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They Told Me Back Home Would Be Beautiful: A Palestinian Memoir
Not yet published
Expected 27 Oct 26“A deeply felt memoir of race and history that defies social erasures of the diasporic Palestinian experience, They Told Me Back Home Would Be Beautiful boldly explores how politicized identities, especially within the US, are shaped and manipulated by broader agendas.” —The Whiting Award Judges Citation
My father scours the web for century-old magazines about Palestine. For years, he would talk about these mysterious documents but rarely show them to anyone. “I have proof,” he would say to whoever would listen, “that Palestine exists.” —from the Prologue
In her Palestinian Christian home in San Francisco, Elena Dudum was raised in a household ruled by her father’s lectures. He taught her the story of her grandparents’ flight from their homeland, the history of her family’s orange groves, and the ongoing occupation of Palestine. Above all, he taught her not to forget. Soon his lessons consumed her childhood, and Elena found herself shrinking from an inheritance that felt both sacred and suffocating.
For years, she resisted it all until a family trip to Palestine shattered the abstraction of her homeland. Checkpoints, razed olive groves, soldiers—it was all plainly in front of her, as were the ghosts of her family’s past. What was once always just out of reach, now pressed against her body. Back in the United States, something in her quietly unraveled. She tried to outrun what she now knew by burying herself in elite institutions and the rising world of tech, where ambition was rewarded and history was inconvenient.
Eventually, the inheritance she thought she could escape demanded reckoning.
Braiding rich personal narrative with archival fragments and cultural critique, They Told Me Back Home Would Be Beautiful traces one woman’s journey as she returns—slowly, deliberately—to her father’s lessons, determined to claim them on her own terms.
My father scours the web for century-old magazines about Palestine. For years, he would talk about these mysterious documents but rarely show them to anyone. “I have proof,” he would say to whoever would listen, “that Palestine exists.” —from the Prologue
In her Palestinian Christian home in San Francisco, Elena Dudum was raised in a household ruled by her father’s lectures. He taught her the story of her grandparents’ flight from their homeland, the history of her family’s orange groves, and the ongoing occupation of Palestine. Above all, he taught her not to forget. Soon his lessons consumed her childhood, and Elena found herself shrinking from an inheritance that felt both sacred and suffocating.
For years, she resisted it all until a family trip to Palestine shattered the abstraction of her homeland. Checkpoints, razed olive groves, soldiers—it was all plainly in front of her, as were the ghosts of her family’s past. What was once always just out of reach, now pressed against her body. Back in the United States, something in her quietly unraveled. She tried to outrun what she now knew by burying herself in elite institutions and the rising world of tech, where ambition was rewarded and history was inconvenient.
Eventually, the inheritance she thought she could escape demanded reckoning.
Braiding rich personal narrative with archival fragments and cultural critique, They Told Me Back Home Would Be Beautiful traces one woman’s journey as she returns—slowly, deliberately—to her father’s lessons, determined to claim them on her own terms.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 27, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
2026
July 1, 2026Arab American Heritage Month TBR
Memoir March TBR
Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/One Signal Publishers
Memoir March TBR
Non-fiction November TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/One Signal Publishers
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts.
This is a really interesting memoir, because it’s not just one story being told. Instead, Dudum has created a memoir about her relationships, especially with her father, as well as a memoir about her coming to terms with what it means to be a grandchild of Palestinian refugees. Regarding the historical aspects, she walks her reader through her heritage, through her experiences in America pre- and post-911, and her views pre- and post-visit back to Palestine.
Regarding the relationships, throughout the book she is painting a picture of how she’s come of age in America. We see a young Dudum grapple with adults judging her before she was old enough to know why, we see her wrestle with identity in university, and we see her struggle with searching for answers and how that strains her relationship with her father. It’s the last relationship that plays the biggest role in the memoir and, powerfully, at the very end she switches to second person narration to address her father directly.
From a critical perspective, I think where the book will struggle the most is in the historical and political elements. The conflict is highly publicized and polarized right now, and unfortunately this memoir doesn’t add terribly much. If this is your first book from a Palestinian author, it will be enlightening — however, if you have read other authors or sources then I would strongly recommend approaching this book expecting more of a relationship-memoir / coming-of-age memoir.
This is a really interesting memoir, because it’s not just one story being told. Instead, Dudum has created a memoir about her relationships, especially with her father, as well as a memoir about her coming to terms with what it means to be a grandchild of Palestinian refugees. Regarding the historical aspects, she walks her reader through her heritage, through her experiences in America pre- and post-911, and her views pre- and post-visit back to Palestine.
Regarding the relationships, throughout the book she is painting a picture of how she’s come of age in America. We see a young Dudum grapple with adults judging her before she was old enough to know why, we see her wrestle with identity in university, and we see her struggle with searching for answers and how that strains her relationship with her father. It’s the last relationship that plays the biggest role in the memoir and, powerfully, at the very end she switches to second person narration to address her father directly.
From a critical perspective, I think where the book will struggle the most is in the historical and political elements. The conflict is highly publicized and polarized right now, and unfortunately this memoir doesn’t add terribly much. If this is your first book from a Palestinian author, it will be enlightening — however, if you have read other authors or sources then I would strongly recommend approaching this book expecting more of a relationship-memoir / coming-of-age memoir.
September 19, 2026
Advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Such a beautiful well-crafted memoir... As someone who's been wanting to deepen and acknowledge myself with Palestine's perception this was the perfect book to dipping my toes.
Elena Dudum, a third- generation Palestine American woman, takes us with her through her journey of discovering and understanding her Palestine roots.
This book had me invested, I was actually taking my time to stop and do my own research to better understand the facts that she puts on the first page of each chapter, including looking through maps.
As a first generation Mexican American, theirs was times in her childhood chapters that I can definitely relate, looking different, not being Mexican or American enough... etc.
This book felt more like sitting across the author, listening and feeling every word every experience. I can rant more about every thought and feeling I felt through her experience but you as a reader have to read this book. ITS A MUST READ!!
Such a beautiful well-crafted memoir... As someone who's been wanting to deepen and acknowledge myself with Palestine's perception this was the perfect book to dipping my toes.
Elena Dudum, a third- generation Palestine American woman, takes us with her through her journey of discovering and understanding her Palestine roots.
This book had me invested, I was actually taking my time to stop and do my own research to better understand the facts that she puts on the first page of each chapter, including looking through maps.
As a first generation Mexican American, theirs was times in her childhood chapters that I can definitely relate, looking different, not being Mexican or American enough... etc.
This book felt more like sitting across the author, listening and feeling every word every experience. I can rant more about every thought and feeling I felt through her experience but you as a reader have to read this book. ITS A MUST READ!!
July 8, 2026
I’ve been wanting to better understand the Palestinian perspective, especially in light of recent events. I have a soft spot in my heart for people who are willing to share their memories, particularly the difficult ones. My wife is currently in the process of writing a memoir, and I have seen firsthand the emotional highs and lows that come with revisiting personal experiences. I imagine Mrs. Durum experienced many of those same challenges while sharing her own story.
I appreciated how she opened up about difficult family interactions and the ways she tried to make amends and strengthen those relationships. I also valued her insight into what it means to be Palestinian in the United States. Her experiences encouraged me to be more thoughtful and considerate in the way I speak with and understand others.
I believe all of us can benefit from reaching out, listening, and making sure people feel welcomed and valued, regardless of political differences or current events. I also appreciated that Mrs. Durum made an effort to acknowledge multiple perspectives, even on issues where she personally disagreed. That kind of willingness to understand others feels increasingly rare today.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the Palestinian experience and the complexities of Palestine’s struggle in the modern world.
Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read this early!
I appreciated how she opened up about difficult family interactions and the ways she tried to make amends and strengthen those relationships. I also valued her insight into what it means to be Palestinian in the United States. Her experiences encouraged me to be more thoughtful and considerate in the way I speak with and understand others.
I believe all of us can benefit from reaching out, listening, and making sure people feel welcomed and valued, regardless of political differences or current events. I also appreciated that Mrs. Durum made an effort to acknowledge multiple perspectives, even on issues where she personally disagreed. That kind of willingness to understand others feels increasingly rare today.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the Palestinian experience and the complexities of Palestine’s struggle in the modern world.
Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read this early!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book is the memoir of a third-generation American Palestinian woman, whose family are Christians originally from Ramallah. The story traces her from childhood, when she had zero interest in her heritage, through early college years (when she still had no interest), to a family trip to the West Bank and Israel with her family while still in college, to her early employment, to her MFA program where she audited a class on Palestine taught by a Jew, to her writing the book.
The most valuable parts of the book, in my opinion, consisted of her descriptions of her visit to Israel and the West Bank with her family, finding the orange groves that had belonged to her family for untold generations. Hearing what it was like to view The Wall first-hand, and experience both the Israeli and Palestinian parts of the country, by a non-Muslim Palestinian, was fascinating.
She also includes a lot of important facts about the history of Palestine that are not generally well-known.
The weaker portions of the book are when she goes on and on about family dynamics and ordinary childhood and coming-of-age stuff. Her tirades against her well-meaning but overbearing father become really tiresome. She comes across as an extremely angry woman. Of course, this is understandable, given the genocide and ethnic cleansing her people are facing, and her country's (America's) complicity. But it makes for very hard reading. The fury is palpable, and that detracts from the power of the book.
While the author's prose is excellent, there's way too much of it. Perhaps younger readers (like millennials or Gen Xers) might be okay with this. Or maybe readers who didn't already have much background about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I think about 40% of the righteous anger could have been trimmed without affecting the impact.
But maybe that's not the point. Maybe the author wanted to wear us out with her rage, just as she and her father have been worn out by it.
Having read literally dozens of books about Palestine, this was not one of my favorites, due to the author's voice. But that's not to say that newcomers to her topic might be enlightened.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy of this book.
The most valuable parts of the book, in my opinion, consisted of her descriptions of her visit to Israel and the West Bank with her family, finding the orange groves that had belonged to her family for untold generations. Hearing what it was like to view The Wall first-hand, and experience both the Israeli and Palestinian parts of the country, by a non-Muslim Palestinian, was fascinating.
She also includes a lot of important facts about the history of Palestine that are not generally well-known.
The weaker portions of the book are when she goes on and on about family dynamics and ordinary childhood and coming-of-age stuff. Her tirades against her well-meaning but overbearing father become really tiresome. She comes across as an extremely angry woman. Of course, this is understandable, given the genocide and ethnic cleansing her people are facing, and her country's (America's) complicity. But it makes for very hard reading. The fury is palpable, and that detracts from the power of the book.
While the author's prose is excellent, there's way too much of it. Perhaps younger readers (like millennials or Gen Xers) might be okay with this. Or maybe readers who didn't already have much background about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I think about 40% of the righteous anger could have been trimmed without affecting the impact.
But maybe that's not the point. Maybe the author wanted to wear us out with her rage, just as she and her father have been worn out by it.
Having read literally dozens of books about Palestine, this was not one of my favorites, due to the author's voice. But that's not to say that newcomers to her topic might be enlightened.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy of this book.
September 11, 2026
An absolutely stunning memoir. This is not only a coming of age story, but coming into consciousness.
In light of the current sociopolitical moment, this memoir is mandatory reading for every person on the planet. Especially Americans.
Whether it was the parents’ of classmates or the boyfriend of a friend at the bar or even the administration of her college, Elena Dudum constantly had to push against the idea of her identity rather than the reality of it.
At the top of each chapter, Dudum shares portions from Time magazine, documenting Palestine before the Nakba. And yet, Dudum is told, over and over again, that it does not exist. But her family is evidence that it exists. Her father, her first teacher, taught her better; documented and archived scraps of the truth. Drilled her to and from school, handing her rebuttals to the misinformed.
And without her knowing it, her life’s mission will become the same:
Telling the truth.
More than anything, this memoir is the reckoning of a daughter. A daughter who wants to become her own person, but inevitably picks up the legacy that her father started before her, whether she wanted to or not. It is rare to witness a thoughtful, nuanced rendering of the father-daughter experience on the page. Not the Hallmark version, but the difficulty of pushing against a parental figure and becoming one’s self in that push.
More than anything, this memoir pushes its readers to question the language we use when documenting atrocity. Who gets to be the actor? Who gets to be the victim? And who benefits when they get to control the language that is used?
I can’t begin to articulate the importance of this memoir for the memoir cannon, but I can do my best to persuade you that this book must be read.
Read this memoir. It will change you for the better.
In light of the current sociopolitical moment, this memoir is mandatory reading for every person on the planet. Especially Americans.
Whether it was the parents’ of classmates or the boyfriend of a friend at the bar or even the administration of her college, Elena Dudum constantly had to push against the idea of her identity rather than the reality of it.
At the top of each chapter, Dudum shares portions from Time magazine, documenting Palestine before the Nakba. And yet, Dudum is told, over and over again, that it does not exist. But her family is evidence that it exists. Her father, her first teacher, taught her better; documented and archived scraps of the truth. Drilled her to and from school, handing her rebuttals to the misinformed.
And without her knowing it, her life’s mission will become the same:
Telling the truth.
More than anything, this memoir is the reckoning of a daughter. A daughter who wants to become her own person, but inevitably picks up the legacy that her father started before her, whether she wanted to or not. It is rare to witness a thoughtful, nuanced rendering of the father-daughter experience on the page. Not the Hallmark version, but the difficulty of pushing against a parental figure and becoming one’s self in that push.
More than anything, this memoir pushes its readers to question the language we use when documenting atrocity. Who gets to be the actor? Who gets to be the victim? And who benefits when they get to control the language that is used?
I can’t begin to articulate the importance of this memoir for the memoir cannon, but I can do my best to persuade you that this book must be read.
Read this memoir. It will change you for the better.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
NetGalley eARC — This memoir is an extraordinary account of Dudum’s journey in finding and fighting for her Palestinian identity from childhood to adulthood. This book takes place from growing up in a Palestinian Christian community in the States, to visiting Palestine and Israel in her youth, to researching the Palestinian truths within academic and Zionist settings. Woven throughout this book is a love letter to her Palestinian father, who has taught her to fight fiercely and to remember.
What I loved about reading this memoir is that Dudum truly took the reader on the journey with her— we feel the curiosity, the discomfort, and come to sit with her in the feeling of pain and desolation. Maybe we cannot truly know her lived experience and existential pain, but she draws us in we can sympathize and feel a righteous anger alongside her.
The memoir opens the door to so many impossible questions. How does one feel to be told their ancestral home is not on a map, or that their ethnic identity doesn’t exist? How does one navigate a world that insists on spreading propaganda and dismissing the Palestinian’s experience? How does one wake up every day, knowing she has to fight for her existence while her people are actively being terrorized and killed in Palestine?
This memoir pulls no punches on the explicit dangers of Zionist thinking, on the Palestinian accounts and fatalities of the last century, and the people and professors that seek to quiet or discredit the author and other Palestinians. It’s a reckoning, a manifesto, a personal diary entry all in one, and it’s beautifully done.
What I loved about reading this memoir is that Dudum truly took the reader on the journey with her— we feel the curiosity, the discomfort, and come to sit with her in the feeling of pain and desolation. Maybe we cannot truly know her lived experience and existential pain, but she draws us in we can sympathize and feel a righteous anger alongside her.
The memoir opens the door to so many impossible questions. How does one feel to be told their ancestral home is not on a map, or that their ethnic identity doesn’t exist? How does one navigate a world that insists on spreading propaganda and dismissing the Palestinian’s experience? How does one wake up every day, knowing she has to fight for her existence while her people are actively being terrorized and killed in Palestine?
This memoir pulls no punches on the explicit dangers of Zionist thinking, on the Palestinian accounts and fatalities of the last century, and the people and professors that seek to quiet or discredit the author and other Palestinians. It’s a reckoning, a manifesto, a personal diary entry all in one, and it’s beautifully done.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
In this memoir, the author shares her experiences growing up and coming to terms with her Palestinian ancestry. Born in America into a Palestinian Christian household, Dudum learned about Palestine and her background mostly through her father and the information he shared with her. When she eventually visited the area as a college student with her parents and one of her siblings, her perspective was forever changed. Living in a world that likes to put all people of certain nationalities in one box, Dudum struggled through her adult years trying to shed light on her perspective of her background and fighting the stereotypes that are out there.
In today's current climate, this book gives a perspective that is not always heard. No matter what your political stance - and I personally do not have enough knowledge or understanding to make any sort of judgments on anyone or anything - we are all human and it's important to understand that not everyone of a certain nationality can be thrown under the same net.
I applaud the author for putting herself, her family, and her background out there in such an open way. I hope that people can approach this book with the same openness.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In today's current climate, this book gives a perspective that is not always heard. No matter what your political stance - and I personally do not have enough knowledge or understanding to make any sort of judgments on anyone or anything - we are all human and it's important to understand that not everyone of a certain nationality can be thrown under the same net.
I applaud the author for putting herself, her family, and her background out there in such an open way. I hope that people can approach this book with the same openness.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Highly recommend
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The author is a Palestinian-Syrian American who wrote this book as a love letter to her Palestinian American father. It is well-researched and shares her family history of immigration to the United States from Palestine and what is means to have a Palestinian heritage.
The writing, character development, and plotline were all very strong.
If you want to read a memoir of discovery, from a Palestinian viewpoint, or just a good book, this is for you!
For a more detailed review, check out my blog - booksbydorothea: https://tinyurl.com/yk2xx9dp
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The author is a Palestinian-Syrian American who wrote this book as a love letter to her Palestinian American father. It is well-researched and shares her family history of immigration to the United States from Palestine and what is means to have a Palestinian heritage.
The writing, character development, and plotline were all very strong.
If you want to read a memoir of discovery, from a Palestinian viewpoint, or just a good book, this is for you!
For a more detailed review, check out my blog - booksbydorothea: https://tinyurl.com/yk2xx9dp
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I really enjoyed this book. Elena is an inspiration and I'm glad she included a lot of her experiences throughout grade school. I assumed that children wouldn't treat others that way but you can tell which families are teaching hate. This book covers a big topic/discussion that should be happening here in America. Hopefully things will improve when a new governmental party, that cherishes democracy is put in place.
October 3, 2026
I read this book as an advanced readers edition from a Goodreads giveaway. I really appreciated her view on the life she lived, from when she denied her identity for safety when she was young to fighting for it to be acknowledged later in life.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Growing up in a Palestinian American household in San Francisco, Dudum listened to her father's lectures about Palestine. Despite feeling different, she tried to fit in, but not until she attended university did Dudum truly understand Palestinian history and the true meaning behind her ancestry.
I especially enjoyed reading about the family's trip to Palestine and the holy sites visited, the orange and olive groves, and the people trying to make a living on land that continues to be taken away. The Israeli checkpoints and "apartheid" situation were especially shocking to the author as she began to see and understand what was happening to the Palestinian people. Throughout her story, Dudum's contentious relationship with her father ultimately gave her the courage and the voice to stand up for her heritage.
Thank you to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for this ARC.
I especially enjoyed reading about the family's trip to Palestine and the holy sites visited, the orange and olive groves, and the people trying to make a living on land that continues to be taken away. The Israeli checkpoints and "apartheid" situation were especially shocking to the author as she began to see and understand what was happening to the Palestinian people. Throughout her story, Dudum's contentious relationship with her father ultimately gave her the courage and the voice to stand up for her heritage.
Thank you to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Rather biased as I wrote the book.
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