This expanded edition of A Game for Swallows features a new,
illustrated afterword, as Abirached reflects on the meaning of her
memoir's title, the graffiti that inspired it, and the future of
Beirut.
The
city of Beirut is cut in two, separated by bricks and sandbags and
threatened by snipers and shelling. East Beirut is for Christians,
and West Beirut is for Muslims. When Zeina's parents don't return one
afternoon, the neighbors in her apartment house create a world
indoors for Zeina and her brother, sharing cooking lessons, games,
and gossip. Together they try to make it through the day in the one
place they hoped would always be safe--home.