4.5 stars.

A truely heartbreaking, inspirational and powerful book. What Amami Ballour and her community have gone through is nothing short of terrible my heart breaks for each and every single one of them and the millions of others still going through it. Humanity can be so ugly!

The writing of the book is Amazing. Amami’s bravery shines through throughout. It is written with such raw emotion, and feeling.

I was given an ARC Ebook of this book by #Netgalley and #NationalGeographic in exchange for my honest opinion.

Just finished reading an advance copy of "The Cave". Some may have already seen the National Geographic Documentary about this Hospital established during the war in Syria. The book provides a window into the life of Dr. Amani as she grows up following a different path, becoming educated and then going to Medical School, and working in the underground hospital known as The Cave in her hometown. She shares about the hardships of getting supplies, the challenges of running the hospital, the realities of not being able to stabilize or treat the wounded and dying, and the personal cost and thoughts that haunt her during and after this experience.

This is a great book to learn more about the actions of the government and revolutionaries during the War in Ghouta, Syria, wartime medicine, and the life of the Doctors and Staff caring for civilians in a hospital during the Syrian Revolution. It gives us a window into what life is like during a specific time for Syrian families with a focus on the views and limitations placed on women. Dr. Amani shares her fears, concerns, and hopes as she is growing up, practicing medicine in an active war zone and afterwards.

Whether you are drawn to this because of an interest in wartime medicine, women who break out of the mold and expectations of their culture, wanting to learn about the Syrian Revolution, or the culture of Syria at the time. This is a powerful and moving story that will draw you in. as we read we learn about the childhood, family and education of Amani Ballour. How she became a Doctor and then worked and eventually was responsible for an underground hospital nicknamed The Cave in her hometown of Kafr Batna. We follow her from knowing this was an area she played in as a child, where she begins to learn about medicine after she finishes her schooling in October of 2012 from The Cave’s founder Dr. Salim Namour, and how she is mentored and eventually has the responsibility for running and building the hospital into what it will be through its eventual close when she has to evacuate due to town no longer remaining free under revolutionary forces. As we read we get unvarnished reflections on her family, her faith and culture, and the crimes and horrors that were perpetrated by the Assad regime during the revolution that started in the spring of 2011.

Dr. Amani shares from the heart about her thoughts and experiences, “I was under immense psychological pressure, some days, the weight of it all felt like to much to carry. I couldn’t always talk about what I was in the hospital, especially with my family. I tried to shield my parents and siblings from the worst of my experiences. I didn’t want them to worry about me more than they already did, but it wasn’t easy. I couldn’t just forget what I saw; my memories were not like a tap I can simply shut off, even now. I still bear the psychological scars of my experiences. The one thing that calmed me was religion. It was my solace.” (Kindle, 1205) She shares those memories with us, her thought process at the time and along with the cultural restraints that were present in expectations for women, and how women are treated.

The book offers a glimpse into the challenges to provide medical care in an active combat situation for civilians who have been injured. Because of learning and eventual practice in pediatric medicine a graphic portrait is presented of the many ways infants and children were affected. She honestly shares her thoughts, and the recurring ways they come back to haunt her, when a child could not be treated or saved, and no comfort could be given to the grieving family members. We also get insight into how the war and care for the wounded and dying impacted the other staff members, and eventually the hospital as it began to be targeted and staff members were killed.

Her courage to advocate for her education, advocate for other women who were brought in to work at the hospital, and tell her story ensures that has been documented in the historical record. In her journey, she lets us into the decision-making process for patients when there are no medical supplies, how she became open to having the work in the hospital filmed and began to speak out in the media herself about what was happening. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and came to be through the persistence of the filmmakers so that she, “eventually relented-not because my esteemed colleagues had agreed, but because I thought we might die at any moment and nobody beyond these walls would know what had happened here.”(Kindle 1783) We get to read and see this story now through the book and the National Geographic Documentary.

At 26 years of age, Dr. Amani became the breadwinner for her family and “learned through experience that the human capacity to endure hardship is vast; we are capable of extraordinary resilience.” (Kindle, 1021) Dr. Amani was the first and only woman to run a wartime hospital in rebel-held Syria. She was awarded the Council of Europe’s Raoul Wallenberg Prize for 2020. She lived as a refugee in Syria and then migrated to Europe and eventually the United States. Her story provides hope, it shows how we can be so much more than what is expected or allowed. She met her husband and married well after the expected timeline for girls who became women as teens and lives now with their son Amal, hope in Arabic, and husband in the United States.
National Documentary:
https://films.nationalgeographic.com/the-cave/

I was enamored with Amani's story and the struggle of the people of Syria. Somehow, it not only opened my eyes to the horror of the civil war of Syria, but also glimpses of hope from Amanis's perspective that have not been lost. I will be purchasing this novel as soon as it comes out, to soak up Amani Ballour's courageous story again as well as share it with those around me.


Thank you to Netgalley and National Geographic for giving me early access to The Cave in exchange for an honest review.

I had a family that I used to teach with connections to Syria. This book gave me a lot more insight to the conflict in Syria and what people there were going through. I may watch the documentary, The Cave, sometime as well. I think we're take peace for granted sometimes. This book was a good reminder to be grateful for what we have.

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩-𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙣-𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙡 𝙗𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙨, 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚; 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩. 𝙄𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙: 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙪𝙗𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙨, 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 - 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙨 - 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩.”

Do you know what it’s like to go hungry … for days? Unable to source food and medicine? To have no electricity? Wash your food in contaminated water? Go sleepless for long nights due to bombing and shelling? See your home burned/ bombed to rubble? Your loved ones disappear or found dead/wounded? No phone, cell network? No humanitarian aid?

This was the reality of 400, 000 people trapped under siege by the Syrian government forces.

We in the West know 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 about being besieged.

The purpose of this book is to focus the world’s attention on the suffering of the Syrian people. Set in Kafr Batna town in Eastern Ghouta, Syria, this book tells of how the city (9 miles from Damascus) was besieged by the Syrian government from 2011 to 2018. According to the UN, it is “the longest-running siege in modern history.”

To put it simply - in the seven years of civil unrest in eastern Ghouta, 140,000 fled their homes, 50,000 were evacuated and thousands were wounded or died. The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented 222 chemical (Sarin) weapon attacks in Syria between Dec. 2012 - August 2023.

The title refers to the nickname given to the hospital where pediatrician Dr. Amani Ballour worked. Due to daily bomb bombardment, the hospital is situated in a subterranean network of tunnels. ‘The Cave’ was a moniker initially used between hospitals in Ghouta to refer to Ballour’s particular center when communicating over walkie-talkies. Trapped, exhausted, starved, and in constant fear, they worked horrendous hours to save lives. Ballour estimates that, depending on the level of violence, her hospital saw up to 3,000 patients a month.

I’m both humbled and inspired by their resilience and their push to survive.

I was shocked to discover that under such conditions, help and leadership was not appreciated by all. Dr. Ballour informs us about how the patriarchal Syrian society was so ingrained that she faced daily sexism and hypocrisy. In this culture of aggressive masculinity, she was often dismissed as the head of the hospital and as a competent female doctor…with those she worked with and those needing her help!

Ballour’s powerful and moving account enlightens us about what it was like to grow up in a confined, rule-bound society, to achieve one’s dream despite overwhelming odds, to become a leader within a devastated community, and then forced to flee when it becomes too unsafe. She speaks up for the ones silenced, heralds those who stepped up to help, appreciates the untapped power source of women, and tells of what thousands of Syrians escaped from and why they left their beloved country.

As of 2021, 70% of Syrian’s healthcare workers fled the country.

I’ll leave you with her painful words …”The world has been watching, doing nothing. It’s shameful in the 21st century. Everyone can help. Every single thing is important. 𝙒𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨.”

This important read needs to be on your reading list this March!

I was gifted this copy by National Geographic and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

Dr. Amani Ballour has thoughtfully and bravely told her story. Her book is written with pure feeling and emotion.

She is a courageous humanitarian whose story is heartbreaking and valiant and needs to be heard.

#TheCave
#NetGalley
#goodreads

Pub Date: March 05
Publisher: National Geographic
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and National Geographic for giving me early access to The Cave in exchange for an honest review.

Trying to find words to follow The Cave is impossible. Every time I try to think of what to say in this review I am not sure how to follow up from this story. To say it is an incredible book feels accurate and I urge you all to read it. The atrocities that occurred and continue to occur are unspeakable. The courage that Amani Balfour held to make this story possible to the rest of the world is just simply not in the English language. To understand you need to hear her story. These are the kind of books that should be required reading for the rest of the world. The media and world moves on so quickly from humanitarian crisis all around the world, one to the next and almost all of them are still ongoing. We as a world need to wake up. Not just after we read a personal story like this, but all the time. Enough of my words, go read hers.

I recommend you find the courage to read this story.

This book is difficult to read, but only in that it so beautifully captured the harsh realities of life during the Syrian Revolution. At a certain point, Ballour discusses her desire to show the world the whole truth of her situation, and she certainly achieves this, as well as describing her journey towards championing women’s rights and abilities and fighting for justice and her home in the midst of unimaginable circumstances.

In the midst of another war across the war, this was a tough but important book to read and I definitely recommend it. Author, Dr. Amani Ballour tells the powerful and tragic, yet compelling and inspiring story of her time running an underground hospital during the Syrian revolution of the mid 2010s. The horrid conditions Ballour and her colleagues faced while treating their community members on little sleep, a malnourished diet and in a constant state of crisis are absolutely unimaginable, but this memoir gives you a pretty clear idea of what they were dealing with. The idea of an underground hospital is so intriguing but at the same time, I can't believe how bad things were.

This is a book I could not put down. It was all encompassing and I needed to know what chaotic crisis was next. I am so glad that Ballour shared her story, despite the great risks she faced in doing so. It is an incredible story that I think everyone should read, if for no other reason, simply to have a bit better understanding of what was happening in Syria. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this one!

The Cave is a true account of the war in Syria and the survival and compassion of its citizens. Amani Ballour began her medical career at the exact moment that her country was hit with bombs containing the chemical, sarin. Thus began her career as a pediatric doctor in an underground hospital. She eventually became the director and ran it for years despite shortages of medical supplies, not having enough qualified doctors and nurses, getting attacked at all hours, and attempting to assist so many women, children, and men who were left broken, maimed, and tortured.

Written with heart and soul, Amani wants readers to understand the injustice that Syrians lived through and what it was like to live, work, try to heal people, and save entire families while the country was at war. The human rights abuses that took place while the rest of the world looked on from a distance were atrocious and unbearably sad. As a result, the beautiful country of Syria remains broken. After being forced to leave their homes, Amani and others gave countless interviews and spread the word about what was happening in Syria.

This is a book that will forever be remembered. The truth about the war in Syria will live on through its pages. I am so very thankful to have been honored with a copy and can only hope my review did it justice.

Dr. Amani Ballour, the brave heroine of this harrowing account of life in Syria, is a young female physician who selflessly treated countless patients in an underground hospital called The Cave. This powerful memoir taught me so much about the atrocities in Syria. After reading this book, I have a greater understanding of the plight of Syrian refugees and I am eager to learn more. I encourage everyone to read this book to learn about this incredible woman and to understand the extent of the horrors of the Syrian Civil War.

I am honored to have been chosen by NetGalley and National Geographic to read the advanced reader copy of this memoir in exchange for an honest review. I could not put this book down and read it in one day. Dr. Ballour is my new hero and I hope that her important story is shared widely.