Calumet Editions

Categories: , ,

A Beirut Heart

One Woman’s War

Author:

In 1969, Cathy Sultan fulfills her dream of living abroad, moving with her Lebanese husband and two infants to Beirut—cosmopolitan, beautiful, and dangerously seductive. She comes to love the city like a dysfunctional lover, even as civil war erupts in 1975. Using cooking as calm amid chaos, she fights to keep home life comforting and hospitable while bullets strike her kitchen and bombs shatter the city. A Beirut Heart is her gripping story of preserving family and humanity in war.

There is nothing like an intelligent woman, spouse and mother of small children, to carry one into the midst of war, with its horrors as well as its capacity for soul-building,,, Her narrative enfleshes our disjointed news of the Middle East.

—David Burrell, CSC, Hesburgh Professor in Philosophy and Theology, University of Notre Dame and Director, Tantar Ecumenical Institute, Jerusalem

Description

As a young woman Cathy Sultan dreamed of living in a foreign land. She realized that dream in 1969 when she moved with her Lebanese husband and two infants from the United States to Beirut – a city known for its welcoming residents, breathtaking landscape and cosmopolitan culture.

Sultan quickly grew to adore Beirut despite its seedy side and came to think of it as her dysfunctional lover. Even after the onset of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975 her feelings were slow to change. Using cooking as a tranquilizer, Sultan worked tirelessly to provide a home environment that was comforting to her family and inviting to friends. Even as bullets pierced her own kitchen and bombs destroyed the ancient city and the lives of loved ones, she and her family refused to be driven from their home and their humanity.

A Beirut Heart: One Woman’s War is the riveting story of how a wife and mother struggled to maintain order and normality amid the unspeakable cruelty of civil war.

Product Details

PublishedFebruary 4, 2023
ImprintCalumet Editions
LanguageEnglish
Print length264
ISBN-13978-1960250629
Dimensions6 x 0.6 x 9 inches

Cathy has combined a dramatic story of life in the Lebanese capital with the complexities of Middle Eastern politics. –Don Betz, PhD, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-River Falls “Sultan writes a compelling story of survival … This is a must-read for everyone with any interest in what happens to a family under siege.

—Colleen McElroy, Professor of English, University of Washington, Seattle

I have always been confused by events in the Middle East, but this book tells the story in very human terms. Despite the bombs and bullets, Cathy Sultan and her family also had a life with friends, relatives, entertaining, and their beloved dog Foxy. This book shows the joys and frustrations, the sorrows and love which imbued their lives during these traumatic times.

—William J. Maierhofer, verified review on Amazon

As women’s voices and stories are often unheard or silenced in conflict situations, I was excited to see this publication by Cathy Sultan. This memoir recounts her married life and experiences over fourteen years in war torn Beirut.

—Angela Holohan, verified review on Amazon

I never knew the pre-war Lebanon. Reading this book gave me an idea of what life was like before the civil war. It gives the reader insight not only of the country and its complicated political issues, but also the spirit of the people during a civil war- good and bad. I loved this book!

—Jo-Ann Tabry, verified review on Amazon

Essential reading if you want to understand the historical content of the Lebanese Civil War, and the turmoil in the Middle East in general. Her personal story embodies an incredible saga of perseverance and dedication to friends and family. Cathy Sultan’s memoir paints the perfect picture.

—Don Estes, verified review on Amazon