A Hand Full of Stars

This is such a charming and uplifting story, I was quite surprised by it. It is labeled as a children's /YA book but it could be read by persons young and old.

A young boy growing up in old Damascus starts to write entries in his journal. He introduces us to his family, his friends, and his sweetheart, but we never learn his name. I would not be surprised if he is based on the author's childhood. The story describes the struggle of simple residents of old Damascus. The protagonist himself is the son of a baker, who was forced to leave school to work at his father's bakery then at a bookshop. He has a dream of becoming a journalist and he ends up becoming one of sorts. I read the book in the original German, and the author draws a very show more busy canvas of life in old Damascus, touching on class struggle, along with social and political problems. However he also draws the colorful life of the neighborhood, the solidarity among its members. One of his friends is a 70-year old retired coachman, who tells him stories and fables, and the book is full of the magic and wisdom of this piece of the old world, in addition to the clear, honest and innocent voice of the youth writing the diary. I am originally from this part of the world, so I am not blind to its failings. This story allowed me to rediscover the magic of the middle east again. The simple magic experienced by everyday people, in their shared generosity and in their stories. The story does not have a neat conclusion but it ends on a hopeful note. Highly recommended. show less

"A journal is a rearview mirror"

Although this book was written in 1987, it seems no less relevant to today's Syria. The regime allows no alternative opinions and clamps down hard on dissenters,whether real or imagined. A stay in prison is a nightmare for anyone unfortunate enough to rouse suspicion.

The fourteen-year-old narrator decides to begin recording his day-to-day life in a journal, encouraged by his close friend, Uncle Salim. If you want to be a journalist, advises Salim, then you need to develop the habit of being observant and recording your observations.
The book is written as the journal of our (unnamed) protagonist and clearly shows his developing maturity over the period of four years; his feelings for Nadia, the girl who show more lives down the street, and a growing awareness of the injustices taking place around him.

He starts by writing about his own life as the reluctant son of a baker. He is desperate to remain in school, where he is doing well, but eventually his father demands that he leaves to work full time in the bakery. Rather than sweat and toil in the manufacture of bread, our diarist suggests that he go around town delivering the loaves. This results in many more customers and allows him to meet new people and observe what is going on around him. One of these new customers is Habib, a retired journalist. Although he is disillusioned with journalism in such a restrictive regime, Habib is eventually persuaded to help the young lad achieve his dream.

Some parts of this book have really stuck with me. The idea of the sock newspaper - snippets of news disseminated through the sale of very cheap socks, was excellent. I also enjoyed the homeless vagrant who provided a riddle in many languages for the narrator to solve - a great lesson in people not being all they appear.
Well worth the read. show less

Dieses Buch ist wunderschön, aber leider viel zu kurz. Der Erzähler, ein Bäckerssohn in Damaskus, der Journalist werden will, berichtet im Tagebuchstil von seinem Leben. Ich war fasziniert von der Mischung aus ganz normalen Aspekten eines Teenagerlebens (Rebellion gegen die Eltern, erste große Liebe, Konflikte zwischen Freunden) mit den Problemen, die es mit sich bringt, wenn man in einer politisch instabilen Region wohnt und sich ausgerechnet einen Beruf ausgesucht hat, der dazu führen kann, dass man als regimefeindlich im Gefängnis landet.

Die Figuren sind wunderbar und äußerst liebenswert geschildert, das Leben in Damaskus wird äußerst lebendig geschildert, der Ton ist trotz aller Probleme humor- und hoffnungsvoll.

Når man netop har vandret rundt i Damaskus's gader i den gamle bydel er det en fornøjelse at læse Rafik Schamis dagbog fra sine unge år i Damaskus. Smøgerne og de lerklinede huse får farve og liv, og man kommer en tand dybere i den kultur, som man blot lige har snuset til ved en uges ophold i byen. Bogen er udkommet på dansk i 1988, oversat fra tysk, da forfatteren har boet i Tyskland siden 1971. Man aner ved læsning af bogen at den unge journalistspire må ende med at emigrere, da han involverer sig i at lave undergrundsblade mod de stadig skiftende regeringer og deres kontrollerede presse.

Ein Bäckerjunge in Damaskus führt über mehrere Jahre ein Tagebuch. Er erzählt von Armut, Angst und Glück, von seinem Traum Journalist zu werden und von seiner Liebe zur Nachbarstochter.

Zunächst sehr unbeholfen, später immer flüssiger und interessanter erzählt der Junge aus seinem Leben. Und gibt dabei sehr berührende und interessante Einblicke in sein Leben - man fiebert mit dem Jungen mit, ist wütend auf seinen Vater - und hat doch Angst um ihn, als er verhaftet wird. Man erfährt so nebenbei einiges über das tägliche Leben in einem Land, in dem die Menschen Konflikte bei einer Tasse Tee beilegen und sich über die regelmäßigen Militärputsche kaum noch Gedanken machen - für sie ändert sich ohnehin nichts.