– Quote: “She died because the siege had cut off not only our food and electricity, but also our medicine and medical supplies.” My reflection: This shows that war kills people in ways beyond direct violence. People can also die because they are denied basic necessities.

– Quote: “Her name was Fatma.” My reflection: I think this is important because it reminds us that Fatma was a real person with a life and a story, not just another victim or statistic.

– Quote: “To witness, however, feels too passive a word.” My reflection: This suggests that simply seeing what is happening is not enough. We also have a responsibility to share these stories and help others understand what people are going through.

– Quote: “From ‘to witness,’ we get shahed … but also shaheed, martyr.” My reflection: I find this connection meaningful because it shows how language can reflect a culture’s experiences and how closely witnessing and sacrifice can be connected.

– Quote: “Neither the translator nor the text emerges from the act unscathed.” My reflection: This shows that translating stories about trauma can affect both the meaning of the original story and the translator emotionally.

– Quote: “But the new words were strangely light.” My reflection: This suggests that the English translations could not carry the same emotional depth as the original Arabic words.

– Quote: “I had to let go of that whole lexicon, repudiate it, as if it were a sort of shame.” My reflection: This reminds me of how people can feel pressured to hide parts of their language or identity to fit into a new society.

– Quote: “I’m not writing about war and bombs and tragedy. Why would I give them such names?” My reflection: This challenges the stereotype that Arab stories must always be about war and suffering. Arab people should also be represented through their everyday lives, dreams, and experiences.

– Quote: “Everyone you know and love: terrorists. Militants. Strategic targets. Collateral damage.” My reflection: These labels make people seem less human and make their deaths appear less important. People forget that those being described have families, relationships, and lives of their own.

– Quote: “Sentences become coffins too small to contain all the multitudes of grief.” My reflection: I think this means that headlines and short descriptions can never fully explain the pain of losing someone or capture everything that person meant to others.

– Quote: “There is no end to the story, only the story.” My reflection: This shows that the effects of war do not simply disappear when the fighting stops. The trauma continues to affect people long afterward.

– Quote: “My English is a war wound.” My reflection: This suggests that English has become both a way for the author to express herself and a reminder of the language, home, and identity she has lost because of war and displacement.

– Quote: “And we who listen to their stories are also bearing witness.” My reflection: This reminds readers that listening is also a responsibility. By paying attention to these stories, we help acknowledge the experiences of people who might otherwise be ignored.

– Quote: “The only way to make borders meaningless is to keep insisting on crossing them.” My reflection: I think this means that people can overcome physical, cultural, and linguistic barriers by communicating and sharing their experiences with one another.

– Quote: “Don’t cry … I’m alive, alive, alive.” My reflection: The repetition makes the message of survival feel more powerful. It reminds us that even after experiencing terrible suffering, people are still alive, still fighting, and still trying to make their voices heard.