Going Home: A Walk Through Fifty Years of Occupation

by Raja Shehadeh

In a dazzling mix of reportage, analysis, and memoir, the leading Palestinian writer of our time reflects on aging, failure, the occupation, and the changing face of Ramallah

"Few Palestinians have opened their minds and their hearts with such frankness."
—The New York Times

In Going Home, Raja Shehadeh, the Orwell Prize–winning author of Palestinian Walks, takes us on a series of journeys around his hometown of Ramallah. Set in a single day—the day that happens to be the fiftieth anniversary of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank—the book is a powerful and moving record and chronicle of the changing face of his city.

Here is a city whose green spaces—gardens and hills crowned with olive trees— have been replaced by tower blocks and concrete lots; where the Israeli occupation has further entrenched itself in every aspect of movement, from the roads that can and cannot be used to the bureaucratic barriers that prevent people leaving the West Bank. Here also is a city that is culturally shifting, where Islam is taking a more prominent role in people’s everyday and political lives and in the geography of the city.

A penetrating evocation of memory, pain, and place that is lightened by everyday joys such as delightful accounts of shared meals and gardening, Going Home is perhaps Raja Shehadeh’s most moving and painfully visceral addition to his series of personal histories of the occupation, confirming Rachel Kushner’s judgment that “Shehadeh is a buoy in a sea of bleakness.”

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Politics, Middle East, Audiobook, Autobiography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2020

About the author

Raja Shehadeh (Arabic: رجا شحادة) is a Palestinian lawyer, human rights activist and writer. He is the author of Strangers in the House (2002), described by The Economist as “distinctive and truly impressive”, When the Bulbul Stopped Singing (2003), Palestinian Walks (2007), for which he won the 2008 Orwell Prize, and A Rift in Time (2010). Shehadeh trained as a barrister in London and is a founder of the human rights organization Al-Haq. He blogs regularly for the International Herald Tribune/The New York Times and lives in Ramallah, on the West Bank.

Reviews

[Balvinder Sopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of my favourites. In one day from home to the office and back again, Raja Shehadeh takes us on a walk through 50 years of Israeli occupation of Ramallah. Raja Shehadeh; a Palestinian writer, lawyer and founder of the Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq - remembers people, places and events and tells their story. His tone is what stuck me the most - it was not angry it was not whistful - it was matter of fact, and some how that hit much deeper. Having listened to Shehadeh speak a few times at the Edinburgh International Book Festival - I am a fan of all of his work. This is definitely one to read in order to understand the struggle, frustration and pain from the inside of Palestine. His relationship with his father and old age is also reflected upon and it is devastatingly beautiful. How old age changes our passion and perception on life - and this tone is prevelant throughout this book.

[Prathap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tender and hard hitting at the same time, Raja Shehadeh’s Going Home is a moving contemplation on what it is to live stateless as a Palestinian, in a territory where the Israeli occupation only seems to grow stronger in its scope just as freedom and statehood seem elusive by the day. Being narrated with the 50th anniversary of the occupation in focus, the book serves an insightful memoir on how life changed during the occupation and how the new generation lacks the context to understand the political weight of the occupation. Though Shehadeh is realistic about the scope of any change to the status quo, which is none, the book never comes across as one filled with hopeless despair, instead it’s an anthropological documentary and a window into the lives of Palestinians now and before. One of the best books I read this year.

[Shaimaa]

"فهلْ يكونُ وَفاءً أنني كَمِدُ؟"

-الجواهري

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation Raja Shehadeh revisits Ramallah, the town in which he grew up, and chronicles the changes that have taken place over those tumultuous years. He narrates stories from the past and from today and makes it clear how the past is still always present in the hearts and minds of the inhabitants. It’s an insightful and melancholic journey, as well as an elegy for all that has disappeared. Like any such memoir, this one left me feeling desperately sad about what has been lost and hopeless about the future of Palestine.

[Silvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down. This is my first own voice account about the Palestinian cause. I was expecting more history of the occupation, but the book apparently told more about the titular home (house and gardens) that I prefer. The Oslo accord - supposedly an important milestone - was mentioned ten times but lacked a background.

Still, a good if not rather melancholic narrative on how Ramallah (a city) has changed its face following the 50-year occupation period and that everything would remain bleak in the future.

[Katey Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two for #ReadPalestine week is Going Home by Raja Shehadeh, a reflection on 50 years of occupation, the successes and failures of the resistance, and of growing old.

Watch my review: https://youtu.be/dqPPeUrhWXc?si=X8GJz...

“For many years I raged in anger at my fate. Now, when I look back over my life, I can see that the occupation has provided me with an immense amount of work and great challenges, not only in how to resist but in how to live under this ruthless matrix of control as a free man refusing to be denied the joys of life.”

“Our horizons have narrowed as the prospects for peace have vanished. I’ve aged, as has the present cast of characters at the top of the Palestinian political ladder. Our only hope is in the next generation.”

A poignant reckoning with his own legacy, personal and political.

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

#freepalestine #palestinianbooks #readforpalestine

[Amolhavoc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A psychogeographical memoir, in which Shehadeh walks around his hometown of Ramallah on the 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation. In the course of the walk he mourns for his youth, his hope, and his relationships with his parents. It offers both a rumination on family relationships in a time of personal and political strife, and a searing critique of the last 50 years of occupation, resistance, and attempted peace-brokering in Palestine. The weariness of Shehadeh's outlook is balanced well by the sprightliness of his prose, making what could otherwise have been a very depressing read energetic and vital, a feeling emphasised for me by the fact that I finished reading it on the day Donald Trump unveiled his so-called "deal" for the Middle East. Shehadeh recounts a conversation with a taxi driver in which the latter states presciently:

"There are no horizons...Life is beginning to feel more like life in a prison. I drive around all day in my car yet feel so confined, as though I am going in circles, in a world that keeps on shrinking. I yearn to drive long distances, use the fourth and fifth gears of my car for a change, to speed along a highway that stretches to eternity with empty space on both sides...But I know the confinement is only going to get worse. Soon the wall around Ramallah will be completed, and we will have to enter and leave through a gate, same as in a prison."

On a more personal level, I also found this book a great companion piece to Defoe's Journal of a Plague Year, which I read last year, in terms of its first-person interlacing of extreme events into the changed fabric of a living city through a combination of broad historical narratives and personal anecdotes. I'd recommend them as companion pieces.

[Lindsay Saligman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is basically the musings of a very smart old man with a complex and interesting take on the first 50 years of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. The author is smart, and I enjoyed the way he draws out the different factions of Palestinian society, which is often portrayed as a monolith in the media. At the same time, do not read this book if you are expecting a narrative driven memoir, it is more thought driven than anything. Personally, I was drawn to Shehadeh because I identify with him in that I am drawn to using the law as a force for good in a world where it is often not a force for good, but being skeptical about the effectiveness of the law as a tool for good. It made me think that I should emphasize non-legal solutions in conjunction with legal solutions.

[Jane Fudger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a memoir by the author Raja Shehadeh set in a single day as he takes us on a walking tour of his hometown of Ramallah, Palestine
The day of his walk is the fiftieth anniversary of Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. A poweful book highlighting changes such as the ruination of green scenery and tree lined orchards that have been destroyed and replaced by blocks of flats, the demolition of property to build roads which the indeginous people are unable to use thus restricting their movements
On his travels he also explores his family connections to the area and the shift of cultural views. A painful story of memory, pain but yet entertaining. An enjoyable read
Raja Shehadeh also wrote a similar book called Palestinian Walks which won the Orwell Prize in 2008 - this is on my TBR list.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!
Beautifully written
Left me wanting more.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book.

[Natasha Vhugen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shehadeh is a beautiful writer. i liked the mix of personal, political, and cultural narratives he used to illustrate his walk through his hometown of Ramallah. i was easily carried along on his descriptive imagery, and enjoyed how well he wove together the various threads of his experience. i can’t handle nonfiction unless it has a strong narrative thread - and ideally a personal bent to it - and this was a smooth, informative read.

[Jordan]

Raja’s reflections on life in Ramallah & fifty years of occupation give insight into every day life, interactions & relationships of the Palestinian people, and the changing landscape they’re living in. His writing is compulsively readable, and his intimate and honest accounts of life & aging are a privilege to read.

I fear how much things have changed in Ramallah even just since this book was published.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book about destruction and subjugation. A simple stroll through memory lane and present day roads to describe what they have left. A brief insight into the Israeli occupation from Ramallah, although I feel as though much of the book was cleaned up and the true atrocities were not reported.
#GoodreadsGiveaways

[MiA · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I started thinking that this has the makings of a very good city to live in, but there is no joy; pleasure is blunted by the incessant bad news that envelops us."

Walking from his home in Ramallah, Palestine, to his law office, Rajaa Shehadeh reflects on the places he passes by on his way, the landmarks, the events that shaped his city's history and geography. His memories flood on his way to work, and it is the very nature of memory to be discursive, nostalgic, and romantic.

Shehadeh, whose family was forced to move to Ramallah after Israeli forces invaded Jaffa and Jerusalem, his parents' hometowns, in 1948, tells the story of the city of his childhood, street by street, building by building, what remained and what was demolished, what has changed and what time skimmed over without a scratch. The story of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their resistance to the ever-increasing Israeli violations of their rights and culture isn't told here in a historical context, but rather in a personal one that relates directly to the Shehadeh's family, generation after generation. Just like Ramallah, the story interlaces what is personal with what is collective.

The author also reflects on his work as a lawyer and human rights activist in the courts of occupation, of how the profession has changed from his father's days, and ultimately how he himself is different and sometimes at odds with his own father, who was also a lawyer. There are also reflections on the struggles of people he came to know personally, as neighbors and/or clients, young people he did not have a chance to meet or save. One young man, in particular, stayed with me after finishing this book. His name was Nadeem Nowara, a 17 years old who was killed by an Israeli soldier who claimed he killed Nadeem because he was bored. I couldn't get past that. I couldn't get past the reality of being a marked target for a bored soldier. There are many other examples of shootings and incarcerations of young people and demolishing their parents' houses just because they showed signs of resisting the occupation of their land.

This book is a tour around a city that catalogs the resistance of its people to the grim reality of their circumstances in every street, building, garden, and alley. It wasn't meant to be a book on history or on the struggle itself but rather a reflection of it in the mirror of daily life through the eyes of one of its citizens.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, five stars, although I struggled to get through this short book--mostly because we are living in such a sad world right now, and Shehadeh's story, though certainly not without hope, is a chronicle of loss and (sometimes) tragedy.

As Ian McEwan and Colm Toibin say in their blurbs, it's just beautifully written. Shehadeh takes us on a tour of his hometown, its history, and the history of his family as he describes a walk through Ramallah. As Palestine rushes into the 21st century, fields, springs, and gardens are destroyed in favor of faceless buildings. And, as he walks, Mr. Shehadeh meditates on how the landscape has changed and remembers the people who used to live in it--especially his grandmother and his father.

In the end, I think, the book pivots round two people: Raja Shehadeh's father and his wife. Much of the book is a mediation on how much Mr. Shehadeh regrets not reconciling with his father (who was murdered by an Israeli collaborator) when he was a young man. He also accepts that he, himself, is approaching the age at which his father died. His love and admiration for Aziz Shehadeh come through strongly--and here, as in his other books, there's also a deep regret that his father's plan for a two-state solution, way back in the 1960s, was rejected. How different the world would be now if that had come to pass! You can feel how much Raja Shehadeh wishes that a lasting peace could have been his father's legacy.

But it's also significant that he stops to listen to his wife's music before finally entering his home. When he says, .."For now I needn't dwell in fear, for at long last I have found what I was searching for, my home, and no one can take it away from me." (pg 194), he is speaking not just of his physical home, but of the life he has built there with his wife. It's beautiful.

So--much food for thought here, and well worth reading for those who are willing to slow down and share the emotional journey of a deeply thoughtful man.

[a. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was originally going to rate this ~3.5, but have jumped it to 4 due solely to the last 25-30% of the book, which did exactly what I was waiting for during the entire first 70%: actually go more in depth into the Palestinian struggle, stories and consequences of the Intifadas, commentary on the social and political state, and his own legal career. cognizant this is a memoir rather than a social/political/academic work, but still, would have liked more of this.

I think most of the value of this book, and also what he spends the most time on, is in how vivid Shehadeh's descriptions are, and in how you feel the before of the city versus the after of occupation, and all the ways Israeli occupation destroyed or dimmed or worsened the city and its inhabitants, and in how he quite literally maps out a history as he walks the streets. for example: "With the felling of the pine trees lining the city streets by Israeli soldiers - on security grounds, they said - one can no long hear the birds in the trees." that destruction of the little details Shehadeh remembers fondly - it strikes a deeply personal tone to something that is often talked about in abstract or academic terms, of cultural destruction or intractable conflict or human rights abuses.

also, funnily enough, for a book supposedly about a city through occupation, I think one of the most engaging and heartfelt segments was when he was talking about his relationship with his father and family (p.138-147).

also sometimes a little heavyhanded on the metaphors - eg. [aspect of city he just described] reminded me of [social/political/historical thing]" - but to each their own writing style I guess

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

***.5

A beautifully written account of the author meandering across Ramallah, reminiscing about his life.

As implied by the subtitle, the walk is timed to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the 6 Day War, when Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan. What I found interesting was his tendency to tie all blame back to the occupation, even as he chastises his own corrupt government, greedy neighbours, and listless youth. He acknowledges in passing that it was the Jordanians in the 1950's who cracked down on his family and exiled them to Lebanon, but somehow still this is Israel's fault? He also notes the tremendous improvement in quality of life (e.g. healthcare, electricity, sanitation, running water, education, etc.) since 1967, but doesn't attribute any credit to Israel as if the good magically happened on their own, nor does he criticize Jordan for the stagnation while they were in charge.

Despite the obvious and somewhat forgivable bias, his tone remains mostly subdued, more wistful than belligerent, reflecting on the tragedies and transformations that have transpired. And mostly it's deeply personal, reflecting on his relationship with his father, the choices he made growing up, his efforts to make things better, and how in the end they were mostly fruitless. He laments the influence of conspicuous consumption and other symbols of modern society that have inevitably left their mark on the city of his youth. Looking back, he romanticizes the joys of a simpler time, viewed the innocent lens of childhood, and wonders if what he's done has made a difference.

[Ruairí]

Melancholic reflections on Shahadeh’s hometown of Ramallah after fifty years of occupation. In a walk through town he reflects on the geographical and environmental changes brought in by post-Oslo economic development and the occupation. Interesting

He also takes stock of his part in the struggle for national liberation as a lawyer and participant in the first intifada. He is brutally honest about the failures of the past (both personal and political) and seems only vaguely hopeful about the future. He is an excellent writer with an unadorned style and I enjoyed his observations of the beauty of the natural environment in the plants that continue to grow through the cracks in the urban environment.

Some endearingly grumpy ‘kids these days’ thoughts on Palestinian youth with their flash cars and KFC. Some more interesting and nonjudgemental thoughts on the decline of secularism amongst the younger generation.

It’s also quite funny that he takes a four hour walk to the office, arrives at 1:30pm for a single meeting then goes home. Good for you Raja.

This was published 2020 which seems a world ago. Free Palestine.

[Hasliza Rajab · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I have aged with the years and with the occupation".

This book is a reflective and deeply personal memoir of a lawyer and also a writer and he takes readers on a literal and emotional walk through Ramallah, his hometown in the West Bank. The author writes with calm precision and quiet sorrow as he recounts personal memories, lost landmarks, and the many ways in which life in Palestine has changed under occupation. His tone is reflective, almost meditative, but beneath it lies a deep pain and quiet resistance. The city he walks through is no longer the one he remembers, the physical and psychological landscape of Ramallah has been altered by settlements, checkpoints, and bureaucracy.

"How changed and inaccessible the area has become. Where the yellow house stood there is now an ever-expanding Israeli settlement called Givat Ze'ev, where we cannot set foot. The cultivated plain has vanished and been replaced by an army barracks and the Ofer military court and prison".

A simple walk becomes an act of resistance, a way to reclaim memory, dignity, and a sense of place.

"My father died and the world has abandoned us".

This is not a loud or angry book. It is short, yet profound. It does not shout, it whispers truths that linger. To those of you who are searching for thoughtful and reflective book that would appeal to you, this book is definitely one.

[Wafa Alobaidat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going Home was a meditative read that reminded me deeply of Baldwin — that same sense of reflection, honesty, and quiet reckoning. I got lost in this book in the most beautiful way: walking the streets, seeing the plants, coming to terms with aging, understanding families, and healing from relationships.

Raja Shehadeh writes with a heightened sense of awareness — a stillness that feels both haunting and fully in the present. I could relate to his relationship with his father and mother, the tenderness and distance that coexist in family. The book is full of hope and acceptance, yet also an acknowledgment of reality — dimmed, softened, but real.

Reading it felt like sitting with myself — reflective, at peace, and awake to the small details that make life both fragile and beautiful.

[Christine Convery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing wrong with the writing and nothing objectionable, but emphasis on this being a meandering walk home, it reads more like a very extended epilogue than a cohesive narrative in itself. There are definitely some beautiful descriptions of Ramallah and well written recollections, and the sadness of liberation hopes somewhat lost was very moving. There was also a lot of anti-density rants that weren't really grounded in the underlying occupation and restrictions on movement. My final complaint is that it was filed under history at the library, and absolutely this is memoir. Not a bad book, just not one I'd recommend.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second read by Raja Shehadeh. Going Home follows the author on a walk through Ramallah; over the course of a day, walking through various neighbourhoods of the city that he has spent his life in, Shehadeh explores the resistance and its history, his experience of growing up and aging, his relationship with his family, and the ways that Ramallah and Palestinian society more broadly has changed over the course of his life. An emotional read; highly recommend.

Content warnings: violence, murder, death, death of a parent, blood, colonial violence, police / military brutality, grief

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written as it explores what the title literally describes: a walk through 50 years of occupation. Shehadeh has a gift for writing, and that gift shines as he deftly balances his emotions surrounding his experiences and the consequences of everything that's happened in his life. For anyone interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Going Home is a very personal, beautiful look into how it has affected people throughout the years.

[Emma Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book I’ve read by Shehadeh, and it won’t be my last. He was nominated for the Booker prize this year, and won the Orwell prize a few years ago, and is known as one of the best writers in Palestine. He tells his life story while taking us through Ramallah fifty years into the Israeli occupation. Deeply personal, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading compelling narratives about the human experience, or who are interested in learning more about occupied Palestine.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For fifty years I’ve been possessed by that feeling of insecurity whenever I come back to my house. Will this precariousness ever come to an end? Nothing lasts forever: not this occupation or these turbid murmurings of my heart. The day will surely come when I will be free of apprehension. Yet for now I needn’t dwell in fear, for at long last I have found what I was searching for, my home, and no one can take it away from me.” 🍉🕊️

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book just swimming in melancholy, which I had a hard time reading given both the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people that has happened since its publication and the current political climate in the US. It's sort of hopeful and hopeless simultaneously, and Shehadeh uses the framing device of his walk through Ramallah well to reflect on the past and present of his city amidst Israeli occupation.

[Dareen]

I don’t rate memoirs but I enjoyed this, it’s not my favorite of raja’s works but the approach was interesting
I liked hearing his thoughts on 50 years of occupation and he always has interesting points I never think of, considering his position as a lawyer
hearing about other people’s hopelessness tho, tough
but as raja said, “Nothing lasts forever: not this occupation or these turbid murmurings of my heart. The day will surely come when I will be free of apprehension.”

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love learning about topics that are very different from mainstream. This is a great memoir about how the Palestine people suffer and struggle with the Israelis. The one thing that puts me off is his bitterness. Wish he could have been more balanced or neutral so the reader could form their own opinions.