I Remember Beirut

“This spare memoir humanizes families trapped in war zones, and their experiences should resonate with young adult audiences. Highly Recommended.“―starred, Library Media Connection

”[T]he author revisits that era in a loosely connected series of sobering vignettes and impressions, each beginning with the phrase ‘I remember’…. In one particularly striking spread, Abirached envisions the family’s many relocations as the squares of a board game.” —The Horn Book Magazine

“Abirached’s childlike memories altogether compose a deeply personal portrait of Beirut unlike any historical account, and for readers curious about conflict in the region, it will provide a useful, humanizing entry point.” —Booklist

“Abirached’s prose and artwork convey, with grace and humor, the way her family’s life during the war shifted from mundane to ominous and back again…. Abirached shares (and readers feel) a loss that cannot be named.” —Publisher Weekly

“Taken together, her many memories create a distinct sense of time, place, and emotion. Meandering and experimental but surprisingly evocative.” —Kirkus Reviews

Zeina Abirached was born in Beirut in the middle of the civil war. She studied graphic arts in Lebanon but moved to Paris in 2004, where she attended the National School of Decorative Arts. In 2006, she published her first two graphic novels with publisher Cambourakis, Beyrouth-Catharsis and 38, Rue Youssef Semaani. Her short animated film Mouton was nominated during the fifth international film festival in Tehran. A Game For Swallows (Graphic Universe, 2012) has won numerous awards, including being named an ALA Notable Children’s Book and a YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens. Je Me Souviens Beyrouth (I Remember Beirut), the follow-up to A Game For Swallows, was published in French by Cambourakis in 2008. Zeina Abirached was born in Beirut in the middle of the civil war. She studied graphic arts in Lebanon but moved to Paris in 2004, where she attended the National School of Decorative Arts. In 2006, she published her first two graphic novels with publisher Cambourakis, Beyrouth-Catharsis and 38, Rue Youssef Semaani. Her short animated film Mouton was nominated during the fifth international film festival in Tehran. A Game For Swallows (Graphic Universe, 2012) has won numerous awards, including being named an ALA Notable Children’s Book and a YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens. Je Me Souviens Beyrouth (I Remember Beirut), the follow-up to A Game For Swallows, was published in French by Cambourakis in 2008.