Upside-Down Love: A Memoir in Two Voices

by Sari Bashi

With a message of hope that is both timely and timeless, Upside-Down Love is an extraordinary memoir—irreverent, funny, and profoundly uplifting—of an Israeli lawyer, a Palestinian professor, and a love that transcends all division.

Osama is a Palestinian professor, originally from Gaza, who cannot leave the West Bank city of Ramallah. Sari is an Israeli-American lawyer and long-distance runner who petitions Israel’s Supreme Court for his right to travel freely. When the case began, neither expected to fall in love—and when it was over, nobody expected their love to endure.

First published in Hebrew in 2021, Osama and Sari’s star-crossed romance—an intimate, vulnerable portrait of an astoundingly resilient Israeli-Palestinian relationship—has since become a beacon of hope in the aftermath of October 7, 2023. Now on its way to becoming an international cult sensation, Upside-Down Love speaks to the unique circumstances of this specific moment in history, while also illustrating a timeless love will triumph over bigotry and destruction.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

422 pages, Hardcover

Published January 20, 2026

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy star crossed lovers Shakespeare…with wisdom, depth, and time and thankfully no teenage angst and stupidity. But in all seriousness, relationships work when you choose put in the work and can you even imagine what this one takes?

I think at some point, for some reason, we’ve all been horrified to have to claim our government. The other side of that is we have to live somewhere, and everyone has a government to be put up with that’s also a home to love, to defend. If you can’t find empathy for Sari and Osama, I worry for you. This is the story I wanted to read, the insight and perspective that I’d like to focus on instead of talking heads and propaganda. Real people like me just trying to live their lives.

[Kenneth Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in Hebrew. It is a sensitive and deeply revealing account of an unlikely relationship between a Jewish Israeli-American and a Palestinian man. Sari Bashi shares intimate, eye-opening insights into human interaction in highly difficult circumstances. She captures how two very different people, herself and her partner, learn about each other’s very different worlds and manage, often with difficulty, to navigate their love through the dense web of controls that Israel imposes on the occupied West Bank. The narrative enables the reader to grasp, in a new and vivid way, the overwhelming power of bureaucratic occupation.

[OLGA PADOA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is love stronger than war? This book is not the banal account of a romantic affair under difficult circumstances. It is the honest and thrilling story of two people who decide not to give up their hopes and principles in front of an upside-down reality, and to dismantle the logic of being "enemies". Their love is therefore also a political act, that signs the pledge for a better future. A brave, heart-warming, witty, at times hilarious ray of light on the promised land of Israel-Palestine.

[Wendy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The political is personal. This profound and beautifully written memoir provokes us to explore love and life thwarted at every turn by government obstacles. Bringing the reader intimately into the relationship between Israeli-Jewish human rights lawyer Sari and Palestinian Muslim professor Osama, this book implores us to recognize the deeply personal consequences of geo-political conflict, offers a human face to the often dehumanizing war, and challenges us to find hope in the resilience of love. Everyone needs to read this book now.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about love and family against the odds and against the norms of two communities engaged in one of the world's most volatile conflicts. So much has been written about the Arab-Israeli conflict in the news, editorials and history books. However, little of that shines a light on the personal stories, including the difficulties and challenges that people face in daily life. This book is a story of a relationship that, under other circumstances, would be unremarkable: two highly educated professionals who meet, fall in love, get married and have a couple of kids. Indeed, the love is not "upside-down", but rather the unique circumstances surrounding the couple at the story's center. The engaging storytelling gives unique insight into the impact of the conflict on the lives of those living through it, without be polemic or preaching. A highly engaging and intriguing book, even for those well versed in the politics of the region.

[Jill Dobbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a true story of an Israeli lawyer and a Palestinian professor who defy the odds to have a relationship. In their two opposing voices, readers are given insights into the difficulties of being seen together, speaking different languages in different settings, and finding a home where they can live safely and peacefully.

Osman and Sari wrote separately about their thoughts and feelings as they navigated their relationship. Despite relaying her sadness and fear, I found Sari's writing a bit stiff and unemotional. Osman's thoughts, feelings, and emotions seemed more genuine to me. For a love story, and despite being political in nature, Upside-Down Love didn't keep my interest as I thought it would.

Thank you author, publisher, and Netgalley for this ARC.

[Valentina Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Italian translation of this memoir from Sari Bashi and it is one of these books that made a long-standing impression on me and one I keep thinking of.

This is the beautifully written story of love among two people, who are geographically very close and yet very far away due to the political and historical circumstances.

Everyone should read this story to understand more about what it means to fall in love and raise a family in Palestine.

Bashi's writing style makes the reading experience extremely powerful and authentic.
I am grateful to the author for having shared her personal story.

[‏‏‏Noga Kadman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the original Hebrew version of the book and could not stop reading. It is a fascinating, moving, beautiful, and also painful personal story about a very challenging bi-national relationship between an Israeli and a Palestinian from Gaza. It is a remarkable illustration of how politics brutally penetrates every aspect of personal life in the Palestinian occupied territories. A must-read if you want to better understand daily life there.

[Nur Taha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Italian version of this memoir and love story as if in a single breath, unable to put it down. It gives a window into life in Palestine that many don't know, through the honest, funny and painful story of two people finding each other under extraordinary circumstances.

[Yohanna Lerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful exploration of identity, longing, and the fragile bridges we build through words.

[Saul Kravitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone who wants to understand the realities of Israel-Palestine from a perspective outside of their bubble.
Read Hebrew edition.