
'Loubna Mrie's story takes my breath away. Defiance is a nail-biting tale of astonishing courage, a coming-of-age story in which one woman risks everything to fight for what she believes' JEANNETTE WALLS, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of THE GLASS CASTLE and HANG THE MOONEvery day, Loubna Mrie pledged allegiance to Bashar al-Assad.Her family, part of the Alawite minority that ruled the country, helped bring the Assad family to power.Her father, a formidable businessman with close ties to the regime, similarly ruled their household with absolute authority. But everything changed in 2011, when the Arab Spring reached Syria and Loubna joined the resistance, smuggling supplies to rebels and risking her life as a photojournalist for Reuters.Her defiance would come at a devastating cost: her mother's murder, her father's disavowal, and the loss of her partner, American aid worker Peter Kassig, who was kidnapped and executed. Told with fury and grace, Defiance is the unforgettable account of one woman's fight for freedom - against a dictator, a father, and the weight of inherited belief.From the streets of Aleppo to exile in the United States, it offers an electrifying first-hand portrait of extraordinary courage.