation.” “What happened?” “We were in Homs. The people we were fighting—the rebels—had heavy control of some neighborhoods. We were trying to take them back. It was…” A silence ensues as he searches for the word. “Difficult.” Nabeel pauses. “Some soldiers were pinned. The army tried an airstrike to break the rebel lines. It was a heavy bombardment that leveled entire streets. The cost was high. But we couldn’t break their lines.” I don’t interrupt him. “Our intelligence said it was a lost cause. We were ordered to abandon the soldiers. They said we would lose more men than we would save. But even the army’s ‘intelligence’ doesn’t know everything.” He looks away. “Zakariah and I disobeyed our commanding officer. As did our men. Those soldiers that were pinned weren’t just men. They were my friends… my brothers. And I would never abandon them, even if it led to…” For a moment, his eyes again display that same gleam, but it disappears as quickly as it came. His gaze again meets mine. It’s firmer this time, stronger. “It doesn’t matter what people say, Zaid. It doesn’t matter what the facts say. All that matters is what you say. And, maybe more importantly, what you do.” I hang on his words, unable to say anything. “Why do you want to be a doctor, Zaid?” “I’ve always wanted to.” “But why?” “Because… I don’t want to see people suffer. I… I want to be the one to help others. I want to save lives, make a difference and put others before myself. I want to make this world a better place. Just like the Imam always talks about.” Nabeel smiles. “Never forget that. And never go back on your word. No matter what happens. Please never forget one thing, Zaid: I love you. No matter the circumstance—no matter if I’m so far from you that you may never see me again, know that I’m with you.” He presses his finger against my heart. “I believe in you, Zaid.”
And here he is...
Ammar Habib is a bestselling and award-winning author who was born in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1993. Ammar enjoys crafting stories that are not only entertaining but will also stay with the reader for a long time. Ammar presently resides in his hometown with his family, all of whom are his biggest fans. He draws his inspiration from his family, imagination, and the world around him.
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GIVEAWAY!!!
In conjunction with the release of
The Heart of Aleppo, Ammar is running a giveaway from July 26
th to August 3
rd. The prize of the giveaway is a signed copy of his national award-winning novel,
Memories of My Future. Memories of My Future is a historical/inspirational novel that was published in 2016. It received several accolades after its release, including the Independent Press Award in May 2017.
Go here to visit the giveaway!
Why Ammar wrote The Heart of Aleppo:
I personally believe that the Syrian Civil War is one of this generation’s greatest tragedies. With the way it is proceeding, it’ll be remembered by future generations in the same manner that we remember the Rwandan genocide and the Bosnian War of the 1990s.
The motivation for writing
The Heart of Aleppo was simple: I wished to bring more global attention to this crisis. Although the characters are fictitious, this novel accurately depicts the events that transpired in Aleppo during the summer of 2012. I hope that reading this will lead readers to have a greater understanding of the plight those in Syria face, as well as those in other war-torn regions. If this work helps garner more attention for those in Syria, then I will have considered this project a success.
In an over-politicized world, my wish is for this work to humanize those we call “refugees”.
The Heart of Aleppo is not about the politics of the Syrian Civil War or any other conflict. Its aim is not to convince readers to support any faction or political party. Instead, this story is about the unbreakable spirit of humanity. It is about how humanity often shows its true strength during the darkest times.
I truly hope that these themes of hope and strength will resonate with readers. I know that simply writing this
The Heart of Aleppo changed me as a person, and it made me more aware of everything that transpires in the world around me. Although the world will never be perfect, I believe that if we keep our faith in the human spirit and keep striving to always better ourselves and those around us, then we can create a little piece of heaven on earth.
