A seminar with Wendy Pearlman, Martin and Patricia Koldyke Outstanding Teaching Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, on her recent book, We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria from HarperCollins.
*Followed by a book signing event at the Harvard COOP, 1400 Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square. Several books will also be raffled off directly following the talk - entry will be in person at the event!
Co-sponsored by the Islamic Legal Studies Program: Law and Social Change at Harvard Law School.
About the book
How have Syrians lived the revolution and war transforming their country? What can their personal stories teach us about both tragedy and resilience? Wendy Pearlman explores these questions in this presentation of her acclaimed new book, We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria (HarperCollins 2017). Based on interviews that Pearlman conducted with more than 300 Syrian refugees across the Middle East and Europe since 2012, the book is a mosaic of first-hand stories and reflections that chronicle the Syrian conflict exclusively through the words of people who have lived it. For a preview of the book, see excerpts published in the June issue of Harper’s Magazine.
Critical Praise
“[Wendy Pearlman] foregrounds the extraordinary heroism of ordinary Syrians, both those who are trapped in the country and those who struggle to make new lives. Her work is an essential addition to the emerging body of literary reportage from Syria in English.” New York Times Book Review
“A powerful must read book for anyone wanting to understand what’s happening in Syria and why it matters.” Chicago Review of Books
“Everyone talks about Syrians, but very few actually talk to them … We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled bucks the trend … The result is testament both to Syrian expressive powers and the translation’s high literary standard. These heart-stopping tales of torment and triumph are perfectly enchained, chronologically and thematically, to reflect the course of the crisis.” The Guardian
About the author
Wendy Pearlman is the Martin and Patricia Koldyke Outstanding Teaching Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, where she specializes in the comparative politics of the Middle East. She is the author of three books, We Crossed A Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria (HarperCollins 2017), Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and Occupied Voices: Stories of Everyday Life from the Second Intifada (Nation Books, 2003), as well as dozens of essays, academic articles, or book chapters. Pearlman holds a BA from Brown University, an MA from Georgetown, and a PhD from Harvard. She has studied or conducted research in Spain, Germany, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Israel, and the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
