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I Found Myself in Palestine
I Found Myself in Palestine is a collection of personal reflections on the experience of being a foreigner in Palestine.
Mirroring the reach of Palestine's global community, contributors come from Bolivia, Chile, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, South Africa, and Sudan, as well as from the United States, and more. Spouses and parents, friends and lovers, activists, aid workers, expats and travelers all are "ordinary people" who by choice or chance found themselves deeply involved with, and changed by, the land and people of Palestine. By turns raw, poignant, funny or sad, these "foreign reflections" on the search for belonging offer surprising glimpses into the kaleidoscope that is Palestine.
Contributors include: Pam Bailey, Mariam Barghouti, Thimna Bunte, Jonathan Cook, Helene Furani, Fatima Gabru, Neta Golan Kamal, Nadia Hasan, Donn Hutchison, Didi Kanaaneh, Andrew Karney, Maria Khoury, Corina Mamani, Cody O'Rourke, Carolyn Quffa, Rina Rosenberg, Marty Rosenbluth, Ann Saba, Samira Safadi, Zeena Salman, Steve Sosebee, Saul Jihad Takahashi, and Trees Zbidat-Kosterman
Mirroring the reach of Palestine's global community, contributors come from Bolivia, Chile, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, South Africa, and Sudan, as well as from the United States, and more. Spouses and parents, friends and lovers, activists, aid workers, expats and travelers all are "ordinary people" who by choice or chance found themselves deeply involved with, and changed by, the land and people of Palestine. By turns raw, poignant, funny or sad, these "foreign reflections" on the search for belonging offer surprising glimpses into the kaleidoscope that is Palestine.
Contributors include: Pam Bailey, Mariam Barghouti, Thimna Bunte, Jonathan Cook, Helene Furani, Fatima Gabru, Neta Golan Kamal, Nadia Hasan, Donn Hutchison, Didi Kanaaneh, Andrew Karney, Maria Khoury, Corina Mamani, Cody O'Rourke, Carolyn Quffa, Rina Rosenberg, Marty Rosenbluth, Ann Saba, Samira Safadi, Zeena Salman, Steve Sosebee, Saul Jihad Takahashi, and Trees Zbidat-Kosterman
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
174 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2020
5 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Nora Lester Murad
4 books24 followersNora Lester Murad moved to Jerusalem in 2004 with her Palestinian husband and three Palestinian-American daughters. She co-founded Palestine's first community foundation, Dalia Association, and Aid Watch Palestine, a community-driven aid accountability initiative. Nora has published in The Guardian, Aljazeera, Huffington Post, Open Democracy, and more. She speaks at international events around the world.
Rest in My Shade, co-authored with Danna Masad, will be released by Interlink in November 2018. An anthology of reflections by foreigners who have been transformed by Palestine is currently being shopped to agents. Nora is also finalizing two novels -- one is women's literary fiction and the other is aimed at upper middle grade.
Nora blogs at https://www.noralestermurad.com.
Rest in My Shade, co-authored with Danna Masad, will be released by Interlink in November 2018. An anthology of reflections by foreigners who have been transformed by Palestine is currently being shopped to agents. Nora is also finalizing two novels -- one is women's literary fiction and the other is aimed at upper middle grade.
Nora blogs at https://www.noralestermurad.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 29, 2024
This book is the answer to Angela Davis' call to us in Freedom is a Constant Struggle. The call to recognize that our struggle is shared, the call to see ourselves in others, to understand it is not the amorphous "them over there dealing with that" but rather it is every last one of us fighting the same oppressive systems. And that collective liberation is achieved when we recognize that it is every last one of us. It's not your fight, not my fight, not their fight... every fight is our fight.
But then there is the looming challenge -- how do we get people to see themselves in us? How do we see ourselves in others? How do people get past the superficial dissimilarities to see the shared connections, or avoid falling prey to the flurry of propaganda and divisive messaging from the powers that be that very much want to foment otherization?
I Found Myself in Palestine shows how it is done. Each essay is written by a non-Palestinian (and the occasional Palestinians who was raised far from the homeland and didn't grow up with any connection to it), and these vulnerable and brave humans allow us to learn their journeys in finding themselves in Palestine, both literally and figuratively. These individuals are Christians, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, etc. who come from places like the rural US, the UK, Bulgaria, Germany, Holland, Chile, Japan, Hawaii, and more. They span varying races, ethnicities, nationalities, languages, and family upbringings. Whether it was work, volunteering, educational pursuits, marriage, friendship, curiosity, or family that brought them there, every last one of them finds themselves in Palestine.
What they found in Palestine was not any one of them expected. It was never what they were taught they'd find, or told they'd find, or even just imagined they'd find. It didn't match any semblance of their preconceived notions, if they had come in with any. They found horrors worse they could have ever conjured up, and they found love and connection deeper than they ever knew existed. But they all found home. They all found themselves.
People often say that you cannot understand something fully unless you experience it yourself. I think that is often true. It is also often not possible to experience everything there is to experience personally. We cannot be everywhere, see everything, or do everything. What we can always do is learn from those that have gone to the places, and seen the things, and done the things. The courage and vulnerability of every individual in this book is truly a gift to read. I cannot recommend this book enough.
But then there is the looming challenge -- how do we get people to see themselves in us? How do we see ourselves in others? How do people get past the superficial dissimilarities to see the shared connections, or avoid falling prey to the flurry of propaganda and divisive messaging from the powers that be that very much want to foment otherization?
I Found Myself in Palestine shows how it is done. Each essay is written by a non-Palestinian (and the occasional Palestinians who was raised far from the homeland and didn't grow up with any connection to it), and these vulnerable and brave humans allow us to learn their journeys in finding themselves in Palestine, both literally and figuratively. These individuals are Christians, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, etc. who come from places like the rural US, the UK, Bulgaria, Germany, Holland, Chile, Japan, Hawaii, and more. They span varying races, ethnicities, nationalities, languages, and family upbringings. Whether it was work, volunteering, educational pursuits, marriage, friendship, curiosity, or family that brought them there, every last one of them finds themselves in Palestine.
What they found in Palestine was not any one of them expected. It was never what they were taught they'd find, or told they'd find, or even just imagined they'd find. It didn't match any semblance of their preconceived notions, if they had come in with any. They found horrors worse they could have ever conjured up, and they found love and connection deeper than they ever knew existed. But they all found home. They all found themselves.
People often say that you cannot understand something fully unless you experience it yourself. I think that is often true. It is also often not possible to experience everything there is to experience personally. We cannot be everywhere, see everything, or do everything. What we can always do is learn from those that have gone to the places, and seen the things, and done the things. The courage and vulnerability of every individual in this book is truly a gift to read. I cannot recommend this book enough.
January 13, 2021
Excellent!
The stories are light, humourous, touching, raw and reflective.
The stories are light, humourous, touching, raw and reflective.
February 23, 2021
Just beautiful! The focus of these essays and poems from varied authors is love, and how it transcends divisions. That's a message we cannot have too much of these days--or, probably, any days. The writing is often superb, and there is humor as well as heartbreak. Authors are men and women, Christians, Muslims, and Jews. This is a book every American adult should read, IMHO. Highly recommended.
August 6, 2020
Lovely book!
Want to read
October 22, 2023Mariam Bargouti, one of the contributors- https://youtu.be/JtmVKa1RZRc?si=h1fti...
Amazon link- https://www.amazon.com/Found-Myself-P...
"REFLECTIONS BY FOREIGNERS WHO HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED BY PALESTINE
I Found Myself in Palestine is a collection of over twenty insightful and emotionally raw reflections about the experience of being a foreigner in Palestine.
Contributors come from the United States, South Africa, Norway, Japan, Sudan, Bolivia, Germany, Chile and more. They are neither journalists nor politicians, but rather “ordinary people” who found themselves deeply involved with Palestine through marriage, work or by chance. While the context is Palestine, the focus of the essays is the writers’ own growth and transformation as a result of their long engagement with the Palestinian people.
Sometimes funny and sometimes sad, the collection provides a new and unique window into social, familial, emotional and political dynamics through the eyes of committed and caring people who found themselves part of the global Palestinian community.
Contributors include: Pam Bailey, Mariam Barghouti, Thimna Bunte, Clio Chaveneau, Jonathan Cook, Corina Dagher, Helene Furani, Fatima Gabru, Neta Golan, Nadia Hasan, Donn Hutchison, Didi Kanaaneh, Andrew Karney, Maria Khoury, Mari Martens, Loren McGrail, Cody O'Rourke, Carolyn Quffa, Rina Rosenberg, Marty Rosenbluth, Ann Saba, Samira Safadi, Zeena Salman, Steve, Sosebee, Saul Takahashi, and Trees Zbidat-Kosterman"
Amazon link- https://www.amazon.com/Found-Myself-P...
"REFLECTIONS BY FOREIGNERS WHO HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED BY PALESTINE
I Found Myself in Palestine is a collection of over twenty insightful and emotionally raw reflections about the experience of being a foreigner in Palestine.
Contributors come from the United States, South Africa, Norway, Japan, Sudan, Bolivia, Germany, Chile and more. They are neither journalists nor politicians, but rather “ordinary people” who found themselves deeply involved with Palestine through marriage, work or by chance. While the context is Palestine, the focus of the essays is the writers’ own growth and transformation as a result of their long engagement with the Palestinian people.
Sometimes funny and sometimes sad, the collection provides a new and unique window into social, familial, emotional and political dynamics through the eyes of committed and caring people who found themselves part of the global Palestinian community.
Contributors include: Pam Bailey, Mariam Barghouti, Thimna Bunte, Clio Chaveneau, Jonathan Cook, Corina Dagher, Helene Furani, Fatima Gabru, Neta Golan, Nadia Hasan, Donn Hutchison, Didi Kanaaneh, Andrew Karney, Maria Khoury, Mari Martens, Loren McGrail, Cody O'Rourke, Carolyn Quffa, Rina Rosenberg, Marty Rosenbluth, Ann Saba, Samira Safadi, Zeena Salman, Steve, Sosebee, Saul Takahashi, and Trees Zbidat-Kosterman"
January 17, 2025
An interesting read in general for both Palestinians and non-Palestinians. Some stories felt more genuine and grounded than others. While subjectivity is a key element of this work, it was hard to dismiss the self-centrism of some voices.
Although the editor emphasizes that the work is not about Palestine, I encourage the readers to read differently - indeed, this is a work about Palestine. The experiences of none Palestinian in Palestine and Palestinian in exile are a crucial part of the fabric of Palestinianness; the land and the constructed identity.
Although the editor emphasizes that the work is not about Palestine, I encourage the readers to read differently - indeed, this is a work about Palestine. The experiences of none Palestinian in Palestine and Palestinian in exile are a crucial part of the fabric of Palestinianness; the land and the constructed identity.
October 23, 2023
Some stories were better than others, but all very important. I was emotional a few times :,) Many perspectives
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews