Loubna Mrie – författare

Loubna Mrie was raised a staunch Syrian Alawite, the same sect as then President Hafez al-Assad. Her mother's father helped plan the coup that saw Hafez seize power in 1970 and bring the Alawites out of hiding and into a position of total control. Her father was intimately involved in Hafez's government as an enforcer and assassin.When the Arab Spring reached Syria in 2011, she attended a protest against his son Bashar's government out of curiosity and her life changed forever. When she returned to her grandparents' home in Damascus, her family called her a traitor. Unable to look back, she plunged ahead into a life of activism - in opposition to both the regime and her abusive father - with unimaginable consequences. Loubna's father was exiled, her mother murdered and her boyfriend, Peter Kassig, an American, was executed by ISIS.This memoir will tell her story in her own words.

'An anthem against patriarchy and authoritarianism everywhere . . . a must-read'JAVIER ZAMORA, New York Times bestselling author of SOLITO'Loubna Mrie's story takes my breath away. Defiance is a nail-biting tale of astonishing courage, a coming-of-age story in which one woman risks everything to fight for what she believes' JEANNETTE WALLS, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of THE GLASS CASTLE and HANG THE MOON'An amazing memoir' SARAH JESSICA PARKEREvery day, Loubna Mrie pledged allegiance to Bashar al-Assad. Her family, part of the Alawite minority that ruled the country, helped bring the Assad family to power. Her father, a formidable businessman with close ties to the regime, similarly ruled their household with absolute authority.But everything changed in 2011, when the Arab Spring reached Syria and Loubna stumbled into an anti-government protest. What she witnessed - the courage, the blood, the brutality - ignited something in her that would not be extinguished. She joined the resistance, fearlessly proclaiming her Alawite identity to show that unity was possible, and risking her life as a photojournalist documenting the war for Reuters and other outlets. Her defiance would come at a devastating cost: the loss of loved ones, the community that now considered her a traitor, and, ultimately, her country itself. Leaving behind everything she knew, she would have to find a new home within herself.Defiance is the unforgettable account of one woman's fight for freedom - against a dictator, a father, and the weight of inherited belief. From the streets of Aleppo to exile in New York City, it offers an electrifying portrait of moral courage in a time of unimaginable violence. Told with clarity, fury, and grace, Defiance offers a rare, ground-level portrait of what it means to wake up, to resist, and to become.'A literary triumph. Every page is marked by blood and tears. It's unforgettable'LAWRENCE WRIGHT, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of THE LOOMING TOWER and THE HUMAN SCALE'Profoundly . . . The book is an unforgettable chronicle of the spirit, one that will stay with you long after the final page'ANAND GOPAL, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of NO GOOD MEN AMONG THE LIVING