All She Lost: The Explosion in Lebanon, the Collapse of a Nation and the Women Who Survive

Journalist Mawad debuts with a nuanced and compassionate account of the deadly explosion on Aug. 4, 2020, in her native Beirut as recalled through the eyes of local women. During the Covid-19 pandemic, as Lebanon faced “a collapsed currency, soaring inflation and growing economic uncertainty,” a cache of ammonium nitrate (an explosive fertilizer) stored in the Port of Beirut ignited for unknown reasons, killing 221 and injuring thousands. Delving into Lebanon’s past, Mawad describes a country in turmoil that was under Ottoman rule for centuries, then given as “a gift to France” following WWI, before it achieved statehood in 1949. Now serving as the base for the militant Hezbollah Shia party, Lebanon, in Mawad’s telling, is a place where women are treated as “second class citizens” due to the “patriarchy and discriminatory religious laws,” a government-sanctioned slave labor scheme, and widely prevalent domestic abuse. As recent conditions deteriorated, “from corruption to human rights abuses and political paralysis, from war to sectarian violence,” Mawad and many of the women she profiles immigrated to France. She recreates a vivid scene of horror—with many unanswered questions about the explosion—that serves as a window onto the country’s past and future. The result is a heart-wrenching portrait of endurance and perseverance. (Jan.)