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Where the Olive Trees Return: by Fatimah A. Bass
In the besieged Rafah Strip, a displaced teenage girl, Hurrah, lives with her grandfather. When an airstrike leads her to cross paths with Ikram, a young journalist, Hurrah is inspired to document the ongoing genocide.
Determined to share her people's suffering, she runs toward danger rather than away, confronting not only the harsh realities of war but also her own past traumas and unfulfilled dreams.
As Hurrah finds her voice, she discovers the power of courage—and, amid the destruction, the possibility of hope in the land where the olive trees return.
___________
Determined to share her people's suffering, she runs toward danger rather than away, confronting not only the harsh realities of war but also her own past traumas and unfulfilled dreams.
As Hurrah finds her voice, she discovers the power of courage—and, amid the destruction, the possibility of hope in the land where the olive trees return.
___________
185 pages, Paperback
Published January 6, 2025
1 person is currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Fatimah A. Bass
2 books24 followersFatimah A. Bass is a Canadian author and teenage storyteller passionate about creating diverse narratives celebrating various cultures and histories. A practicing Muslim, she draws inspiration from her faith, nature, and the vibrant people around her. With a love for writing, sword fighting, and books, her stories weave together fiction, adventure, and timeless human emotion. Fatimah values authenticity, creativity, and empathy, which shine through in her work. In her spare time, she can be found contemplating life's mysteries or procrastinating something or the other.
Connect with her on Goodreads for updates on new releases and insights into her writing process, or reach out via email at: fatimahbassbooks@gmail.com.
You can also find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatiii.writes/
Connect with her on Goodreads for updates on new releases and insights into her writing process, or reach out via email at: fatimahbassbooks@gmail.com.
You can also find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatiii.writes/
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 23, 2025
︵‿︵‿୨🕊️
Where The Olive Trees Return
🫒୧‿︵‿︵
It feels like cheating to rate my own book 5 stars, but for this book in particular, there are a few things I wanted to note for my dear readers.
╭━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╮
: ̗̀➛ The first note for my readers is that there is much room for technical error in this book, and I request that you forgive me in the case that you find any incorrect information. As a teenage author, I haven't had much experience travelling, much less have I ever stepped foot in Palestine. I hope that my research is enough to extinguish my ignorance of life in Gaza, and I hope to present to you the most accurate day-to-day life in Rafah (along with the surrounding situation) as I can. Any good in this book is from Allah, and any wrong in this book is from my own self.
: ̗̀➛ The second note is that I want this book to be something bigger for you. I don't want you to put it down as the same person you were when you picked it up. I want this book to be your call to action.
I like to call Where the Olive Trees Return my own seed of hope- and, now nestled in your heart the reminder of the Palestinian plight- I hope you take action. I hope you use your words, your writings, and your actions to shape a free future not just for Palestinians, but for all those who have lost their trees and their roots through the tyranny of others.
.ೃ࿐ I hope this book takes seed in your soul, and I pray that with the product of your actions, it sprouts into a beautiful tree, and through that tree, the olive trees of Palestine will return.
╰━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╯
With that being said, I leave you with my dedication:
Every word in this book is woven together from the pieces of my heartstrings to make my own tapestry of hope. This is my keffiyeh of truth.
🫒🤍 Fatimah A. Bass
Side Note - Trigger Warning:
The horrors of the Israeli occupation include systematic killing, severed limbs and ghastly wounds, abuse, rape and torture, forced displacement, imprisonment, weapons and destruction of homes and entire cities. The following contains mention and elements of these horrors.
This book is based on real-life stories in Rafah Camp and surrounding areas. Anytime the sentence “It’s Hurrah from Gaza,” is said, the news following is taken from a real-life reported event.
It feels like cheating to rate my own book 5 stars, but for this book in particular, there are a few things I wanted to note for my dear readers.
╭━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╮
: ̗̀➛ The first note for my readers is that there is much room for technical error in this book, and I request that you forgive me in the case that you find any incorrect information. As a teenage author, I haven't had much experience travelling, much less have I ever stepped foot in Palestine. I hope that my research is enough to extinguish my ignorance of life in Gaza, and I hope to present to you the most accurate day-to-day life in Rafah (along with the surrounding situation) as I can. Any good in this book is from Allah, and any wrong in this book is from my own self.
: ̗̀➛ The second note is that I want this book to be something bigger for you. I don't want you to put it down as the same person you were when you picked it up. I want this book to be your call to action.
"Hope is a seed we plant. The wings we grow."
I like to call Where the Olive Trees Return my own seed of hope- and, now nestled in your heart the reminder of the Palestinian plight- I hope you take action. I hope you use your words, your writings, and your actions to shape a free future not just for Palestinians, but for all those who have lost their trees and their roots through the tyranny of others.
.ೃ࿐ I hope this book takes seed in your soul, and I pray that with the product of your actions, it sprouts into a beautiful tree, and through that tree, the olive trees of Palestine will return.
╰━━━━━∙⋆⋅⋆∙━━━━━╯
With that being said, I leave you with my dedication:
Every word in this book is woven together from the pieces of my heartstrings to make my own tapestry of hope. This is my keffiyeh of truth.
🫒🤍 Fatimah A. Bass
Side Note - Trigger Warning:
The horrors of the Israeli occupation include systematic killing, severed limbs and ghastly wounds, abuse, rape and torture, forced displacement, imprisonment, weapons and destruction of homes and entire cities. The following contains mention and elements of these horrors.
This book is based on real-life stories in Rafah Camp and surrounding areas. Anytime the sentence “It’s Hurrah from Gaza,” is said, the news following is taken from a real-life reported event.
January 26, 2025
A heart wrenching book that speaks volumes about the horrible genocide happening in our world today.
This book represents a fictional character, who speaks out for all the real Palestinian families and children that are facing saddening trials in their day to day lives.
Although very sad, it fills the reader of this book with much needed empathy for all of these people.
I would recommend everyone to read this book. For your own sake.
This book represents a fictional character, who speaks out for all the real Palestinian families and children that are facing saddening trials in their day to day lives.
Although very sad, it fills the reader of this book with much needed empathy for all of these people.
I would recommend everyone to read this book. For your own sake.
January 25, 2025
Won’t give any spoilers but it is an emotional book, really feel every fibre of the main characters. Great read, recommended for all ages. ♥️
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews