What do you think?
Rate this book
Stories from Palestine: Narratives of Resilience
Stories from Palestine profiles Palestinians engaged in creative and productive pursuits in their everyday lives in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Their narratives amplify perspectives and experiences of Palestinians exercising their own constructive agency. In Stories from Narratives of Resilience , Marda Dunsky presents a vivid overview of contemporary Palestinian society in the venues envisioned for a future Palestinian state. Dunsky has interviewed women and men from cities, towns, villages, and refugee camps who are farmers, scientists, writers, cultural innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs. Using their own words, she illuminates their resourcefulness in navigating agriculture, education, and cultural pursuits in the West Bank; persisting in Jerusalem as a sizable minority in the city; and confronting the challenges and uncertainties of life in the Gaza Strip. Based on her in-depth personal interviews, the narratives weave in quantitative data and historical background from a range of primary and secondary sources that contextualize Palestinian life under occupation. More than a collection of individual stories, Stories from Palestine presents a broad, crosscut view of the tremendous human potential of this particular society. Narratives that emphasize the human dignity of Palestinians pushing forward under extraordinary circumstances include those of an entrepreneur who markets the yields of Palestinian farmers determined to continue cultivating their land, even as the landscape is shrinking; a professor and medical doctor who aims to improve health in local Palestinian communities; and an award-winning primary school teacher who provides her pupils a safe and creative learning environment. In an era of conflict and divisiveness, Palestinian resilience is relatable to people around the world who seek to express themselves, to achieve, to excel, and to be free. Stories from Palestine creates a new space from which to consider Palestinians and peace.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
268 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2021
10 people are currently reading
1108 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 16, 2021
Western media is without a doubt, biased. What we see on the news about Palestine and Israel all depends on the source- many representing the issue in a false manner. Stories from Palestine recounts stories of Palestinians who are living through this reality. It really puts things into perspective, and how resilient Palestinians are. They have their land occupied, checkpoints to go anywhere, bombings... and the list goes on. They are denied human rights. They are still fighting to preserve their culture, to make a living, to have the best lives for their children, to help their beloved country. Their stories are told, and their stories are powerful.
This is about humanity, and this book is such a good source to educate us on the reality of Palestine and the history and present day issues. It will educate you on why you need to care, on how their stories being told will allow Western countries to understand their harsh realities– because we can have a big impact on their freedom. It also will inform you on how amazing these people are, and how they are extremely resilient and are pursuing their goals as best as they can.
Free Palestine until Palestine is free.
Here are some excerpts that really hit you hard, and portray the reality they live in:
“Children elsewhere can enjoy their childhood, but not Palestinian children.”
“She got married but did not continue with her education because Palestinian universities were being routinely shut down by the Israeli military during the uprising.”
“Abusrour says that due to the volatile mix of confinement and violence, ‘now there are children who are eight and nine years old, who come to you and say, ‘I want to die because nobody cares.’ Because when the Israelis come in the middle of the night, they’re breaking your door or humiliating your parents in front of you, nobody is there to protect you.”
“Living under years of occupation has diminished the value of life among the Palestinian people. Life feels so miserable and worthless that death seems merely to be a change, not a loss. Young men are eager to go and fight, knowing they will likely be killed, because this would not be a loss to them.
Israel has successfully convinced us that our lives and our deaths are equivalent. Living in that state of humiliation, oppression, and suppression changes the nature of our souls and robs us of our joy for life. Life needs a space for hope to thrive, and such spaces have been shut and locked for young Palestinians.”
“It’s so important for us to be seen as fully human. It’s so important for human rights, for humanity, for dignity. It’s so important for the West to know the truth, because maybe, if the peoples of Western societies know the truth, they can pressure their governments to stop being biased in favor of Israel, to be neutral, to support human rights.”
This is about humanity, and this book is such a good source to educate us on the reality of Palestine and the history and present day issues. It will educate you on why you need to care, on how their stories being told will allow Western countries to understand their harsh realities– because we can have a big impact on their freedom. It also will inform you on how amazing these people are, and how they are extremely resilient and are pursuing their goals as best as they can.
Free Palestine until Palestine is free.
Here are some excerpts that really hit you hard, and portray the reality they live in:
“Children elsewhere can enjoy their childhood, but not Palestinian children.”
“She got married but did not continue with her education because Palestinian universities were being routinely shut down by the Israeli military during the uprising.”
“Abusrour says that due to the volatile mix of confinement and violence, ‘now there are children who are eight and nine years old, who come to you and say, ‘I want to die because nobody cares.’ Because when the Israelis come in the middle of the night, they’re breaking your door or humiliating your parents in front of you, nobody is there to protect you.”
“Living under years of occupation has diminished the value of life among the Palestinian people. Life feels so miserable and worthless that death seems merely to be a change, not a loss. Young men are eager to go and fight, knowing they will likely be killed, because this would not be a loss to them.
Israel has successfully convinced us that our lives and our deaths are equivalent. Living in that state of humiliation, oppression, and suppression changes the nature of our souls and robs us of our joy for life. Life needs a space for hope to thrive, and such spaces have been shut and locked for young Palestinians.”
“It’s so important for us to be seen as fully human. It’s so important for human rights, for humanity, for dignity. It’s so important for the West to know the truth, because maybe, if the peoples of Western societies know the truth, they can pressure their governments to stop being biased in favor of Israel, to be neutral, to support human rights.”
May 10, 2021
How does one lead an exemplary life amidst insecurity and bloodshed? How does one plan for the future when the present is so chaotic? STORIES FROM PALESTINE attempts answers to these questions by introducing readers to a variety of Palestinians caught in the endless political battles of the MidEast.there is heartbreak aplenty in these stories and hope seems far out of reach. Nonetheless, these are people and communities worth knowing. i received my copy from the publisher through edelweiss.
June 3, 2024
beautiful yet heartbreaking at the same time. in gaza, they are not numbers. free palestine <3
March 31, 2021
I found the stories very inspiring and they gave me hope that better days can come for Palestine. I was somewhat surprised that the book contained so much of the story of oppression since the subtitle "narratives of resilience" suggested a cheerier content. However, the more I read the more I realized that the tremendous obstacles put before her subjects were an unavoidable part of their story and hence their resilience.
Much of the book is her subjects speaking passionately about their lives, challenges, hopes and dreams. Framing these stories Ms. Dunsky provides background information which provides the context in a very detailed and well researched manner. Having read a previous review above from Zeb Kantrowitz I can't let his jab at Ms. Dunsky go unanswered about her reference to "the banality of evil" quote from Teju Cole an American writer and photographer. Cole was reusing Arendt's quote to make a point. To suggest that the author of this scholarly work would not be familiar with Arendt or that somehow she is a holocaust denier is ridiculous.
It was refreshing to read a different perspective of Palestinian life that did not revolve around stone throwers or tanks but rather the lives of some ordinary and extraordinary people.
Much of the book is her subjects speaking passionately about their lives, challenges, hopes and dreams. Framing these stories Ms. Dunsky provides background information which provides the context in a very detailed and well researched manner. Having read a previous review above from Zeb Kantrowitz I can't let his jab at Ms. Dunsky go unanswered about her reference to "the banality of evil" quote from Teju Cole an American writer and photographer. Cole was reusing Arendt's quote to make a point. To suggest that the author of this scholarly work would not be familiar with Arendt or that somehow she is a holocaust denier is ridiculous.
It was refreshing to read a different perspective of Palestinian life that did not revolve around stone throwers or tanks but rather the lives of some ordinary and extraordinary people.
February 20, 2021
First of all the title is a misnomer, these are not stories but statement of Palestinians and is very anti-Israeli. If it was balanced a little it would be a much better book, but this is all Good Palestinians and Bad Israelis. Dunsky isn't the best writer in the world but attributing a famous quote to the wrong person in inexcusable. She gives the quote "the banality of evil" to some American I've never heard of, when anyone who is semi literate knows it belongs to Hannah Arendt speaking about the Holocaust (but then maybe she doesn't believe it happened).
She hardly mentions the effect of the take-over of the West Bank, and the shut down of the Gaza Strip by Hamas. No one ignores the populating of the West Bank with Israeli settlers, but then when was the last time you heard the same people complaining about the populating of Tibet with Han Chinese or the Russian Federation pouring in Russians to the Crimea. Dunsky acts as if it's only the Israelis that do this, but never mentions the problems the Palestinians caused in Jordan or how Hezbolla is a thorn in the side of Lebanon.
This book is like a story that praises the Pilgrims and blames the Indians for all the problems. With the number of Middle Eastern nations making peace with Israel, you have to wonder about the complaints in this book. When one of the Palestinians in the book are waylaid by the Egyptians Police, she comments that he was told that Palestinians are "dirty terrorists". If this is the way they are seen by their "brothers" what does that say.
The section on Gaza gives too much credit to Hamas and too much guilt to the Israelis. What would you do if your neighbor kept throwing his garbage into your yard. Hamas spends millions of dollars a year building missiles they fired randomly into Israel and building tunnels to sneak in terrorists.
They would be better off rebuilding the infrastructures of Gaza and educating the population.
She hardly mentions the effect of the take-over of the West Bank, and the shut down of the Gaza Strip by Hamas. No one ignores the populating of the West Bank with Israeli settlers, but then when was the last time you heard the same people complaining about the populating of Tibet with Han Chinese or the Russian Federation pouring in Russians to the Crimea. Dunsky acts as if it's only the Israelis that do this, but never mentions the problems the Palestinians caused in Jordan or how Hezbolla is a thorn in the side of Lebanon.
This book is like a story that praises the Pilgrims and blames the Indians for all the problems. With the number of Middle Eastern nations making peace with Israel, you have to wonder about the complaints in this book. When one of the Palestinians in the book are waylaid by the Egyptians Police, she comments that he was told that Palestinians are "dirty terrorists". If this is the way they are seen by their "brothers" what does that say.
The section on Gaza gives too much credit to Hamas and too much guilt to the Israelis. What would you do if your neighbor kept throwing his garbage into your yard. Hamas spends millions of dollars a year building missiles they fired randomly into Israel and building tunnels to sneak in terrorists.
They would be better off rebuilding the infrastructures of Gaza and educating the population.
March 5, 2021
Marda Dunsky's "Stories from Palestine: Narratives of Resilience" has received strong prepublication reviews from experts in the fields of Middle East history, poetry, and journalism. Here are some of the reviews:
"Palestinians rarely feature as ordinary people in most portrayals of them, which are marred by sensationalism and superficiality. In a welcome departure, 'Stories from Palestine' illustrates the reality of Palestinian lives by showing their human potential, their strivings, and their successes. Meticulously reported, this uplifting but gritty book illuminates human aspects of their existence that must be understood if there is to be any hope of justice, equality, and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis." —Rashid Khalidi, author of "Brokers of Deceit"
"Marda Dunsky brings a unique combination of a journalist’s storytelling ability, a scholar’s discipline and depth of knowledge, and long first-hand experience in the Middle East to her stories about Palestinian life in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Besides providing us with a compelling narrative, Dunsky provides the reader context for understanding a conflict most Americans know only in caricatured terms." —Craig LaMay, author of "Exporting Press Freedom"
"Marda Dunsky is not only courageous in confronting Palestinian reality but also provides essential context and necessary access to Palestinian voices, which are generally unheard or ignored by Western academic and nonacademic audiences. Overall, she succeeds in amplifying Palestinian voices in their own words, highlighting their humanity and creative agency outside of narrow stereotypes. The voices she brings forth in 'Stories from Palestine' need to be heard and contextualized, and time is of the essence." —Deema K. Shehabi, author of "Thirteen Departures from the Moon"
"Palestinians rarely feature as ordinary people in most portrayals of them, which are marred by sensationalism and superficiality. In a welcome departure, 'Stories from Palestine' illustrates the reality of Palestinian lives by showing their human potential, their strivings, and their successes. Meticulously reported, this uplifting but gritty book illuminates human aspects of their existence that must be understood if there is to be any hope of justice, equality, and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis." —Rashid Khalidi, author of "Brokers of Deceit"
"Marda Dunsky brings a unique combination of a journalist’s storytelling ability, a scholar’s discipline and depth of knowledge, and long first-hand experience in the Middle East to her stories about Palestinian life in the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Besides providing us with a compelling narrative, Dunsky provides the reader context for understanding a conflict most Americans know only in caricatured terms." —Craig LaMay, author of "Exporting Press Freedom"
"Marda Dunsky is not only courageous in confronting Palestinian reality but also provides essential context and necessary access to Palestinian voices, which are generally unheard or ignored by Western academic and nonacademic audiences. Overall, she succeeds in amplifying Palestinian voices in their own words, highlighting their humanity and creative agency outside of narrow stereotypes. The voices she brings forth in 'Stories from Palestine' need to be heard and contextualized, and time is of the essence." —Deema K. Shehabi, author of "Thirteen Departures from the Moon"
April 21, 2024
this book is outrageously masterfully crafted. and to top that off, the author herself acknowledges the fact that she reports on this topic from a place of safety and privilege and that alone raised my rating tenfold.
i’ve seen other reviewers mention the disproportionate focus of the books narrative on “bashing” jewish and israelis, and to that i say: fucking where? where in this book, can you take an excerpt explicitly bashing and discriminating against them. the only time in the book where you could potentially get this idea (provided you have no context) is from real life recounts of palestinians experiencing racism and discrimination from the state occupation israel enforces upon them.
at no point does dunsky disproportionally victimise palestinians nor belittles israelis for the sake of pushing an agenda. if you consider the generational trauma and suffering inflicted on palestinians who are surviving beneath the poverty line as an antisimetic agenda, you need to check your own sense of morality you sick fuck.
there’s a steady pacing throughout the book as the author weaves between the personal atrocities palestinians experience throughout years of the occupation, which appropriately shifts towards detailed research used to support the anecdotes received from civilians.
the book itself is a fantastic introduction to the problematic history of the occupation which can give good insight to what would later result in the genocide occurring today.
from the river to the sea, palestine will be free. 🇵🇸
i’ve seen other reviewers mention the disproportionate focus of the books narrative on “bashing” jewish and israelis, and to that i say: fucking where? where in this book, can you take an excerpt explicitly bashing and discriminating against them. the only time in the book where you could potentially get this idea (provided you have no context) is from real life recounts of palestinians experiencing racism and discrimination from the state occupation israel enforces upon them.
at no point does dunsky disproportionally victimise palestinians nor belittles israelis for the sake of pushing an agenda. if you consider the generational trauma and suffering inflicted on palestinians who are surviving beneath the poverty line as an antisimetic agenda, you need to check your own sense of morality you sick fuck.
there’s a steady pacing throughout the book as the author weaves between the personal atrocities palestinians experience throughout years of the occupation, which appropriately shifts towards detailed research used to support the anecdotes received from civilians.
the book itself is a fantastic introduction to the problematic history of the occupation which can give good insight to what would later result in the genocide occurring today.
from the river to the sea, palestine will be free. 🇵🇸
October 17, 2025
If you're not able to go to Palestine, this is truly the next best thing. This book reminded me so much of my trip to Palestine in 2022. You get to meet so many different people from many different areas of life and see how the occupation affects them - farmers, teachers, scientists, folks in refugee camps, folks in Gaza, divorcees, dancers, writers, beer brewers, Jerusalemites. Though many stories are sad it's also inspiring seeing the resilience and innovation in the face of limited resources, including tractors that run on recycled falafel fuel and clever mechanisms for maximizing water usage. The author also puts in history and facts about the occupation throughout the storytelling. I appreciate that the author acknowledges her privilege of access and the educational privilege of the people she interviewed. I thought this was a great read! If anyone needs a place to start to learn about Palestine, I think this book is a great resource for that.
June 13, 2021
What an extraordinary piece of writing! Marda Dunsky tells Stories from Palestine with great sympathy for members of a community - the Arab Palestinians of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip - that is generally portrayed in Western media as two-dimensional. (And, having lived and worked in Israel, I can say most Jewish Israelis suffer from the same stereotypes - which is no wonder, since their lives rarely intersect.) Dunsky is a talented storyteller, but she is more than that. She is also a fine journalist and a conscientious academic. Behind the characters she brings to life are historical context and current reportage, scrupulously documented and footnoted. And, yet, this book is an easy and enjoyable read, a kind of travelogue in which you - the visitor - are introduced to interesting and thoughtful locals you will never forget.
June 22, 2021
"Stories from Palestine" is composed of engaging, finely crafted stories that vividly draw readers into the lives of their (nonfiction) protagonists. The book is not only engaging on its own terms but also timely: in a time when strife between Israelis and Palestinians continues to be in the news and when fear of Otherness seems to be intensifying in many places, "Stories from Palestine" gives us careful, fact-based narratives that provoke not just our sympathy, but our admiration for Palestinians.
April 8, 2021
The stories are eye-opening. I found Stories from Palestine: Narratives of Resilience to be very enlightening regarding life in that part of the world, citizens leading productive lives, living extraordinary lives. I would recommend this book to my friends and colleagues. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for my copy.
January 5, 2024
Nasser Abufarha: “in farming, every field has flowers and thorns,” he says. “You can either see the thorns and put your hands up [in surrender] or see the flowers and weed your way through. I see a lot of flowers in Palestine. That generates a lot of promise. The fact that I can trace this through the landscape to millennia gives me hope — that we will still have a future.”
June 1, 2021
I was so impressed by the raw details and stories of amazing triumph this book brings to life. Nothing in the news about the Middle East conflict allows Americans to truly understand life under occupation like the stories told in this book. A must read for anyone with a heart.
May 25, 2024
Me esperaba historias y relatos completos, pero es más un conjunto de testimonios. Aprecio que desafía las narrativas simplistas del sionismo, con una perspectiva auténtica y bien contextualizada sobre cómo es la vida siendo de Palestina.
July 16, 2024
Amazing real-life stories from Palestine. There is "beautiful resistance" and resilience in these people. They are so very oppressed, and yet, their stories are beautiful, but also sad. Excellent book.
January 10, 2022
A difficult but worthwhile read.
Read
November 12, 2023An important read!
January 5, 2024
The stories were truly ones os resilience and yet I wonder what has become of those metioned on the book. I hope they and others will continue in their resistance to Israel's occupation.
August 8, 2024
Everyone should read this. Amazing and heartbreaking.
February 3, 2025
if you’ve read and loved This is Not a Border and/or I Found Myself in Palestine, you’ll absolutely love this one.
i'm just going to quote from the introduction to tell you what you need to know about this book, and what makes it important:
“the tremendous human potential that vibrates through palestinian society is often overlooked in media reporting, which tends to represent palestinians’ humanity empirically and anecdotally, focusing instead on easily observable modalities of conflict. scholarly studies across a range of social science disciplines provide valuable context about the israel-palestine ‘conflict’ but do not often delve beyond surface details into the everyday human stories coexisting behind, inside, and sometimes even in front of it.
Stories from Palestine places in the forefront narratives of palestinians in the west bank, east jerusalem, and gaza strip who are engaged as producers and creators, illuminating their human resiliency and agency. the aim is to present a fresh parallel way of seeing — in essence, to challenge prevalent, reductive representations of palestinians as victims of oppression and/or perpetrators of violence and their society as mired in, if not stymied by, the ‘conflict’.”
i'm just going to quote from the introduction to tell you what you need to know about this book, and what makes it important:
“the tremendous human potential that vibrates through palestinian society is often overlooked in media reporting, which tends to represent palestinians’ humanity empirically and anecdotally, focusing instead on easily observable modalities of conflict. scholarly studies across a range of social science disciplines provide valuable context about the israel-palestine ‘conflict’ but do not often delve beyond surface details into the everyday human stories coexisting behind, inside, and sometimes even in front of it.
Stories from Palestine places in the forefront narratives of palestinians in the west bank, east jerusalem, and gaza strip who are engaged as producers and creators, illuminating their human resiliency and agency. the aim is to present a fresh parallel way of seeing — in essence, to challenge prevalent, reductive representations of palestinians as victims of oppression and/or perpetrators of violence and their society as mired in, if not stymied by, the ‘conflict’.”
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews