A Woman in the Crossfire

March 2011. Seemingly out of nowhere, a small demonstration by young people in Dar’a lights the touch paper and ignites the country. The demonstrations and the Assad regime’s brutal response intensify until the country is consumed by the next popular revolution of the Arab Spring. A Woman in the Crossfire is Samar Yazbek’s haunting account of her experience of the uprising. Denounced by her family and clan for her vocal opposition to the regime, forced to live on the run with her daughter and detained on multiple occasions by the authorities, she continued to record the testimonies of figures in the Opposition, documenting their role and hers in the burgeoning movement. Yazbek captures it all in the poetic language of a woman trying to come to terms with the horrific scenes being played out on the streets of the country she loves. This is a wholly unique perspective on a devastating conflict and a moving testament to the courage and vision of the Syrian people.