In 2013, hundreds of journalists rush to Damascus after a chemical weapons attack brings the war in Syria to the front page. When Obama decides not to bomb, they go, leaving behind them 200,000 estimated victims and more than half of the 22 million population dispersed or refugeed. Francesca Borri is a journalist. But she does not leave. For months she covers the battle of Aleppo as a freelance reporter. And she quickly realises the truth of what it means to report a war. This haunting and shocking memoir exposes the reality of war and pays homage to its many victims.