A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return

This expanded edition of A Game for Swallows features a new, illustrated afterword, as Abirached reflects on the meaning of her memoir’s title, the graffiti that inspired it, and the future of Beirut.

A USBBY Outstanding International Book

“This superb memoir is destined to become a classic.” —starred, School Library Journal

“A moving tale about the hardships of an ordinary family living in an extraordinary part of the world.” —Gene Yang, author of American Born Chinese and Dragon Hoops

When Zeina was born, the civil war in Lebanon had been going on for six years, so it’s just a normal part of life for her and her parents and little brother. The city of Beirut is cut in two by bricks and sandbags, threatened by snipers and shelling. East Beirut is for Christians, and West Beirut is for Muslims. When Zeina’s parents don’t return from a visit to the other half of the city, and the bombing grows closer, the neighbors in her apartment house create a world indoors for Zeina and her brother, where they can share cooking lessons and games and gossip. Together they try to make it through a dramatic evening in the one place they hoped they would always be safe—home.