The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

Our latest book choice was a challenging one: 'The Beekeeper of Aleppo' by Greek/British author Christy Lefteri.

It is based on the experiences of Ryad Alsous, a Syrian beekeeper who faced the harrowing realities of war and displacement. Christy drew on her own experiences of volunteering with refugees in Greece, and the outcome is a deeply powerful book. It is so well written that it's totally immersive; you can feel and hear and see the characters.

Their ongoing trauma was tangible, so much so that we all found the book difficult to read at times and had to put it down and try again later as our emotions overwhelmed us.

"Illegal immigrants" (rather than refugees and asylum-seekers) in small boats coming to steal our way of life/homes/jobs/doctors etc. is a narrative we hear and see daily in the media and from government. This is not a narrative that resonates with any of us in the Group, and in this book we all saw the humanity of people forced into desperate situations, and the characters ceased to be 'other' and became people we could identify with and who we wanted to help.

We are already so flooded by heart-rending news from around the world that this book isn't one that some of us would have chosen to read of our own volition. In reading it, we were left - as one member said - 'appalled by humankind's inhumanity to fellow citizens in the twenty-first century'.

'The Beekeeper of Aleppo' scored 11/11 . Although none of us could say we enjoyed it, we all felt it was a well written and valuable book, sadly just as relevant now as when it was written in 2019. We also all agreed it's a book that everyone should read. We have a copy here in Haddenham Library and there are plenty of others, in various formats, within the county.

There is an article here about Ryan Alsous and the charity he set up which encourages refugees to keep bees:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/14/i-could-be-a-bee-in-a-hive-the-real-life-beekeeper-of-aleppo-on-life-in-yorkshire-aoe

If you would like to know more about how you could help refugees and those seeking asylum, the Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign (CRRC) welcomes volunteers: https://www.cambridgerefugees.org

Our next Book Group meeting is on Tuesday 16 April when we will be discussing 'Disgrace' by J.M. Coetzee. New members are always very welcome!