In this book, Dr. Haifa Bitar unfolds stories from real life, entitled 'The Fallen,' where she addresses various issues through her critical and social reflections on our life priorities and goals. Typically, readers feel as if they are part of these tales of the oppressed or marginalized. Each story makes you feel like you know the character; they could be a neighbor, a friend, or a close woman. The novelist weaves her characters into a dramatic and human tapestry. Her storytelling elevates the realism to a world where one contemplates oneself, reborn through the character of 'Wajih' in the remarkable story 'Self-Realization.' After thirty years of oppression and humiliation, this man discovers himself, feeling words rekindle his heart and mind, giving him an otherworldly power to challenge all manifestations of oppression around him. In this story, the author highlights our personal and societal responsibility to overcome the obstacles of fear and societal anxiety instilled since childhood. We read Wajih's introspection as he discovers the joy of self-expression, unable to sleep all night, feeling heaven and hell stirring within. He realizes his life has been a series of mistakes overshadowed by fear and repression. As a child, he was forbidden from freely expressing opinions and feelings and was intimidated by a tyrannical father.

In the story 'The Fallen,' we see the woman who sacrifices, starting her tale at ten and concluding at fifty-three, destined to give while others take. 'She lived denying herself, believing she was the steadfast wall her family leaned on...' Time and years made her forget she was a woman. 'At times, she wondered what a man is, feeling a vague, inexplicable longing. Her needs for her other half died with time, for isn't time the graveyard of desires?' When love knocked on her door, she was labeled a fallen woman: 'She asked her soul painfully: Why did people shun me just for loving? Doesn't my heart deserve to beat?' Yet, she gathered herself and fled that alley, remembering her father's face 'closest to her soul, feeling his blessing as he slept and closed his eyes, encouraging her to live the revolution of love, without which life has no meaning.' The novelist reflects on the phenomenon of delayed marriage in Arab societies, leading to familial and societal misunderstandings. She emphasizes respecting women, not branding them, and that thoughts and actions should evolve beyond this destructive perspective, considering women's dignity and humanity sacred and God-given before humans. This book contains fourteen stories portraying varied real-life situations faced by Arab families, both sensitive and anxiety-inducing, ultimately igniting hope within. It's a cry that resonates with the weak, guiding them to overcome obstacles step by step, proving through each story that life success is attainable, as the loser isn't the latecomer but the passive observer.

Publishing house: Arab Scientific Publishers/Lebanon Number of Pages: 156 Year of publication: 2010