Carina Rourke is a young American growing up in blissful innocence in the Middle East until at age fifteen she is captivated by an obsessive desire to search inside of her mother's forbidden jewelry box. Carina discovers a shocking family secret. On the heels of her discovery, she and her family pursue her father's dream; an exotic drive through th

Young American Carina Rourke grew up in blissful innocence in the Middle East until at age fifteen she succumbed to her obsessive desire to search inside her mother's fobidden jewelry box. In so doing, she discovered a shocking family secret. On the heels of her discovery, she and her family pursued her father's dream of an exotic drive through the Middle East and Europe. This journey serves as a metaphor for the woman Carina became--a silent nomad searching for identity.

"Carina Burns has looked within herself, faced her demons, and developed the courage to share her journey of love, perceived betrayal, angst, and regenerative love. I first knew Carina before she learned of her adoption. She was a typical carefree teenager enjoying the 'good life' of a third-culture expatriate kid. Only recently have I reconnected with her. She has quite a story, a gift she shares with passion. Carina Burns is truly 'becoming' in every way imaginable." -- Richard Maack, junior high school principal, Saudi Arabia

"One cannot expect to walk in on a life that is so private and has been like that for years and not find similarities that will taunt you and challenge you to resolve those issues that have long been contaminating your life. When you realize that the issues you have unpacked have left your life naked and painfully raw from the death of your natural beliefs, The Syrian Jewelry Box will become your anecdote. Carina's story holds the key to a delightful celebration of self and trust. By following the well-worn steps to a full and sustainable recovery, you will be able to elevate yourself to your rightful place in the sun." -- Barbie Lightbody

"Carina's book shows you how to become empowered by the sometimes shocking and traumatic experience of adoption. It is a must-read for anyone who is adopted." --Richard Krawczyk, Author of Ultimate Success Blueprint (TheMrBlueprint.com)

"Carina´s book is a delightful insight into the youth of an extraordinary girl growing up in an extraordinary country with an extraordinary background. I have always wondered how my cousin´s life had been in Jeddah and as a girl who never really got out of her small Bavarian hometown Carina´s exotic foreign stays and travels inspired my dreams. Thank you Carina for giving me that information now about how you lived there, what was going on in your mind and what kind of adventures your family encountered driving that white Mercedes from Jeddah to Paris. . . I see your arrival in Grafenau clearly in my memory: four sun-tanned people getting out of a car that was covered in red dust all over sporting a glittery green licence plate with Arabic letters and numbers on it. . . something I had never seen before. I admired my beloved cousin for her exotic life and I think it was back then that the seed of becoming a traveler too was planted in me. As a stewardess for Lufthansa I have been travelling the world for almost 32 years now and I used to visit Jeddah several times too and during every layover I looked at the sand and the sea, I felt the heat on my skin and thought of Carina´s adolescent years. . . like I could walk in her steps. "The Syrian Jewelry Box" has somehow made that possible for me now.

Carina Sue Burns´s book is a wonderfully written true coming-of-age story outlining actually two journeys: the adventurous road trip from Jeddah to Paris and the healing inner one towards acceptance while growing up from a beautiful young teenager full of unanswered questions to become the warm-hearted and inspirational lady she is today." --- Ina Krümmel

"Carina Burns has looked within herself, faced her demons, and developed the courage to share her journey of love, perceived betrayal, angst, and regenerative love."-Richard Maack, junior high school principal Saudi Arabia