A Beirut Heart: One Woman's War

A Beirut Heart is the unforgettable story of an American woman who lived amidst the Lebanese Civil War for eight years and through it all attempted to sustain a life with her Lebanese husband and two small children. It is a memoir that offers a unique illustration of the unsung heroes of war—the women who assume the awesome task of keeping the family united during wartime.

The book tells the story of how Cathy Sultan moved with her family to Lebanon in 1969. For six years they led an ideal life experiencing the rich culture, exotic food and breathtaking landscape of the city located along the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

After the war began in 1975, their lives changed forever. Sultan recounts how she held the family together by comforting her children after bomb blasts and consoling her physician husband who spent his days treating wounded civilians. To keep sane, she used cooking as her tranquilizer.

The unique narrative places us uncomfortably inside something we seldom consider—the domestic element of civil war—and leaves on the reader a permanent impression of the destroyed city and its resilient people.