Days of Love and Rage

Publisher: Pluto Press
Publish date: 3 March 2026
Pages: 592
Language: English

Subjects: History

In 2011, in a city in northern Syria, the people began a movement that aimed to remake their country after decades of brutal dictatorship. For the next eighteen months, citizens of Manbij carried out one of the most remarkable experiments in democracy in modern times.

Days of Love and Rage tells the story of the Syrian revolution, from its early days through the overthrow of the Assad regime, in microcosm. Anand Gopal immerses us in the world of a single city through the intimate narratives of the men and women who led the struggle. Through mesmerising and moving stories, we experience the highs of camaraderie and the lows of betrayal: a pair of best friends torn apart by political polarisation, a mother who stands up to male dominance, a worker who risks everything for the dream of equality.

Transcending the particulars of one terrible conflict, this sweeping narrative is, above all, an account of the best and worst of humanity. Days of Love and Rage is the story of our enduring need for freedom and dignity, community and hope.