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The Guardian

From Life Itself by Suzy Hansen review – Turkey in the age of Erdoğan

By Sami Kent

This portrait of everyday life in an Istanbul neighbourhood buffeted by change has far wider relevance Thankfully, the attack left only black eyes and bloodied faces. It was in Karagümrük, a tough neighbourhood in Istanbul’s old city, once known for mafia types and Turks on the hard right. But, as Suzy Hansen explains, it had been transformed by an influx of Syrian refugees – until the locals apparently decided they’d had enough, and came for them with sticks, baseball bats and knives for car...