Francesca Borri Boeken

On August 21, 2003, a chemical weapons attack in Damascus brings global attention to the Syrian war, yet many journalists depart disappointed when Obama opts not to intervene. They leave behind an estimated 200,000 victims and over half of Syria's 22 million people displaced, marking the worst humanitarian crisis since WWII, according to the UN. Francesca Borri, a thirty-year-old freelance reporter, decides to stay and cover the battle of Aleppo. She discovers that reporting on war means hiding with women and children, scavenging for warmth from discarded items, and confronting the grim reality of death and destruction. It involves meeting officials more concerned with appearances than the suffering of the people. Borri must explain the situation in Aleppo to journalists who have only visited as tourists. She risks her life due to rivalries with fellow reporters and grapples with the haunting memories of simpler times—driving at night, the light in a childhood café, and the faces of loved ones. This account immerses readers in the raw, unfiltered experience of the Syrian war, revealing the profound human cost amidst chaos and despair.