'Saleh's personal tragedy reveals him as an authentic voice trying to understand how the genuine, progressive revolt he supported went so horribly wrong.'
New York Review of Books 'Reading The Impossible Revolution, a Western audience has the opportunity to eavesdrop on the conversation that has been going on between Syrians since the beginning of the conflict ... If Saleh ... Read morehad been read by Westerners at the time of his writing, for example, ISIS would not have come as such a surprise.'
Times Literary Supplement ' Where is cool-headed, clear thinking to be found, in a world of al-Sada, jinn, and ghosts? ... One might say it is to be found in the pages of [Saleh's] book, where he examines the origins of the violence, delves into the ideology of the Ba'ath Party that has ruled the country since 1963, methodically dissects the phases of the revolution, and charts the lurch into sectarianism ... [in] carefully modulated prose'
The New York Review of Books 'Yassin al-Haj Saleh is one of Syria's most important contemporary political theorists and public intellectuals. Saleh, whose work is widely known and circulated in Arabic, has been a hugely influential participant in important debates concerning modernity, governance, identity, and society in Syria. Since the start of the Syrian uprising, Saleh's influence and his role as an incisive critic of extremism, dictatorship, and the effects of mass violence on Syrian society have offered powerful and compelling responses to the traumas that define the contemporary Syrian experience.'
Steven Heydemann, Professor of Middle East Studies at Smith College and the author of Authoritarianism in Syria: Institutions and Social Conflict, 1946-1970
`A nuanced look at the Syrian struggle from one of Syria's foremost leftist thinkers.' `In its lucidity, erudition, range and percipience, the book is worthy of a Gramsci. In its method, rigour and predictions, it is an intellectual achievement of extraordinary significance . . . Yassin al-Haj Saleh, one of Syria's most celebrated intellectuals . . . writes with remarkable dispassion and objectivity . . . Saleh's work will stand as an imperishable reminder of the circumstances through which this impossible revolution endured.' 'A subjective but insightful account of how totalitarianism has destroyed civil society and wrecked Syria.'
Bloomberg 'Penetrating analysis . . . indispensable.' 'A searing and heartfelt critique of a crisis which is no longer just Syria's, but the world's. Born in Raqqa and imprisoned under the Assads for sixteen years, Yassin al-Haj Saleh is now recognised as `the conscience of the Syrian Revolution.' No other voice has such clarity or integrity.'
Diana Darke, author of 'My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis' 'Saleh takes us on a personal journey through the ecstasy and the heartbreak of Syria's revolution and the many struggles the country has faced since. Syria's revolution began as an organic peaceful movement seeking simple and reasonable goals, but as Saleh explains, it soon spawned conflicting, violent and dangerous complexities that sadly now dominate public discourse and on-the-ground dynamics. There is no better voice to tell this book's many important stories and Saleh's words are likely to live on for years to come.'
Charles Lister, author of 'The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, The Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency' 'The appearance of Yassin al-Haj Saleh's work in English has been long awaited. It's vitally important to listen to Syrian voices on the events which are happening in their country. Yassin is one of Syria's most engaging revolutionary thinkers, and he provides valuable context to a democratic revolution and vicious counter-revolution which has often been wilfully misunderstood by commentators in the West. Expert analysis and powerful personal testimony are interwoven in this book which is indispensable for anyone wishing to further their understanding of the Syrian tragedy.'
Leila Al Shami, co-author of 'Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War' Show Less