Scattered Like Seeds: A Novel

by Shaw J. Dallal

Scattered like Seeds places a human face on the decades-long conflict between Jews and Palestinians. In a Historical novel that tells the story of one Palestinian-American uprooted by the Arab-Israeli conflict, Shaw J. Dallal describes the tensions and cultural bonds that shaped the lives of Palestinians in exile.

As the son of a celebrated Arab resistance fighter against the British occupation of Palestine before World War II, Thafer Allam has strong Arab roots. His exile in the United States means that he belongs to two vastly different worlds, and returning to his homeland is difficult after years immersed in the culture of the West. His career in nuclear technology and law place him in a position in which he advises Arab governments on U. S.-related nuclear issues.

Allam moves easily from the living rooms of the Palestinian ghettos to the offices of Arab ministers. With the oil embargo against the West underway in 1973, Allam tries to reconcile the pull of his Palestinian heritage with his ties to America.

335 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1998

About the author

Born in Jerusalem, Shaw J. Dallal came to the US in 1951 and earned a doctorate in jurisprudence at the Cornell University Law School. His first writing instructor, and an early literary influence at Cornell University was Vladimir Nabokov.

Before focusing full-time on his writing career, Dallal taught Arabic as part of the Middle Eastern Studies and Islamic Civilization program at Colgate. He instituted a course in Islamic jurisprudence at Colgate and was an adjunct professor of international business management and international economics at Utica College of Syracuse University from 1985 to 2001. From 1991 to 2004, Dallal was an adjunct professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Previously, Dallal lectured at Cornell University Law School on Islamic jurisprudence (1985-1986).

Dallal is the author of two novels, Scattered Like Seeds and The Secret of Rose-Anne Riley.

Reviews

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to win "The Secret Of Rose-Anne Riley," and happily also received "Scattered Like Seeds." I found "Scattered Like Seeds," an historical work of fiction very moving and informative. The book depicts the wrongs done to the Palestinian people, both by Israel and by the Arab states, and the intensely personal struggle that rages within Thafer regarding his attachment towards his adopted country, the United States, and for his homeland. I especially thought that Dallal's way of formulating the story by depicting the personal and professional sides of the characters within the story help one to understand the mindset of the Middle East during the time period within the story. It gives the reader an insight to the thoughts, and feelings of those who have been displaced and the horrible hardships they have endured, up until this very moment, and the anger and frustration that they must live with on a daily basis. Of course, there has been more unrest between Israel and the Palestinian people even during the time I was reading this book, and now it breaks my heart that no progress has been made. I am so grateful to Shaw J. Dallal for generously sending me this book too, and I want him to know I will be looking into learning more about the Islamic Culture, and hoping that someday soon a peaceful resolution will be found and implemented once and for all...

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as in college at Syracuse University while taking a class from Shaw Dallal. His book, based on many events in his own life including some his invasive experiences when returning to Israel as an American, was the kind of story I like: real, believable, with a happy ending. It's a shame that the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict could not have such a happy ending.