A Disappearance in Damascus
July 15th, 2016
An unfolding international crisis in 2007 sets the scene for journalist Deborah Campbell when her guide and fellow undercover journalist Ahlam disappears, taken from her home in Damascus by secret police. Campbell is working in Syria to report on the Iraqis who fled after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein while also assisting in the founding of a school for displaced girls. In the forthcoming A Disappearance in Damascus: A Story of Friendship and Survival in the Shadow of War (Knopf Canada $32.00) Campbell tells her journey through fear and the triumph of courage in Syria as she spends months searching for her friend. Shadowy politics behind today’s conflict are revealed as readers are reminded of those who risk their lives to bring us the world’s news.
Born and raised in Canada, Campbell has lived in France and Israel. Her work as a photographer and freelance writer has appeared in Harper’s, the Economist, Foreign Policy, the Guardian, New Scientist, The Walrus, amongst other publications. Campbell is the winner of three Canadian National Magazine Awards and received a B.C. Arts Council Senior Award for Creative Non-Fiction in 2000 and has worked as an instructor at Capilano College and teaches at the University of British Columbia. 9780345809292
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