Muhammad Najem, War Reporter

July 1, 2022
A boy coming-of-age in war-torn Syria tells the story of his family's struggle and survival as they are attacked from within and without. As a child, Muhammad always felt safe in his father's carpentry shop in Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus. That is, until Assad's soldiers arrived. Protests against Syria's authoritarian regime started in March 2011, when he was 8, and Muhammad grew up fast. By the time he was 13, he had lost his beloved father, a man who helped people and listened to their stories; his home; and his pet parrot, all to Syrian government aggression. Muhammad got an idea to help keep him going: He would interview other children and show the world what was happening. Maybe then, help would come. Aided by his photojournalist brother and English teacher sister, he braved dangers, embraced his fears, and reported over social media to a global audience. This brought him into contact with CNN reporter and co-author Neus. Mohammad's story is one of a normal family--with playful teasing between siblings, people falling in love and marrying, new babies arriving, and recollections of favorite foods--set against a backdrop of scarcity and grief. Expressive full-color illustrations capture heartbreaking moments of loss as well as the warmth of extended family. Readers will find this a valuable window into the struggle, resistance, and humanity of the Syrian people during this ongoing crisis. Informative, gripping, and humanizing. (photo credits, afterword, note by Neus, recipe, photos) (Graphic memoir. 10-16)

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September 15, 2022
Grades 5-8 Najem's gripping graphic memoir chronicles the coming-of-age experiences of a young boy growing up in war-torn Syria. Throughout this moving and powerful text, the creators--youth activist Najem, CNN producer Neus, and artist Robine, vividly present the various challenges and struggles that young Muhammad faced during Syria's civil war. While it does not shy away from representing tragedy, at its core, it's about courage, compassion, resilience, and the power of relationships. Readers see all four of those themes on display in the focus on young Najem's commitment to reporting on the death, destruction, and displacement caused by war from the perspective of other children via interviews and photojournalism on social media. With expressive full-color illustrations, a moving and powerful narrative that features moments of loss as well as love, and powerful message about resistance and the capabilities of youth, this memoir stands out, and it does an excellent job of providing middle-grade readers with an illuminating window into the complex ongoing crisis. Hand to readers who appreciated Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed's When Stars are Scattered (2020).

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Starred review from September 23, 2022

Gr 6-9-Najem, Neus, and Robine put the graphic format to powerful use to depict the devastation of the Assad regime in Syria through the eyes of young Najem. In 2011, Najem's safe life is irrevocably changed by the arrival of vicious soldiers looking to force men into the military. The family hides every time they sweep the city. Targeted bombings soon follow. Interwoven with these terrifying events is the family's love, humor, and resilience. With each blow, this extended family goes back to work, back to school, and back to chronicling the war, with Najem deciding he should tell the story from the point of view of kids. Facing incredible danger, he begins to upload news to social media. While the bombings continue, Najem is contacted by CNN journalist Neus. He feels he might be making a difference. In 2018, the family moves to a safer city. Life is better at first, but the bombings come. Oldest brother Firas manages to move the family to Istanbul. Najem is so conflicted that he almost goes back to Syria, but Firas convinces him that he has to stay alive in order to make a difference. The book ends with Najem being interviewed on international television. Rising to the journalistic aims of the work, Robine's art does not shy away from the toll of the fighting, on cities or on people. Appended author notes and photographs bring the story into the present. VERDICT The power of graphic nonfiction is on full display here. Highly recommended.-Elisabeth LeBris

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Starred review from November 1, 2022
Muhammad Najem was just eight years old when civil war began in his home country of Syria. Early in this excellent graphic memoir, Muhammad's biggest gripe is being yanked away from an unfinished video game as his family flees their home in Eastern Ghouta ahead of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad's troops. But when Muhammad's father is killed in an air strike a few years later, the brutal realities of war hit home. Working through his grief and fear, he grows more interested in his brother Firas's photojournalistic work; at age fifteen he begins filming his own segments, courageously using his real name and focusing on the Assad regime's atrocities. Video by video, Najem gains fame and followers (due partially to coauthor Neus, a CNN producer); meanwhile, to escape the dangers of war, most of the family leaves Syria for Istanbul, Turkey. Najem and Neus ground this gripping narrative, told with great immediacy, in the teen's close-knit family, with sibling ribbing aplenty (providing much-needed occasional levity). Despite the squabbles, everyone obviously worries for the teen's safety (in one memorable exchange, Firas tells his brother, "You're not helping anybody if you're dead!" in response to Muhammad's wish to move back to Syria to continue reporting). An afterword and a note from Neus add context to Najem's story; a recipe for yebrak (stuffed grape leaves, one of Muhammad's favorite dishes) and family photos are also appended. Sam Bloom

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
Color by Shin-Yeon Moon. Muhammad Najem was just eight years old when civil war began in his home country of Syria. Early in this excellent graphic memoir, Muhammad's biggest gripe is being yanked away from an unfinished video game as his family flees their home in Eastern Ghouta ahead of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad's troops. But when Muhammad's father is killed in an air strike a few years later, the brutal realities of war hit home. Working through his grief and fear, he grows more interested in his brother Firas's photojournalistic work; at age fifteen he begins filming his own segments, courageously using his real name and focusing on the Assad regime's atrocities. Video by video, Najem gains fame and followers (due partially to coauthor Neus, a CNN producer); meanwhile, to escape the dangers of war, most of the family leaves Syria for Istanbul, Turkey. Najem and Neus ground this gripping narrative, told with great immediacy, in the teen's close-knit family, with sibling ribbing aplenty (providing much-needed occasional levity). Despite the squabbles, everyone obviously worries for the teen's safety (in one memorable exchange, Firas tells his brother, "You're not helping anybody if you're dead!" in response to Muhammad's wish to move back to Syria to continue reporting). An afterword and a note from Neus add context to Najem's story; a recipe for yebrak (stuffed grape leaves, one of Muhammad's favorite dishes) and family photos are also appended.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)