What do you think?
A Good Place on the Banks of the Euphrates: Stories From the War Against ISIS
"War corrodes everyone."
Following in the footsteps of the volunteers who fought with the Spanish International Brigades eighty years prior, Warren Stoddard II traveled on his own in 2018 from the United States to Syria, a country embroiled in a nearly decade-long civil war that had by then become the twenty-first century's bloodiest conflict.
There, he joined up with volunteers from around the world in the international units of the YPG, the Kurdish militia leading the fight against ISIS. He and the other members of YPG International spent months training and waiting for action before participating in the final campaign against ISIS forces in Deir ez-Zor, fighting through Hajin and Ash Sha'fah, where Stoddard was ultimately wounded in action.
Stoddard's story, told here through interlaced works of short fiction, memoir, and journal entries, paints an intimate portrait of the lives of the internationalists fighting in Northeastern Syria during the final days of the YPG's war against the Islamic what they left behind, what they hoped to achieve, and what they were willing to sacrifice for the freedom of a people and a land that were not their own.
Following in the footsteps of the volunteers who fought with the Spanish International Brigades eighty years prior, Warren Stoddard II traveled on his own in 2018 from the United States to Syria, a country embroiled in a nearly decade-long civil war that had by then become the twenty-first century's bloodiest conflict.
There, he joined up with volunteers from around the world in the international units of the YPG, the Kurdish militia leading the fight against ISIS. He and the other members of YPG International spent months training and waiting for action before participating in the final campaign against ISIS forces in Deir ez-Zor, fighting through Hajin and Ash Sha'fah, where Stoddard was ultimately wounded in action.
Stoddard's story, told here through interlaced works of short fiction, memoir, and journal entries, paints an intimate portrait of the lives of the internationalists fighting in Northeastern Syria during the final days of the YPG's war against the Islamic what they left behind, what they hoped to achieve, and what they were willing to sacrifice for the freedom of a people and a land that were not their own.
226 pages, Paperback
Published November 23, 2021
About the author
Warren Stoddard II
2 books8 followersBorn and raised in the Hill Country of Central Texas, Warren Stoddard II attended Texas State University and received a BA in English.
Following his graduation in 2018, he traveled to Syria to fight as a member of the Kurdish YPG in the war against the Islamic State. He was later wounded in action liberating the city of Ash Sha'fah from ISIS control. He then ventured to Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022 and participated in the defense of the city of Mykolaiv.
His short work has been featured in DicE Magazine, Into the Void, The Barely South Review, and numerous other publications around the globe.
He is the author of No Birds in Yesterday, a novella, and A Good Place on the Banks of the Euphrates: Stories From the War Against ISIS.
He is currently in the MFA program at San Diego State University.
Following his graduation in 2018, he traveled to Syria to fight as a member of the Kurdish YPG in the war against the Islamic State. He was later wounded in action liberating the city of Ash Sha'fah from ISIS control. He then ventured to Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022 and participated in the defense of the city of Mykolaiv.
His short work has been featured in DicE Magazine, Into the Void, The Barely South Review, and numerous other publications around the globe.
He is the author of No Birds in Yesterday, a novella, and A Good Place on the Banks of the Euphrates: Stories From the War Against ISIS.
He is currently in the MFA program at San Diego State University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 11, 2024
This book is incredible and convicting. To fight for anothers freedom without the same uniform of those who get rewarded for the same sacrifice is heroic. The author stood toe to toe with death on the most blood stained soil in mankind’s history in the Fertile Crescent. I’ve never finished a book so fast.
November 7, 2022
As a Kurd from the region/surrounding regions Stoddard was based in, I appreciated this book for several reasons. My favorite chapter is actually the introduction. I am always a little wary to read how non-Kurds speak about Kurds and Kurdish issues, but was delighted and moved by how Stoddard prefaces his book acknowledging the Kurds do not need "saving", and the savior complex topic is addressed in the process (Kurds do not need saving, the world needs the Kurds). He writes so respectfully and beautifully about the Kurdish people, and you can really feel the genuine appreciation he has for them throughout the book while explaining their contributions to society/the world, hospitality, kindness, sacrificial spirit, and more. Overall, it was an interesting account to read from the perspective of an international YPG volunteer, as I have family in the YPG/YPJ and had never learned from the account from a non-Kurd.
There were chapters that were quite triggering to me as many of the violent acts done by ISIS he discusses actually did happen to my family members in Efrin/Rojava- so I do recommend Kurds (or anyone who has been affected by ISIS) to read this book knowing that and prepare for it. The two chapters that I especially enjoyed were: "The Trial of Heval Firas" and "When This Plane Lands" (Which actually separately received a Notable Literary Nonfiction in Best American Essays: 2021). Well deserved and congratulations (:
*I'd also like to note that I noticed there is a 1 star vote for this book (and they left another 1 star review on Stoddard's other book on the same day) from a "Kimmy Evans in Virginia" which is unfortunate because it is not a valid review, just a spam account/ disgruntled individual trying to bring an author down. I'd like to believe Goodreads is a community where people can leave their personal issues aside and review authors and their work for what they are with integrity, or just leave nothing at all. Attacking peoples' work/art is just low and unfortunate. Hoping to see less of that moving forward!
With gratitude & light
D
There were chapters that were quite triggering to me as many of the violent acts done by ISIS he discusses actually did happen to my family members in Efrin/Rojava- so I do recommend Kurds (or anyone who has been affected by ISIS) to read this book knowing that and prepare for it. The two chapters that I especially enjoyed were: "The Trial of Heval Firas" and "When This Plane Lands" (Which actually separately received a Notable Literary Nonfiction in Best American Essays: 2021). Well deserved and congratulations (:
*I'd also like to note that I noticed there is a 1 star vote for this book (and they left another 1 star review on Stoddard's other book on the same day) from a "Kimmy Evans in Virginia" which is unfortunate because it is not a valid review, just a spam account/ disgruntled individual trying to bring an author down. I'd like to believe Goodreads is a community where people can leave their personal issues aside and review authors and their work for what they are with integrity, or just leave nothing at all. Attacking peoples' work/art is just low and unfortunate. Hoping to see less of that moving forward!
With gratitude & light
D
November 23, 2021
Truly a unique and well written insight into conflict that gets talked about by people who have no firsthand experience. Luckily, Warren has a gift for writing and has written us with this remarkable book. A necessary read.
November 8, 2021
A truly unique view into the war against ISIS. An absolutely enthralling book, a must read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews