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Set in 2006, just months before the war between Lebanon and Israel came to a violent end, Ashe and Magdalena beautifully detail their journey from the United States to bring popularity to an amazing city, Beirut, when things take a turn for the worse and Ashe is stuck making impossible decisions.
I can’t even begin to detail the pain, beauty, and utter sense of displacement throughout this book. Ashe begins his journey in the United States with his friends who are set on bringing one of the biggest names in Rap and Hip Hop to city that is popping but under the radar, Beirut.Once the team gets to Lebanon, they get to work on making the upcoming event the one of a lifetime. The book progresses with an amazing storyline of what happened the next few months of planning the concert, executing it and what Ashe’s plans were following the success of the event. After some time of basking in the glory of what happened, Ashe’s life is turned upside down when Beirut is bombed by Israel and there’s no word of help from the United States government.
Lost in Beirut brings a sentimentality of friendship, longing for success, and following your heart; it also rips apart your feelings of safety and security of a war you most likely did not engage with much or were given different ideations of what was truly happening in the Middle East. While continuing the story, there were times I felt throat getting dry and my palms sweaty never realizing the carelessness that comes with war regarding civilians, architecture, and overall morality. Ashe and Magdalena did a phenomenal job highlighting the dangers that was presented to Ashe, while also highlighting his continuous positive outlook on life and his future.
The book isn’t based around the doom and gloom of war though; this book is surrounded around finding the positives in each situation, allowing yourself to be present for each moment and really take in the experiences you are presented, but really allowing one’s mind to be completely open and understanding to each situation presented in front of them.
A young American’s timely account of endurance and enlightenment after being caught up in Lebanon’s summer of siege.
Ashe Stevens is a rising actor and hipster moving amid the starlight of Hollywood’s nightclubs.
It’s 2006 and what Ashe doesn’t know is that a fateful invitation from his closest friend Danny, a famous LA promoter organizing Lebanon’s largest concert featuring 50 Cent, will change their lives.
He goes to Beirut for adventure and gets stuck in a country tipped into war overnight.
With no way out and nothing but regrets, he finds himself trying to escape the Israeli airstrikes to the Syrian border, only to be pursued by jihadists in Jordan.
After 15 years of PTSD and silence, he shares his extraordinary story.
Bathed in luxury and the spotlight of Beirut’s glamorous nightlife, falling in love with a billionaire, how will this American survive the flames of war?
The book ends on an amazing note, making you starve to know more and to understand what happens next in Ashe’s journey. I cannot wait for the next book in the installments and a round of applause to both Ashe and Magdalena for capturing not only a story of survival, but a love story between friends, cultures, and lovers.
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