A journalist and cat-owner living in Beirut, Kareem Shaheen covers the Middle East in all its contradictions for the Guardian newspaper. An Egyptian raised in Dubai, with stints in the Hague (not as a war criminal) and small-town Nile delta, he studied journalism and electrical engineering because that's what you do in Egypt in order to not be a disgrace to the family, and holds a master's degree in war studies from King's College London. He lives in Lebanon with his girlfriend, who is always right, and who comes from the ancient Syrian city of Aleppo, and gets to travel around this wonderful and now broken region on account of his job. Twitter: @kshaheen
Regional and international powers are waging war by proxy in a country where 500,000 people have been killed since 2011. Here are some recommended books about Syria to get you up to speed.
We took a trip to Hisarlik hill, the site of Homer's Troy, and chatted with the archaeologists working there about the historical accuracy of The Iliad.
Books to read about Syria, ISIS, and the Syrian conflict.
On a reader's early experiences with books, and taking seven steps to recapture the magic and fluidity of reading as a child.
Bana al-Abed, a 7-year-old girl who Tweeted about life in Aleppo, is writing a memoir.
One Rioter visits the world's oldest library still in use, built by a woman named Fatima al Fihria in the 9th century Morocco!
Seven books to read to learn more about Islam.
Books about the roots of ISIS.
One Rioter reflects on how living in Beirut has made him a better reader.
One Rioter visits the world's oldest library still in use, built by a woman named Fatima al Fihria in the 9th century Morocco!