Join your fellow music-lovers to read and discuss The Pianist from Syria: A Memoir by Aeham Ahmad — an astonishing account of a pianist’s escape from war-torn Syria. This hybrid in-person and virtual book group, presented in partnership with the Princeton Public Library, preludes Princeton University Concerts’ “Healing with Music” event on September 26, 2024 with Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and live illustrator Kevork Mourad featuring Home Within, an audio-visual project created in response to the Syrian revolution and its aftermath.

The book group discussions will culminate in a keynote event on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 7PM (EST) on Zoom with award-winning international correspondent for National Public Radio Deborah Amos, whose reporting on the Middle East and refugees in the U.S. is regularly featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and All Things Considered. Participants of this book club will be automatically registered for the keynote and will have the opportunity to pre-submit their questions to Deborah Amos.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Aeham Ahmad was born a second-generation refugee—the son of a blind violinist and carpenter who recognized Aeham’s talent and taught him how to play piano and love music from an early age. When his grandparents and father were forced to flee Israel and seek refuge from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict ravaging their home, Aeham’s family built a life in Yarmouk, an unofficial camp to more than 160,000 Palestinian refugees in Damascus. They raised a new generation in Syria while waiting for the conflict to be resolved so they could return to their homeland. Instead, another fight overtook their asylum. Their only haven was in music and in each other. Forced to leave his family behind, Aeham sought out a safe place for them to call home and build a better life, taking solace in the indestructible bond between fathers and sons to keep moving forward.

Book club participation is free. Visit princetonlibrary.org or call 609-924-9529 for details.