{"product_id":"a-game-for-swallows-to-die-to-leave-to-return-expanded-edition-by-zeina-abirached","title":"A Game for Swallows: To Die, to Leave, to Return: Expanded Edition by Zeina Abirached","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis expanded edition of \u003cem\u003eA Game for Swallows\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA USBBY Outstanding International Book\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"This superb memoir is destined to become a classic.\" --starred, \u003cem\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A moving tale about the hardships of an ordinary family living in an extraordinary part of the world.\" --Gene Yang, author of \u003cem\u003eAmerican Born Chinese\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDragon Hoops\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZeina Abirached\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in Beirut in the middle of the civil war. She studied graphic arts in Lebanon but moved to Paris in 2004, where she attended the National School of Decorative Arts. In 2006, she published her first two graphic novels with publisher Cambourakis, \u003cem\u003eBeyrouth-Catharsis\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003e38, Rue Youssef Semaani\u003c\/em\u003e. Her short animated film \u003cem\u003eMouton\u003c\/em\u003e was nominated during the fifth international film festival in Tehran. \u003cem\u003eA Game For Swallows \u003c\/em\u003e(Graphic Universe, 2012) has won numerous awards, including being named an ALA Notable Children's Book and a YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens. \u003cem\u003eJe Me Souviens Beyrouth \u003c\/em\u003e( \u003cem\u003eI Remember Beirut\u003c\/em\u003e), the follow-up to \u003cem\u003eA Game For Swallows, \u003c\/em\u003ewas published in French by Cambourakis in 2008.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Graphic Universe","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67659596366109,"sku":"9781728446134","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0511\/5897\/files\/Screenshot2026-10-01at4.37.40pm.png?v=1790887080","url":"https:\/\/www.middleeastbooks.com\/products\/a-game-for-swallows-to-die-to-leave-to-return-expanded-edition-by-zeina-abirached","provider":"Middle East Books and More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}