A powerful memoir—that was named a New York Times Notable Book—which remains a testament to strength, memory, and the enduring will to live

In this widely acclaimed memoir, Jean Said Makdisi offers a deeply personal account of civilian life during Lebanon’s brutal fifteen-year civil war. With clarity, courage, and unflinching honesty, she paints a vivid portrait of a city and a people enduring relentless violence, political upheaval, and heartbreaking loss.

Spanning the years 1975 to 1990, Beirut Fragments chronicles Makdisi and her husband's decision to remain in Beirut as the war raged on. While many fled, they stayed, raising their children, teaching—he at the American University of Beirut, and she at the Beirut University College—and bearing witness to the collapse of daily life. From the devastation of the Israeli invasion to the horrors of Sabra and Shatila, from the everyday terrors of sniper fire to moments of resilience and defiance, Makdisi captures the human cost of war with rare insight and compassion.

A Palestinian, a Christian, and a woman shaped by many homes—Jerusalem, Cairo, Beirut, and the U.S.—Makdisi offers a unique and multifaceted perspective on identity, exile, and survival.

“A profound, heartbreaking book.”–Los Angeles Times Book Review

“An impassioned cry against indifference.”–New York Times Book Review