The Road from Raqqa: A Story of Brotherhood, Borders, and Belonging

Journalist Conn makes a poignant debut with this story of two brothers reunited in the midst of Syria’s civil war. Growing up in Raqqa in the 1970s and 1980s, Riyad and his younger brother, Bashar, led privileged lives as sons of the city’s mukhtar. As Riyad got older, however, he became aware of the oppressive nature of Syria’s Ba’ath regime and left in 1990 for California, where he worked minimum wage jobs despite his law degree and struggled to learn English. Meanwhile, Bashar remained in Raqqa, earning his own law degree and caring for his growing family and aging parents. The brothers barely saw each other in the ensuing years, as Riyad married and settled in Tennessee, where he opened a successful Middle Eastern restaurant. Meanwhile, Raqqa becomes a battleground in the fight between Syrian rebels and forces aligned with President Bashar al-Assad. When ISIS enters the conflict, Bashar and his wife and children realize they must flee. Smuggled past ISIS checkpoints and over the Turkish border, they take a small raft across the Aegean Sea to Greece before settling in Germany, where the brothers are reunited when Riyad comes to visit. Fluidly written and emotionally powerful, this page-turner reveals the human cost of war, terrorism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration rhetoric. Readers will find despair and hope in this moving account. Agent: William LoTurco, LoTurco Literary. (July)