A Long Walk from Gaza

by Asma al-Atawna, Michelle Hartman (editor), Caline Nasrallah (translator)

Genres: Fiction, Family, Middle East, Adult

186 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2024

Reviews

[jackson, this is olive · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was assigned this book for a course at my uni, focused on Palestinian literature and poetics. The prof for my course was the translater, Michelle Hartman. I finished the book a while back, but have hesitated to write a review because the position of first reviewer felt too daunting.

It was an overall good read. Some aspects of the writing were done in a very clever way, like the inverted and mixed up time lines. My biggest gripe was the distance I felt from the narrator. As I understand it, this is a work of auto fiction. And maybe this is the amount of distance that the author needed to be able to write about these personal and traumatic events.

At a recent talk, Professor Hartman said something that made me see the book a bit differently, more tragically. It was something along the lines of ‘this book was a picture of life in Gaza when it was written and translated, but in the last year it has become a historical record. None of these places, streets, buildings, or neighborhoods exist anymore’. There was an interesting duality to the novel, while I felt emotionally ‘at arms length’ from the narrator, I felt deeply intimate and close to Palestine and Gaza. Asma discusses the tiny details of life and social culture in Gaza that I haven’t read in any other novels or poems. The book brings up the important discussion of how colonialism and patriarchy work together in violence.

Overall not the typical type of novel that I enjoy, but I recommend it as a worthwhile read nonetheless

[Soos · Rating 4 out of 5]

a hard read ❤️‍🩹 free palestine

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

I appreciate this story that explores coming of age as a refugee girl in Gaza. The author touches upon toxic masculinity in a conservative family and those perpetrated by fundamentalist groups. I also liked reading about the subtle racial dynamics in Gaza, where racism and colorism becomes barriers for solidarity of Palestinians.

The delivery is straightforward and can be a bit dry at times. I’m not sure if it’s a translation problem, but the writing style reads more telling than showing at times. I’m also not sure if the reverse chronology does favors for a book this short, and wonder if reorganizing the story in chronological order would give a more satisfying reading experience.

There’s mentioning of a lot of political factions in the book that the author didn’t go into much detail. I’d recommended this book to readers who has a pretty good idea of Palestine history, and not as an introductory read.

[Matthew Molinaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a brilliantly layered and structured novel by asmaa alatawna, and a portrait of gaza that no longer exists. I’m just in love with how the time of the novel works and alatawna’s critiques of patriarchal society in Europe, Israel, and Gaza.

I know the translator, professor hartman (one of the few lit profs in North America committed to the politics and poetics of radical literary creation and decolonization), and I can’t imagine what it was like to publish this novel in translation during this genocide. we’re ultimately held by our closeness to alatawna’s precise prose and vision, and our belief in a liberated palestine

[Lillian Poulsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking story about Gaza and the life of a young girl escaping domestic violence and the Israeli occupation. I like how al-Atawna draws the reader in with her life as a French refugee and then goes back to her life in Palestine. This sad little book packs a punch, sharing the realities of life for the author and many other Palestinian women and girls.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a novel for the faint of heart. It's also not a story for people who don't know much about Palestine. It's a book that is layer, upon layer, upon layer of occupations. The heroine, Asmaa, is a woman who endures and survives so many cages that she's caught inside of from the earliest of memories. It's beautifully told and wonderfully translated. Indeed, the translators' note at the book's conclusion reveals that their work was being done during the current genocide in Gaza, which only adds to the heavy quality one feels when reading this story.

[Amy Alyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel a bit of guilt ranking this book so low, but I found the storytelling to be extremely sporadic and lacking a clear purpose. While reading this I felt frequently confused about the chronology. Characters were introduced but not developed and historical/political themes were largely unexplained. Overall, there was a lot of context missing that would have made it much more impactful. It almost felt like the outline of a novel rather than an actual novel.

[Novels Alive · Rating 4 out of 5]

With international attention focusing on the war in Gaza, it’s sometimes challenging to remember the images are connected to real people. Whether Israeli or Palestinian, they are human.

Author Asmaa Alatawna shares her story in A Long Walk from Gaza. Within the pages, she illustrates life in an occupied area. Not only is she impacted by political forces, but her choices as a female are highly restricted.

The story unfolds with the author finding freedom in Europe, detailing the many challenges she had to overcome as a refugee. Then, the story shifts back to her life growing up in Gaza. Her home life often mirrored the violence taking place in the streets.

Her account provides an in-depth look into Palestinian culture, where peace is an unfamiliar concept. The path to a new life requires resilience, which she demonstrates with each stumbling block that falls in her path.

A Long Walk from Gaza demonstrates day-to-day life in an occupied area, where freedom is often just a dream. ~ Amy for Novels Alive

[Pippin Took, the Shire Hobbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Are there only two options? Either you join a party or you're a traitor to your own people?"

Thank you to @fantasy_fellowship ‘s 12 Books from 12 Places and Jackson, this is olive’s review on goodreads for helping me pick up this book. The goodreads review spoke about how the book means more now because it has become a historical record and how none of the places, culture, neighborhoods mentioned in the book do not exist anymore. This book majorly discusses events and conditions around 2000 and not the more recent times.

It is a very short but very good, very simple but very insightful book. It is a new genre for me actually, autobiographical fiction. I think this was a very good way to explore the story as it helped show both the personal and political aspects surrounding decisive moments in the author’s life. We get a glimpse into some of problems faced by and surrounding a young Palestinian woman, from the inherent patriarchy in their society, gendered expectations, prejudice and favoritism, racism toward afro-Palestinians by others, everyday life and fear in an occupied state, neighborhood violence, confrontations with brutal Israeli soldiers and the devastating conditions under their occupation, all the way to being refugee in a foreign country where one doesn’t know the local language and the cold, empty life they have to start from there. In particular there is one chapter that talks about when the family tries to come back to Palestine from Egypt and the difficulties in getting through the border that absolutely shook me.

Even though it is technically a fictionalized version of events, it is evident that the author draws heavily from her real-life experiences. The honesty and real-life events give her writing far more power than brevity, imagery, or diction and I thank the translators for making it available in English. I believe books help increase empathy and this book was very good for me to learn how to listen to someone else’s story, what it’s like in their shoes and believe them even when it doesn’t match my experiences and realize how privileged I am.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Documentation of a world that no longer exists as it was. A woman born just a few years before me living a life I couldn’t even imagine. And yet I find her so relatable, her struggle to find her place in this world…no good options politically…Also a superb coming of age story about a complex character.

[Aya Amhah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one persons POV, it doesn’t represent all people in Gaza, it pissed me off how badly she wrote the image of islam, yet again she was only writing about her own suffering

[Farheen Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

sad read but shows the reality of living in occupied Palestine. Free Palestine forever

[Shemeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the Genocide is going on, ‘ A Long Walk From Gaza’ peeks into the hardships and the mindset of the Palestinian people. As a woman, I felt for Asmaa( Author)

It’s a good read. Very simple and coherent.
Very determined woman she is, this book gives lots of hopes to oppressed women. Kudos to the writer and translators.

[Annie Tkacik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was an interesting and enlightening read that fell flat in a few places. I think first and foremost it was an illustration of the suffering of Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli soldiers and really how unfair their situation of losing their homeland is. One of the craziest things about this book is that it mostly took place between the 1980s and 1990s and preceded everything going on today.
Some things I didn’t necessarily like about the book: it was very hard to keep track of where the main character was and what time period/how old she was. It took me 3/4 of the book to go back and see that she was 7 for the majority of the book. I also feel that there were so many inconsistencies or just holes in the narrative. Which (in hindsight) may have been because a seven year old was recalling it. It also could have been an issue in translation. The narrator is also very willful and has a personality that gets her in trouble a lot. The way the book was written, it shows her escape from Palestine and the way she uses people to get out. This is another complicated area because it paints her in a bad light but also shows the steps that she felt needed to be taken at all costs to get refuge.

I’m sure I’m missing some thoughts here. Overall, I wanted more information on Palestine and I probably should have just read a history book. I think it was good in showing me real life experiences and horrors. I also felt like there was probably a better book to read out there but I’m glad I read it. It was also too short to really encapsulate everything in her life.

[Claudia Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 stars really. I have mixed feelings about this book. First off, despite the author being my age, at times I felt as if I was reading children’s literature. I’m not sure if it’s the translation but at times it felt as if I’m listening to a child retelling things. Including the beginning, I also felt myself oftentimes confused and not sure what was going on with certain parts.
That aside, I can’t even begin to imagine the horrific events the author and Palestinian people have been subjected to. Reading book after book now, I feel tremendously ashamed of having been so brainwashed by the western media my whole life. I am grateful to Asmaa for sharing her story and stand with everyone raising our voices to end this genocide.

[WndyJW · Rating 4 out of 5]

This coming of age story of the daughter of a Bedouin father and village mother is simply written, but important. Asmaa tells the story looking back at how she escaped from a world dominated by men and from the “outdoor prison” of occupied Gaza, her struggles as a very young immigrant in Spain, then France, who did not speak the language and is completely alone in these foreign countries, and back to her childhood in the African Quarter of Gaza and in an outpost in an emirate desert. Asmaa relates the daily humiliations and the relentless struggles of parents trying to provide for their families and the toll that took on family relationships and friendships. She also recalls the mischief she and the neighbor children got up to, the smell of roses and jasmine in family gardens, the foods and clothes and family life during moments of peace just after the Oslo Accord.

Reading about the humiliations and extreme violence experienced by Arab kids at the hands of Israeli authorities, violence that turned deadly as they grew into teens and young adults, the fear and anxiety families experienced trying to get through checkpoints to rejoin their relatives, and the unrelenting terror of IDF guns, tanks, and soldiers on their neighborhood streets and in their homes is hard, but recognizing names of refugee camps and villages referenced by Asmaa as places we have seen reduced to rubble in the last 12 months and knowing the families Asmaa grew up are likely dead drives home even more that what we are seeing in the news and on social media is happening to real people in real time.

This should be an inspiring story and it is, but more than that it is a testament to what Israel has destroyed and is intent of obliterating completely.

I wish there had been a bit more about how the Palestinian people felt about Hamas, PLO, and Fatah, but this is one woman’s story of her escape from a violent father, from a life of fear and deprivation; the story of a woman who, more than anything, yearned for peace and, “a few square meters of my own where I could put a bed and a table.”

Recommended.

FREE PALESTINE!

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

How Alatawna can consider herself to have bad luck, I don't see, after reading this short, intense memoir. There are many sorrows, though. Hopefully the writing of the book provided some catharsis. For a Western reader like myself, it provides another layer of depth to understanding the people who have been pushed into Gaza, a people varied in demographics, traditions, and experiences. I liked learning a bit about the Bedouin lineages, the folklore of Nus Nseis and Jbene, and the Abdel Halim Hafez song about the fortuneteller (qari'al-finjan). But it's the human story that is the strength of this book. It is hard to imagine the alienation of an occupation that can so callously and easily kill, of a neighborhood of people you've known for years who watch your every move for wrongdoing, of overprotective parents (though my heart goes out to them, in such a situation, they'd have to be superhuman to be otherwise), a primary school classroom where you're "constantly reminded that we weren't from there, that even if we were hardworking, we didn't have the same rights", in fact, personal merit and individuality always take a backseat and love is smothered by the social and political situation. Alatawna escapes those situations to get to Europe only to be profiled there as one of a people thought of in a one-dimensional way. "I would never be able to escape what I represented to these people" she writes, in this moving tale of a sharp, brave woman who just wants to be left alone for a little bit.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

unfortunately was not a fan of this one, which in my case i think is mostly on the translators as i really didn't like the writing style which felt juvenile and disconnected.

overall, i liked some of the topics the book explored (being tokenized, the complexities of palestinean hardships coming from both israel and political tension within palestine -- it's a good thing that i read the hundred years' war on palestine before this cus i think i may not have understood that otherwise), but i didn't feel there was any coherent narrative and the story was too short form to explore any of these topics well. i kinda felt like i was being bounced around between a bunch of different issues, and that combined with the writing style made this not for me.

[Jill aka CJ Hsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my review on the book A Long Walk From Gaza by Asmara Alatawna. I gave it a 3 out of 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

The struggles illustrated in this novel was so sad, depressing the things that went on where we lived in peace. We take things for granted a lot of the times and this novel painted a very sad and true picture of what we don’t get to experience a lot in the world today.

To be honest, a lot is lost from a translation of a book. I always appreciate people translating the book into a language where it can be shared with others, but I feel like a lot of the time, it gets lost in that translation period. And before yal come at me, I am an Asian American immigrant and know what it’s like, not exactly what it’s like, though.

[Gabriella Lambrecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the way the timelines were interspersed. It was a tough read that showed how difficult life was for Palestinians in Israel even before the events of last October. It showed the desperation of refugees who had no other pass-time but to turn against each other and the fear that came from seeing the Israeli occupiers driving up and down their neighborhoods. It was definitely a harder read after reading the translator's note that stated how different Palestine now is. "We watched the places mentioned in this book, the houses, businesses, schools, hospitals, and lives be bombarded and destroyed". A must read for anyone who wants to learn more about what it meant to be a Palestine refugee since the Israeli occupation in 1948.

[N. Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed reading about Gaza and felt the author's struggles through her voice, the backwards chronology of the book made the entire narrative feel a little more confusing and weaker than it could have been. I understand that perhaps this is how the author needed to process her story; although fictional, it is drawn on Alatawna's own experiences growing up in Gaza and leaving for Europe. I believe this book is worth reading, but the disjointedness of the story makes it a little difficult to get through.

[Yuli Azenette · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the hardship going on in Gaza, I wanted to do my best to support Palestinian writers, etc. I stumbled across this book at one of my local book shops. I also wanted to educate myself more on the issue because media only covers one part, history only teaches you the “pretty” parts, and in reality no one really wants to sit down and have an uncomfortable conversation about the issues. And the internet only tells you so much.

This is a beautifully written coming of age story, really helps you OPEN YOUR EYES.

[Val Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads more like a memoir than a novel and so the experiences of the author feel deeply real, and likely are. The timeline is a little confusing, moving backwards in time. It predates the October 6, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas that started the horrifying retaliatory strikes from both sides. It is a good book to help understand a little bit of how life was in Palestine before the current, yearlong war began.

[Samantha Kolber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A necessary read to understand the struggles and traumas of growing up in Gaza. The only reason I’m not giving five stars is because I wish the sections were reversed. I think part two should be the first and part one the second. It feels out of order the way it reads now. But perhaps that’s part of the disjointedness of the culture. So glad I found this at the Wellfleet Library or else I wouldn’t have known about it!

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting but very sad and depressing story. You could feel all the angst, frustration and anger emanating from the principal character. I did often find all of the characters names and the names of the different locations difficult to follow. It would also have been helpful if the book contained a cheat sheet to explain the various Arabic words and phrases. But all in all, I am glad that I read the book and would recommend it.

[Rosnanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a woman this is a brutal read. A reminder of how lucky I am to be born in a place of freedom. On a historical level, I was conscious the story being told is a place that no longer exists. It is heartbreaking to imagine today, what these women's lives look like under the hard conditions of war and the displacement their homes.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded from 3.75/5.

While I think this book is incredibly heartbreaking and interesting, especially when you think about how much Gaza has changed since this book was written and translated, it wasn’t until the end that I felt connected to the main character.

I also don’t think I liked the reverse chronological order for this story

[Berenice · Rating 5 out of 5]

love a good memoir and this one did not disappoint. a complicated and nuanced coming of age story of a young woman who flees Palestine in search of freedom and autonomy from occupation and her abusive family. definitely recommend.

[Razan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“…the longer the beard, the less virtuous the man.”

A bold re-telling of the author’s escape from Gaza. Asma highlights the oppression Gazan women face: from the occupation & soldiers to familial/institutional patriarchy.

[Brian Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it’s the translation but I found the second half of the book pretty sporadic even if I found the narrator and the supporting characters riveting.

The first half though, I thoroughly enjoyed it!