The Road from Raqqa

A Story of Brotherhood, Borders, and Belonging

By: Jordan Ritter Conn

Narrated by: Graham Halstead

Crossing years and continents, the harrowing story of the road to reunion for two Syrian brothers who—despite a homeland at war and an ocean between them—hold fast to the bonds of family.

Runner-Up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize • Riveting . . . a resplendent love letter to an obliterated city.”—The New York Times

“The Road from Raqqa had me gripped from the first page. I couldn’t put it down.”—Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo

The Alkasem brothers, Riyad and Bashar, spend their childhood in Raqqa, the Syrian city that would later become the capital of ISIS. As a teenager in the 1980s, Riyad witnesses the devastating aftermath of the Hama massacre—an atrocity that the Hafez al-Assad regime commits upon its people. Wanting to expand his notion of government and justice, Riyad moves to the United States to study law, but his plans are derailed and he eventually falls in love with a Southern belle. They move to a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee, where they raise two sons and where Riyad opens a restaurant—Café Rakka—cooking the food his grandmother used to make. But he finds himself confronted with the darker side of American freedoms: the hardscrabble life of a newly arrived immigrant, enduring bigotry, poverty, and loneliness. Years pass, and at the height of Syria’s civil war, fearing for his family’s safety halfway across the world, he risks his own life by making a dangerous trip back to Raqqa.

Bashar, meanwhile, in Syria. After his older brother moves to America, Bashar embarks on a brilliant legal career under the same corrupt Assad government that Riyad despises. Reluctant to abandon his comfortable (albeit conflicted) life, he fails to perceive the threat of ISIS until it’s nearly too late.

The Road from Raqqa brings us into the lives of two brothers bound by their love for each other and for the war-ravaged city they call home. It’s about a family caught in the middle of the most significant global events of the new millennium, America’s fraught but hopeful relationship to its own immigrants, and the toll of dictatorship and war on everyday families. It’s a book that captures all the desperation, tenacity, and hope that come with the revelation that we can find home in one another when the lands of our forefathers fail us.

Critic reviews

“Jordan Ritter Conn’s riveting debut book, The Road from Raqqa, is a well-wrought portrait of two brothers, Riyad and Bashar Alkasem, and their journeys out of Syria. . . . The book portrays Syria and the United States as multifaceted and complex, both capable of generosity and oppression, with histories as interconnected as the brothers’ own. . . . As complicated and ever-shifting as their views of Syria and the United States are, the brothers’ affection for Raqqa is unwavering. Conn translates their memories into a resplendent love letter to an obliterated city.”—The New York Times

“A work of dazzling emotional power—a gorgeously written exploration of how we cope with seismic loss and how we muster the strength to build again . . . You will come away from this book in awe of its characters’ resilience, as well as grateful for Jordan Ritter Conn’s loving devotion to the art of journalism.”—Brendan I. Koerner, author of The Skies Belong to Us

“Jordan Ritter Conn has constructed an achingly beautiful story that, by some miracle, takes in the epic sweep of the modern Middle East, the continuous whiplash of immigrant life in America, and the depths of brotherly love.”—Steve Fainaru, author of League of Denial

“Stunning . . . Jordan Ritter Conn has taken a true story, in some ways so simple—two brothers taking different paths in a world shattered by politics and war—and layered within it a profound meditation on family, freedom, human resilience, and home.”—Evan Ratliff, author of The Mastermind

“Jordan Ritter Conn writes with a novelist’s grace, giving us both sides of the family’s epic migration story as the brothers find themselves on opposing sides of global conflict and keep trying to find each other again and again, despite the way the world pulls them in different directions. I couldn’t put it down.”—Helen Thorpe, author of The Newcomers

“A poignant debut . . . Fluidly written and emotionally powerful, this page-turner reveals the human cost of war, terrorism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration rhetoric. Readers will find despair and hope in this moving account.”—Publishers Weekly

“[Jordan Ritter] Conn’s affecting narrative touches deeply not just on these contrasting immigration issues . . . but also on how the bonds of family and old community can exist even when people are uprooted.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The parallel stories of the brothers’ lives are informative and deeply moving. The emotional narrative of their Syrian home will help people better understand why people choose to leave and why others stay.”—Library Journal

Enjoyed this very much

The narrator did an excellent job of reading this engaging and often harrowing story. A great winding path of two Syrian brothers, along which I learned about Syrian tribal culture, Raqqa, their families, and the terrors of war, ISIS, and becoming a refugee. Also, our country, as experienced by a new American.

Vivid and moving story

This book is beautifully written and very moving. It tells the story of two brothers from Raqqa, Syria, and their quest to find peace and opportunity for themselves and their family. I loved learning more about this family and the culture of Syria. I hope and pray Syria will one day be safe to live in again.

Survival , love and strength

The character was strong and determined to work hard for what he wanted while being in so many hard places

Authentic Story

Walk in your neighbor’s shoes. See through your neighbor’s eyes. Step into your neighbor’s house for a few hours and listen to his story as a neighbor. I am his neighbor and I didn’t know any of this story except I love the rich flavors and fresh ingredients of Cafe Rakka! It’s one of my favorite restaurants. Thank you for telling your story!

A story you should hear.

This book was very well written and tells a story we should all hear. I highly recommend this book. I listened through quickly because it really kept my attention.