By: Violet Hirman
Wandering Winds
Monthly Archives: February 2025
Recipe baking review: Crumble Chocolate Chip Cookies
By: Austin Bailey-Zimmerman
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups of butter (3 sticks)
- ¾ cup of granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups of packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoons of vanilla extract
- 4 ¼ cups of all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups of milk chocolate chunks (or 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of dark chocolate chunks)
Instructions:
- Gather together all of your ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Get a large bowl and cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
- Then you can add in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and soda, and salt until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined.
- Stir the chocolate chunks into the dough.
- Take a ¼ cup and scoop out the balls of dough (or if you want them to be the regular crumble size, use a ⅓ cup) and lay them out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
- Take them out and let them cool.
- Enjoy!
Review:
If you have never tried Crumble before, it is a very high quality bakery with new flavors of cookies every week, but one thing stays the same, the original Chocolate Chunk Cookie. It is my personal favorite, and that is why I decided to find the perfect recipe to make because this recipe tastes exactly like a Crumble cookie.
I absolutely love the Crumble cookie flavors and types, but they are all so big and each cookie is 5 dollars, but with this recipe, you can make two dozen cookies at a much more reasonable size.
The cookie itself is the perfect balance of a crunchy browned outside, and the most delicious soft, gooey inside with chocolate chunks that melt in your mouth. Believe it or not the cookie isn’t too sweet, the salt balances out the flavor so as to not feel sick after. The cookies pair perfectly with a glass of cold milk before bed.
I got this recipe off of TikTok, but it is from the Crumble franchise. I had my friends and brother try the cookies, and they said they couldn’t tell the difference between the Crumble cookies or the homemade! They even went back for seconds as they were so good.
Try this recipe and see for yourself! I know I will be making this again!
Sports schedule for: Feb 17-22
| ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: FEBRUARY 17 – FEBRUARY 22 | |||
| MONDAY | FEBRUARY 17 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| 5:30pm | B-Squad Boys Basketball vs. Concordia Academy | Concordia Academy | |
| TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 18 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| 4:30pm | Adapted Floor Hockey vs. Rochester | Humboldt High School | |
| B: 4:45pm JV: 4:45pm V: 6:30pm | 3:30pm | 9:00pm | Boys Basketball vs. North | North St. Paul High School |
| 5:00pm | Girls Basketball vs. Higher Ground Academy | HOME | |
| WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 19 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| B: 4:30pm JV: 4:30pm V: 6:00pm | Boys Basketball vs. MPLS South | HOME | |
| 6:30pm – 8:00pm | Baseball Captains Practice | Fieldhouse | |
| THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 20 | ||
| THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 20 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| TBD | Boys Hockey Sections | Aldrich Arena | |
| 5:30pm | Girls Basketball vs. Harding | Harding High School | |
| 5:30pm – 7:30pm | Softball Captains Practice | Fieldhouse | |
| FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 21 | ||
| FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 21 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| B: 4:00pm JV: 5:30pm V: 7:00pm | 3:15pm | 8:30pm | Boys Basketball vs. Como Park | Como Park High School |
| 5:00pm | Wrestling Individual Sections | Cretin-Derham Hall | |
| SATURDAY | FEBRUARY 22 | ||
| TIME | BUS TIMES | EVENT | LOCATION |
| 9:00am | Wrestling Individual Sections | Cretin-Derham Hall | |
Head coach John Cook is retiring: What does this mean?
By: Grace Wright
John Cook has been the head coach of Nebraska Cornhuskers Volleyball for the last 25 years. He has just recently announced his retirement from the team. John Cook started coaching first at Wisconsin in 1993, for 7 years, and then has been at Nebraska for the last 25.
John has helped lead Nebraska Volleyball to four national championships and 12 NCAA semifinals. Also with many Big Ten and Big 12 titles. John Cook has had a long standing history with helping women’s volleyball get coverage and appreciation for the sport. One of the biggest things he has done was have his team play in the outdoor football stadium in 2023. It was a huge success, 92,003 people filled up the Memorial Stadium and history was made.
John Cook has also built up many unbreakable relationships; one of his most memorable is with one of his current players Harper Murray, an outside hitter from Michigan.
His successor is Dani Busboom Kelly (DBK). She used to play under Coach Cook and was the starting libero on the Nebraska 2006 national championship team. She took a break from volleyball once she graduated, but then she came back to be an assistant coach for Cook for 4 years before she went to Louisville. DBK has been with the Louisville Cardinals for the last 8 years building it into a very influential volleyball team. She has led them to two NCAA championships, 3 semifinals and won four ACC titles.
Many of the Nebraska players were shocked but happy that John Cook was able to choose what was best for him. For the rest of the volleyball community cannot wait to see what DBK is going to be able to do at Nebraska.
For more information about Nebraska volleyball, you can go to: https://www.ncaa.com/news/volleyball-women/article/2025-01-29/nebraska-volleyball-coach-john-cook-retires-after-25-seasons-4-national-titles#:~:text=LINCOLN%2C%20NE%20—%20Four%2Dtime,great%20run%2C”%20Cook%20said.
Red Carpet looks at the 2025 Grammys
By: Fletcher Pike
The Grammys are a well known award ceremony that features many different artists and celebrities who have been nominated for different awards. Some of them include Album of the Year, Best New Artist, and many others. The 2025 Grammys happened on February 2nd, and this event included some really interesting outfits that celebrities wore. In this article, I’ll include some of the outfits on the Red Carpet, and share my opinions on each look.
Cynthia Erivo in Louis Vuitton
Cynthia Erivo wears an interesting Louis Vuitton gown with metallic and navy colored elements, with her top being reflective silver underneath her blue V-neck cut dress. Cynthia also matched her outfit with her signature nails, adorned with silver decorations and patterns.
I personally love this outfit and I like the navy and silver colors. I think that the metallic elements of this look are pretty unique as well.
Chappell Roan in Jean Paul Gaultier
Chappell Roan wears an artistic look on the Red Carpet, wearing a unique blue and yellow Jean Paul Gaultier gown and accessories. The dress features tulle, ballerina prints, and feathers that come together to make an interesting look.
I think that her look is very unique to her aesthetic. Overall, I loved the different prints and colors on this outfit as well as the makeup.
Sabrina Carpenter in JW Anderson
https://www.vogue.com/article/sabrina-carpenter-shakes-her-tailfeathers-at-the-2025-grammys
This might be my favorite look from the Red Carpet yet, as Sabrina Carpenter adorns a sleek light blue gown custom made by JW Anderson. I loved the feathery details and the long necklace of diamonds that draped down her back, which was a reference to actress Shirley MacLaine in the 1964 film ‘What a Way to Go!’.
Lady Gaga in Samuel Lewis
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a63639007/lady-gaga-red-carpet-photos-grammys-2025/
Lady Gaga appeared on the Red Carpet wearing an extravagant Victorian-era black gown with black hair to match. The dress itself is really unique and I feel that the style is definitely on brand for her.
I loved all of the details on the dress as well, and the necklace that she wore. I overall loved the gothic aesthetic of this look.
Jaden Smith in Louis Vuitton
This outfit is where things got a bit weird in my opinion. Jaden Smith wears a simple black Louis Vuitton suit, but wears a black headpiece of a house? The large black headpiece depicts a pitch-black castle that covered a majority of his head and face. I
was honestly really confused when I first saw this, but maybe I just don’t understand its artistic meaning.
Doechii in Thom Browne
https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/final-fitting-doechii-grammys-2025
Growing rapper Doechii wears a signature off-the-shoulder pinstripe style dress with a white Oxford shirt and tie underneath.
I actually really liked this outfit and the unique take on the look. I also really liked the hair and makeup that Doechii had, and I loved this look overall.
Charli XCX in Jean Paul Gaultier
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/charli-xcxs-grammys-2025-red-carpet-look
Singer Charli XCX arrived on the Red Carpet wearing a billowing gray Jean Paul Gaultier gown with dramatic frills and tall black peep-toe boots.
I personally really like Charli XCX, but I’m not sure I was a big fan of this outfit. I think that the dress had a lot of potential, but it could’ve been styled better, and it could’ve had more accessories. But overall, I think that this look was okay.
Overall, I think this year’s outfits were really interesting and I look forward to seeing more outfits in future awards ceremonies.
Recap of the 2025 Grammy Awards
By: Hermekay Dehaney
The Grammys, held on February 2, is an annual award show created by The Recording Academy and is held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Grammys highlight singers, songwriters, and producers who have had major success in the past year.
The night had some important messages, big wins, and amazing performances, so here are some of the highlights of the ‘25 Grammys.
This year’s Grammys not only highlighted musical talents but also served as a fundraiser where they raised about 9 million dollars for the victims of the recent Los Angeles wildfires that took place just weeks prior.
Trevor Noah, who has been the host for the fifth consecutive time, kicked off the program with a message saying, “Tens of thousands of people have lost their homes. Entire neighborhoods have been erased. Schools, local businesses, and entire communities have burned to the ground. Thankfully, due to the heroic efforts of firefighters, the fires have now been contained.”
The segment opened with a tribute song performed by John Legend, Taylor Goldsmith, Griffin Goldsmith, Cheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Brittney Howard, and St. Vincent to a performance of Randy Newman’s ballad to the City of Angels ‘I Love L.A,’ honoring the victims as well as the survivors.
During the ceremony, they had the Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony C. Marrone and other members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department speak onstage during the Grammys.
The Grammys had some Historic wins.
Beyonce had a very big night; she led the nominees with 11 nominations and secured 3 wins, finally winning Album of the Year, Country Album of the Year, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for ‘Cowboy Carter.’
Beyoncé had words of encouragement when accepting her Country Album of the Year by saying, “I think sometimes genre is a cold word to keep us in our place as artists,” she then continued, “And I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about and stay persistent.”
This would come a year after Jay Z got on stage at last year’s Grammys and said, “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year,” he continued, ”So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The Most Grammys never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work.” She had been nominated for this award 4 times before.
Someone who also had a big night was Kendrick Lamar who led the night with 5 wins for “Not Like Us”. He won Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video.
Doechii won Best Rap Album for ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal.’ Making her the 3rd woman to ever achieve this award, following Lauryn Hill in ‘97, and Cardi B in 2019.
Chappell Roan won Best New Artist. In her acceptance speech, she called out music labels for not providing new artists with livable wages and healthcare, she added: “It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanized to not have help.”
The ceremony also had very diverse performances.
The nominees for Best New Artist had a chance to perform, which is a perfect opportunity for the artists to showcase their talent, and to connect with a wider audience. The performances included: Benson Boone, Doechii, Shaboozey, Sabrina Carpenter, Rayé, Teddy Swims, and Chappell Roan. They all had very versatile and unique performances.
Tributes
The ceremony featured many tributes including a homage to Quincy Jones, a famous producer who died on November 3rd, 2024 due to pancreatic cancer. Artists such as Janelle Monae, Cynthia Erivo, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, and Lainey Wilson all did various performances, including “Fly Me to the Moon”, “Bluesette”, and “We Are the World”.
In the ‘In Memoriam’ segment of the ceremony, they also paid a tribute to the former One Direction member Liam Payne, who passed away unexpectedly last October. They showcased a video montage as well as a tribute song with Chris Martin singing “All My Love” which honored other artists who tragically died including Kris Kristofferson and Toby Keith.
Overall, this year’s Grammys was one my favorite and the most notable.
STATE OF THE WORLD | ARCERIUM RISING
By: Hoaseng Thao
Much has changed since the First Continentals War (1948-1956). The dawn of the new millennium marked a new and haunting era for the world; a cold war began as soon as the time ticked to January 1, 2000, and the contenders were the Vaserian Federation and the Democratic Union of Kavara. Both nations wield the divine powers of Arcerium warheads, the same design of weapon used to end the First Continentals War.
Vaseria and Kavara began to amass their military might and collect new allies to compete for world dominance, and it all came to a head when Kavaran ally, Alakis, invaded the Vaserian ally, Krinia in 2023, marking the beginning of the Second Continentals War. It was a relatively short war that ended in a ceasefire, not because one side was faltering but because of an event so devastating it would change the course of the entire world.
The event was known as the Arcerium Rising.
On October 5th, arcerium fields within the Arcerian continent erupted abruptly across the entire continent, contaminating it with arcerium and arsoulium. The damage done was severe enough that two warring superpowers chose to end hostilities and clean up the disaster. All events following Arcerium Rising would shape the future of the world, whether it be for the best or worst.
The year is 2049, and this is the state of the world.
NOTABLE FACTIONS
It is clear that for a nation to survive in this new world, they would need more than just an army, they would need the help of other nations not only for security but to turn a bark into a roar on the international stage.
PATO (POLARIS ALLIANCE TREATY ORGANIZATION)
PATO is a global organization led by the Vaserian Federation, their goal is to keep the Kavaran threat at bay while guaranteeing the security of the free world whether it be through peaceful means or by intervention. Some call them an alliance of self-righteous bullies.
CDP (CROATOKE DEFENSE PACT)
The CDP is a pact formed, and led by, Kavara, mainly to secure as many allied states around the world; its goal is to expand the influence of its member states by any means necessary. Despite having the word defense in its name, the alliance has been responsible for starting many conflicts including the Second Continentals War.
ON (ORGANIZATION OF NATIONS)
The ON is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to maintain international peace and security by all means possible. But if peace cannot be achieved peacefully, they can always rely on their peacekeepers who tend to keep the peace by force and force only.
ISAO (INDEPENDENT STATES OF ARCERIA ORGANIZATION)
When the Arcasian Civil War broke out following the Arcerium Rising event, an alliance of Arcasian states began to fight a war for independence. To many, they are terrorists taking advantage of a terrible situation, but to many, they are freedom fighters reclaiming lost land.
CONFLICTS IN MOTION
ARCASIAN CIVIL WAR (2023-present)
The Arcasian Civil War is the deadliest war to have ever occurred, when the Arcerium Rising event began, it sent the already unstable Federal States of Arcasia into turmoil, and the states within sought independence.
Not wanting to face embarrassment from the international community, the Arcasian government kept everything under wraps, isolating itself from the world and keeping the war and their failures to contain arcerium a secret until 2034, when they finally asked for international intervention.
What happened in those 11 years remains a mystery, but what is known is that a billion people used to live in what is now the Arcerium Rising Exclusion Zone, and their whereabouts remain a mystery. What is happening now in Arcasia is complicated, but what is certain is that this war is not going to end any time soon.
ORBESJKAN CIVIL WAR (2030-present)
The Orbesjkan Civil War began when the government allowed some states autonomy over their regions before they could declare independence. This was done so that some regions could transition into independent nations peacefully, but only a few selected states were given this treatment.
In 2030, states in the northern regions, feeling neglected by the government, declared independence with the support of the CDP, and began a war to free other states in the south, beginning the Orbesjkan Civil War.
HOSHIRAN CIVIL WAR (2046-present)
The Hoshiran Civil War began when the Suineng hydroelectric dam broke apart and killed nearly fifty thousand people. The dam was known to be in a dire state and yet the government refused to do anything about it. Fed up with the government, the citizenry began to revolt against the government and formed warlord states to solve what they believed were the issues that plague their kingdom.
EPREAU-INDO WAR (2043-present)
The Epreau-Indo War is a conflict between the Republic of Epreau and Republic of Indoshia that began after border clashes led to the deaths of several border troops from each side, which then spurred an all out war between the two nations. As of 2049, the war has hit a stalemate.
DRONGO-ZEHERA WAR (2048-present)
In their attempt to regain lost territories, The Republic of Drongo, alongside their CDP allies, declared war on the Zehera Union. Although Zehera was no match for the full might of the CDP, the failures of the Drongon army in the first few weeks of their invasion saw the CDP pull out of the conflict and to merely advise the Drongon’s into “winning” the war.
WHAT LIES AHEAD
The future of this world hinges on the cool steady minds of its inhabitants, one fatal error could send every living being to have ever lived to their maker. If the world ignites in total war again as it did so long ago in Koldr and in Krinia, there will be no winners or losers, only survivors.
War is human nature, and we are doomed to repeat it.
Public education in America is severely underfunded and under appreciated
By: Evie Beaumaster
With a new president there are many new laws and budgets that affect education for millions of people in the United States. Donald Trump is the new president of the United States and he has a lot to say about education and how much money is spent on it and how the government should be allowed to interfere with education.
In the fiscal year of 2025 the budget request for K-12 education will be 82.4 billion dollars. However, only 52 billion was approved in this past year. This budget comes from the US Department of Education and can be accessed on their public website. There are 95,852 public schools in the United States in 2025, and while that may seem like a lot of money for so few schools, that budget is shockingly low for how much money our public school system needs in America. The cost per student per year is about $17,280. Students are usually in school for 13 years and usually a year or two of preschool. This budget is very low for the 50 million students that attend public school in America.
Compared to the budgets of other things that get government funding, education is among the lowest. In comparison, the US military, as a whole, gets 15% of government spending. The highest category for government spending is Social Security, which gets 21%. Education is only the fourth highest spending category out of the 11 categories.
The quality of education is also an area of concern among Americans. The White House also recently released a presidential action that asked for the end of schools indoctrinating their children with “[R]adical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight”. The action then goes on to say that children are forced to assume different identities and “wonder if they were born in the wrong body”. This shows how the government we have in place doesn’t think of education first, it thinks of “radical” ideas that children may pick up in school. According to article 19 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”. This article shows that children’s ideas and personal beliefs are a human right and it doesn’t matter if they are picked up at school.
The school system in America is currently being set up for failure and it is heading towards a dark place of censorship and terrible underfunding.
Recently, President Trump has vocalized his plans to dismantle the Department of Education. This would be a very bad thing if passed by congress. According to their website, The Department of Education oversees many things concerning the education system including, the federal role in education, annual performance reports, and promoting the quality of education. The education department is also responsible for making the budget for public schools. When President Trump was asked about this he said “We are ranked number one in cost per pupil, so we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, and we are ranked at the bottom of the list”. This is a really bad sign because other countries may spend less money on education but that could be because in other countries a lot of education is paid for privately. Trump also added that he “wanted the states to run schools”, meaning that the education budget would not be coming from the federal government but from the state government which would not actually have enough money to properly sustain the school system.
Public schools in the US are often shunned and called terrible, but maybe it’s not the people that are to blame; it’s the funding—- or the lack thereof. This overall will be a very bad thing for students because this education system will be effecting the whole world. Millions of people go through these public schools, and it will educate the future generations that will eventually lead this country.
For more information, please visit:
- https://www.ed.gov
- https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/about/overview/budget/budget25/summary/25summary.pdf
- https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=84
- https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/
- https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/2024_0311_fy_2025_budget_in_brief.pdf
- https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cga/public-school-enrollment
- https://educationdata.org/public-education-spending-statistics
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling/
- https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwxEsLG812U
Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookie review by: Sallys Baking Addiction
By: Alice Rapacz
Ingredients:
- 1 and ⅔ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoons red food coloring (more if you want them brighter)
- 1 cup white or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Using a hand held mixer or stand mixer, on medium speed cream together your butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract and combine on high speed.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and add in the milk and food coloring. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low speed.
- Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. If you chill the dough for longer than 2 hours allow the dough to sit out at room temperature for at least 15 min before rolling out the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Scoop and roll each cookie to about 1 ½ tablespoons. Arrange on the baking sheet 3 inches apart from each other and bake for 11-13 minutes.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to let them cool completely.
- Enjoy the cookies now and with any extra cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Review:
I thought this recipe from Sallys Baking Addiction was great and easy to follow. I started by getting all my ingredients measured out and ready to use, which made the process very smooth.
The dough came together really well. I was able to follow the instructions with ease and just combined all the ingredients together. One extra thing I did was when adding the dry ingredients to the wet, I did them in batches. This made it easy not to have the bowl overflow with all the ingredients when I turned on the mixer.
I let the dough chill for around 4 hours so when I went to roll it out, even after 15 minutes it was still very hard. I had to let it sit out for an additional 15 minutes before it became soft enough to roll into balls.
I baked my batches for 11 minutes because I like my cookies soft, that time seemed perfect. They came out of the oven with a soft interior and they had a slight crunch to the exterior.
Flavor wise I thought they tasted pretty good. The chocolate chips added a needed bit of chocolate flavor, because although there was cocoa powder in the cookie, I felt it wasn’t chocolatey enough on its own. Besides that, they were the perfect sweet treat for the night. I added white chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips, the two paired well with the cookie, and while warm and gooey they coated your tongue and they were very delicious.
This recipe, I have made before for my neighbors and let’s just say, I didn’t even get to eat one because they were gone that fast. Nonetheless, this is a great and easy recipe that is a crowd favorite and I think you should give it a try the next time you are craving something sweet.
‘As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ review
By: Maggie Hong
‘As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ is a historical fiction novel by Zoulfa Katouh. It takes place during the Syrian Revolution, following the main character Salama as she fights for love, peace, and a way out of her wartorn country.
Salama is 18 years old and has only one year of pharmacy training, but she works every day as a surgeon at the hospital in Old Homs. She treats bombing victims, people caught in sniper fire, and children who had the misfortune of playing on a street set to be the next site of revolution. As these experiences shape Salama’s worldview, they also skew her perception of reality. She wants to escape Syria, but can’t bring herself to abandon her family, her history, and her country.
Katouh’s writing is lyrical and vivid, lacing the story with the scents of lemons and smoke on every page. Characters are strong and nuanced, speaking with unique voices and formed by pasts which are slowly revealed throughout the novel. As Salama survives war and tragedy, her relationships with Layla, her best friend, and Kenan, a boy she was almost engaged to, deepen and twist in expert form.
I cried, laughed, and learned as I read this book. Its final plot twist left me at a loss for words, and the book as a whole renewed my hope in the world and the ability of humans to survive.
This book is especially relevant now, as Syria enters a new phase of its revolution. With the fall of the Assad regime in December, the world is watching a victory for freedom.
‘As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow’ is an enthralling and beautiful reminder of how far we’ve come, and why it matters.
This book is definitely a favorite of mine, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction or a chance to slip into a new world. I would give this book a 9/10.
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 