Vom Verlust einer Heimat und dem Finden einer neuen: Jad Turjmans Bericht hat Tausende Leser*innen bewegt, nun liegt er erstmals in einem Band vor. Wie viele junge Syrer flieht Jad Turjman 2014 vor der Einberufung in Assads Armee nach Europa, um dem sicheren Tod zu entrinnen. Sein Weg ist gefahrvoll und mühsam, und es wird noch Jahre dauern, bis er die Traumata von Flucht und Folter verarbeiten kann. In Österreich angekommen, findet er ein neues Zuhause, endlich kann er den Jasmin, nach dem er sich seit seiner Flucht aus Damaskus sehnt, neu pflanzen. Doch er reflektiert auch ironisch über die Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten der Kulturen, über die Fettnäpfchen, in die er getreten ist, und über die Rassismen, mit denen er konfrontiert ist.

In "When the Jasmine Puts Down Roots", Jad Turjman explains what happened to him after he successfully fled Syria and made a new home in Austria. He reflects on the differences and commonalities between the two cultures, the linguistic gaffes that Syrians learning German can make, and the racism that has sometimes confronted him. Of course, Austrians and their quirks also come under the microscope, and his outsider’s viewpoint is often highly illuminating. Turjman explores how a person can process traumatic events and describes his personal experience of therapy. The follow-up to his bestselling "When the Jasmine Leaves" is multi-layered, humorous and profound.

There is a longing. A longing for a certain sensation, for a home town called Damascus, for the smell of jasmine. Jad Turjman is a young Syrian who enjoys his life to the full until war breaks out. When his call-up order arrives, he is quick to decide: fleeing to Europe is his only option if he wants to escape certain death. His chosen path is risky and arduous, but he encounters five "guardian angels" along the way. Eventually Turjman arrives in a place that he did not seek, where he is able to plant his jasmine again. Jad Turjman describes his escape with unparalleled intensity and sharp humour, subjecting the reader to a roller-coaster of emotions. Breathtaking.

Democracy, human rights, rule of law – it is in the name of these ideals that the West is fighting a war against the Taliban and against terror. Ulrich Ladurner reports from the sites of conflict, where central values of the Western world are being damaged. His journey leads him through a land full of opposites as he follows the traces of conquests and defeats. He looks back on the lively past of an old battlefield that has been both an American and European obsession and tells us about the lives of its people. His stories help us understand why the Great Powers are failing in Afghanistan. A hi(story) book on enemy images and the power of memory, seeking an answer to the controversial question of what we are doing in Afghanistan.

Iran is an unpredictable country. Everything seems impenetrable, nebulous and threatening. In an attempt to bring light into the darkness, Ulrich Ladurner scouted Azari Square in the capital city of Tehran and collected the stories of its citizens. There’s Amit who becomes a saint (which also makes for good business), Baba Zede who notices every single hypocritical move of his neighbours, and then there’s beautiful Robabe who makes a significant decision. Ladurner tells how people suffered under the rule of the Shah, how they experienced the Islamic Revolution and how they are living today, on the verge of a new war. He intertwines historic facts and stories from everyday life in Iran, thus giving a valuable insight, story by story.

Catherine the Great wanted to acquire the island for her fleet. It served as the setting for William Shakespeare's "The Tempest". Ariosto's Orlando Furioso fights on the shore of Lampedusa. Hundreds of Mussolini's troops voluntarily capitulated to a British-Jewish fighter pilot who had to make a forced landing on the little island. The Italian novelist Tomasi di Lampedusa mocked the piece of land that he shared a name with. And for more than twenty years, Lampedusa has been a place of hope for ten thousands of refugees. Ulrich Ladurner sets out to explore the story of these rugged cliffs in the middle of the sea – and he found remarkable testimony from the heart of historical and present day Europe.