What do you think?
Rate this book
Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village
Silwan is a Palestinian village located just outside the ancient walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village is a moving story of a village and its people.
As Silwani youth and community members share their lives with us, their village becomes an easily accessible way to understand Palestinian history and current reality. Written with young people in mind, the richly illustrated text stresses connections between the lives of youth in the US and Palestine: criminalization of youth, forced relocation, the impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities, efforts to bury history, and inspiring examples of resistance and resilience.
As Silwani youth and community members share their lives with us, their village becomes an easily accessible way to understand Palestinian history and current reality. Written with young people in mind, the richly illustrated text stresses connections between the lives of youth in the US and Palestine: criminalization of youth, forced relocation, the impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities, efforts to bury history, and inspiring examples of resistance and resilience.
- GenresNonfiction
240 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2021
5 people are currently reading
193 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
January 6, 2022
You can tell that the author put such heart and intention into the research and interviews that went into this book. An essential read, it's great for people of all ages who are new to understanding Palestine. Every person from middle school on up should read this. I'm so glad to have this as resource, especially one for young people, on the Palestinian struggle. Content note: there is description of detention, torture, and murder of children.
June 29, 2021
This book is crucial for anyone (young or not) who is interested in Palestine and wants to know more about the Palestinian people, especially the youth. While it concentrates on a small community, it is a great entryway into the great desire of Palestinians for the right to return...or the right to stay.
This book is not didactic or meanspirited. It is full of great information, plus you get to meet truly wonderful young Palestinians who are struggling to maintain their homes under great difficulties.
It is also a wonderful analysis of the pitfalls of so-called objective science, like archaeology, that can be used for very political purposes.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially teachers, who believes the Middle East is too complicated to understand or to teach.
This book is not didactic or meanspirited. It is full of great information, plus you get to meet truly wonderful young Palestinians who are struggling to maintain their homes under great difficulties.
It is also a wonderful analysis of the pitfalls of so-called objective science, like archaeology, that can be used for very political purposes.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially teachers, who believes the Middle East is too complicated to understand or to teach.
January 8, 2024
This book is such a solid example of a good oral history, as well as being a crucial book to read about Palestine in this moment. Also, the connection to Indigenous Americans was thought provoking.
February 16, 2024
“As Silwani youth and community members share their lives with us, their village becomes a doorway to Palestinian history and current reality”.
It’s impossible to write without thinking about Palestine and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Gaza is/should be on everyone’s mind and the destruction and horrors that Gazans are subjected to every second of every day is unfathomable. Western governments are so weak in front of the violence and suspending funding to UNRWA based on no evidence from Israel, but just “trusting Israel” (Senator Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Minister) is an appalling action to take. The timing of the allegations is no coincidence. They came up just after the ICJ’s ruling that humanitarian aid must be restored to Gaza. Belgium didn’t suspend funding to UNRWA and a building housing a Belgian development agency was blown up. Not random. Collective punishment is a crime against humanity but Israel commits crimes against humanity without end and doesn’t suffer any consequences. Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch, the executive director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) states that Israel has never followed UN resolutions, and that the rest of the world has let them continue to deny us (Palestinians) their rights.
Yesterday I read Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for their Village by Jody Sokolower, the coordinator of the Teach Palestine project at MECA. Jody visited the occupied West Bank on a number of occasions and spent her time mostly in Silwan, a district in East Jerusalem. Jody writes that she never met a boy over 8 who hadn’t been arrested at least once. Children as young as five are arrested on no grounds and are tortured and interrogated within Israeli detention centres. A twelve-year-old boy was subjected to 13 days suspended by Israeli torturers. His hands were tied and lifted up, suspended, on the wall and they were given no food or water. The Israeli torturers would hold up a glass of water just out of reach and would humiliate them for not being able to drink it. These stories are multiplied by hundreds and probably thousands.
The sheer sadism the IOF soldiers and the settlers show towards the Palestinians is so hard to understand and it’s relentless. Parents don’t know if their children will make it home from school. They live in justified fear. Children are often put under house arrest as well as prison terms. Under house arrest the parents become the jailors and the children are not allowed to leave for any purpose, including school. People’s homes are literally stolen from them. Palestinian water tanks are painted black and are targeted by settler snipers so access to water is another unknown in daily life. Palestinians walking to school through a Jewish area are insulted and harassed. Another major problem for Silwan inhabitants is that Israel is tunneling under their homes to extend a theme park entitled the City of David. Entire school classrooms have fallen in a hole and houses are cracking. A Silwan resident notified an authority about the tunneling causing cracks and instead of the issue being solved the inhabitants were then told their house was too dangerous and they had to leave.
Settler violence has escalated over the past years and in the past few months hundreds of Palestinians in the occupied territories have been killed. Silwan is one community among many and the focus on this area is one piece of the whole. Jody spent much time talking to the residents including people who have set up and work at Madaa, a cultural centre, very close to the City of David. Palestinians are not allowed to visit the City of David despite Jerusalem being an international city under international law. International law also bans the illegal settlements that over 700, 000 settlers have built in the occupied territories. There are no repercussions for their aggressions and they are supported by the IOF.
This book is essential reading for everyone. Jody supplements in-depth interviews of residents and diasporic Palestinians with her own analysis as well as that of her daughter’s, who went with her on two occasions. A few chapters give additional historical and current context to the people’s lives and Jody also ties the experiences to similar issues in the US. It’s a hard book to read. The book is written with youth in mind but it is equally as important for adults and possibly middle school aged children. The only caveat with younger children is the level of trauma it could cause. The worst parts of the book are those that relate to the abuse of children but the settlers and the IOF show no concern to anyone they identify as Palestinian. It would be a matter of knowing the middle school aged child/ren.
Jody points out the parallels with the US, of which there are many, including the legacy of (ongoing) settler colonialism. The Palestinians are indigenous to the lands they were ethnically cleansed from. In 1948 750, 000 people had their homes stolen and they became refugees. As we know this has never let up. There were refugee camps in Gaza before October 7th, 2023 and now the whole area is a refugee camp, under never-ending military siege. Resources have been stolen along with houses, including water theft just as resources have been pillaged in North America and Australia (among others).
When Michael Brown was killed by a cop in Ferguson, MO protest signs read From Ferguson to Palestine to Ayotzinapa (in Mexico, where 43 Indigenous student teachers were disappeared in 2014 with no verdict yet on what actually happened). The impunity with which police kill people in the US, in Australia and elsewhere is resonant with Israeli settler violence but settler violence has ramped up in the occupied territories since October 7 and is now much worse than what was addressed in Jody’s book. Settlers have been given as many guns as they want. The US has said that there will be punishments for settlers but that only involves loss of US passport, visa or other administrative punishments. It has no teeth.
Jawad Siyam, the founding director of Madaa spoke about the “I Love You Silwan” murals that you see all over Silwan. “The Israelis won’t allow us to fly the Palestinian flag. So we write “I Love You Silwan” instead.” Not allowing a people to fly their flags is yet another example of the dehumanisation the IOF and the Israeli government show towards Palestinians. This book is an inherently humanizing portrait and shows the depth of Palestinian resistance, resilience and cultural and spiritual expression.
Supplemental information comes to us through the online launch of the book “Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village” Virtual Book Launch! as well as the Teach Palestine website. MECA’s website address is MecaforPeace.org. With hope that peace will come for all Palestinians, inside and outside of Palestine and that an immediate and permanent ceasefire will be declared now.
It’s impossible to write without thinking about Palestine and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Gaza is/should be on everyone’s mind and the destruction and horrors that Gazans are subjected to every second of every day is unfathomable. Western governments are so weak in front of the violence and suspending funding to UNRWA based on no evidence from Israel, but just “trusting Israel” (Senator Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Minister) is an appalling action to take. The timing of the allegations is no coincidence. They came up just after the ICJ’s ruling that humanitarian aid must be restored to Gaza. Belgium didn’t suspend funding to UNRWA and a building housing a Belgian development agency was blown up. Not random. Collective punishment is a crime against humanity but Israel commits crimes against humanity without end and doesn’t suffer any consequences. Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch, the executive director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) states that Israel has never followed UN resolutions, and that the rest of the world has let them continue to deny us (Palestinians) their rights.
Yesterday I read Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for their Village by Jody Sokolower, the coordinator of the Teach Palestine project at MECA. Jody visited the occupied West Bank on a number of occasions and spent her time mostly in Silwan, a district in East Jerusalem. Jody writes that she never met a boy over 8 who hadn’t been arrested at least once. Children as young as five are arrested on no grounds and are tortured and interrogated within Israeli detention centres. A twelve-year-old boy was subjected to 13 days suspended by Israeli torturers. His hands were tied and lifted up, suspended, on the wall and they were given no food or water. The Israeli torturers would hold up a glass of water just out of reach and would humiliate them for not being able to drink it. These stories are multiplied by hundreds and probably thousands.
The sheer sadism the IOF soldiers and the settlers show towards the Palestinians is so hard to understand and it’s relentless. Parents don’t know if their children will make it home from school. They live in justified fear. Children are often put under house arrest as well as prison terms. Under house arrest the parents become the jailors and the children are not allowed to leave for any purpose, including school. People’s homes are literally stolen from them. Palestinian water tanks are painted black and are targeted by settler snipers so access to water is another unknown in daily life. Palestinians walking to school through a Jewish area are insulted and harassed. Another major problem for Silwan inhabitants is that Israel is tunneling under their homes to extend a theme park entitled the City of David. Entire school classrooms have fallen in a hole and houses are cracking. A Silwan resident notified an authority about the tunneling causing cracks and instead of the issue being solved the inhabitants were then told their house was too dangerous and they had to leave.
Settler violence has escalated over the past years and in the past few months hundreds of Palestinians in the occupied territories have been killed. Silwan is one community among many and the focus on this area is one piece of the whole. Jody spent much time talking to the residents including people who have set up and work at Madaa, a cultural centre, very close to the City of David. Palestinians are not allowed to visit the City of David despite Jerusalem being an international city under international law. International law also bans the illegal settlements that over 700, 000 settlers have built in the occupied territories. There are no repercussions for their aggressions and they are supported by the IOF.
This book is essential reading for everyone. Jody supplements in-depth interviews of residents and diasporic Palestinians with her own analysis as well as that of her daughter’s, who went with her on two occasions. A few chapters give additional historical and current context to the people’s lives and Jody also ties the experiences to similar issues in the US. It’s a hard book to read. The book is written with youth in mind but it is equally as important for adults and possibly middle school aged children. The only caveat with younger children is the level of trauma it could cause. The worst parts of the book are those that relate to the abuse of children but the settlers and the IOF show no concern to anyone they identify as Palestinian. It would be a matter of knowing the middle school aged child/ren.
Jody points out the parallels with the US, of which there are many, including the legacy of (ongoing) settler colonialism. The Palestinians are indigenous to the lands they were ethnically cleansed from. In 1948 750, 000 people had their homes stolen and they became refugees. As we know this has never let up. There were refugee camps in Gaza before October 7th, 2023 and now the whole area is a refugee camp, under never-ending military siege. Resources have been stolen along with houses, including water theft just as resources have been pillaged in North America and Australia (among others).
When Michael Brown was killed by a cop in Ferguson, MO protest signs read From Ferguson to Palestine to Ayotzinapa (in Mexico, where 43 Indigenous student teachers were disappeared in 2014 with no verdict yet on what actually happened). The impunity with which police kill people in the US, in Australia and elsewhere is resonant with Israeli settler violence but settler violence has ramped up in the occupied territories since October 7 and is now much worse than what was addressed in Jody’s book. Settlers have been given as many guns as they want. The US has said that there will be punishments for settlers but that only involves loss of US passport, visa or other administrative punishments. It has no teeth.
Jawad Siyam, the founding director of Madaa spoke about the “I Love You Silwan” murals that you see all over Silwan. “The Israelis won’t allow us to fly the Palestinian flag. So we write “I Love You Silwan” instead.” Not allowing a people to fly their flags is yet another example of the dehumanisation the IOF and the Israeli government show towards Palestinians. This book is an inherently humanizing portrait and shows the depth of Palestinian resistance, resilience and cultural and spiritual expression.
Supplemental information comes to us through the online launch of the book “Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village” Virtual Book Launch! as well as the Teach Palestine website. MECA’s website address is MecaforPeace.org. With hope that peace will come for all Palestinians, inside and outside of Palestine and that an immediate and permanent ceasefire will be declared now.
November 10, 2021
What an amazing, illuminating book! I've been following events in Sheik Jarrah and Silwan on Twitter; I've read many authors, both Jewish and Palestinian, on the occupation, and I've tried to learn as much as I could. This book, simply told in the words of young people living there, was absolutely eye-opening. Some examples:
Can you imagine sitting quietly in your classroom studying and then having your entire classroom fall into a tunnel? How terrifying, and how unbelievable. But it actually happened. That is how this book begins.
Can you imagine being arrested and tortured for no reason you can determine, at the age of thirteen?
Can you imagine having to take four buses and cross multiple checkpoints to travel twenty miles to your college classes?
This is the lived experience of the young people of Silwan. But, in the midst of this oppression, they study, they play, they form rap groups and participate in dance and in gymnastics competition. Jody Sokolower, a Jewish teacher from America, made several trips to Silwan over the years and tells, simply and directly, of her own experiences and her conversations with many admirable young people, along with their family members and teachers.
I also want to mention the introduction by Nick Estes, which may be the single best piece of writing I've read this year.
An absolutely essential book, and for adults as well as kids.
One small quibble: On page 82, Sokolower states that at the time Herzl started the Zionist project, there were "about 246,300 Muslims, 24,000 Jews, and 21,800 Christians living in Palestine. They all thought of themselves as Palestinians." From what I've read elsewhere, these numbers are not accurate; according to Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, the population was about 85 percent Muslim, ten percent Christian, and five percent Jewish. Even a tiny mistake like this one in such a fine book as this is unfortunate. It could lead to readers dismissing the other facts presented, and that would be a great shame.
Can you imagine sitting quietly in your classroom studying and then having your entire classroom fall into a tunnel? How terrifying, and how unbelievable. But it actually happened. That is how this book begins.
Can you imagine being arrested and tortured for no reason you can determine, at the age of thirteen?
Can you imagine having to take four buses and cross multiple checkpoints to travel twenty miles to your college classes?
This is the lived experience of the young people of Silwan. But, in the midst of this oppression, they study, they play, they form rap groups and participate in dance and in gymnastics competition. Jody Sokolower, a Jewish teacher from America, made several trips to Silwan over the years and tells, simply and directly, of her own experiences and her conversations with many admirable young people, along with their family members and teachers.
I also want to mention the introduction by Nick Estes, which may be the single best piece of writing I've read this year.
An absolutely essential book, and for adults as well as kids.
One small quibble: On page 82, Sokolower states that at the time Herzl started the Zionist project, there were "about 246,300 Muslims, 24,000 Jews, and 21,800 Christians living in Palestine. They all thought of themselves as Palestinians." From what I've read elsewhere, these numbers are not accurate; according to Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, the population was about 85 percent Muslim, ten percent Christian, and five percent Jewish. Even a tiny mistake like this one in such a fine book as this is unfortunate. It could lead to readers dismissing the other facts presented, and that would be a great shame.
July 3, 2021
Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village
This is a terrific and timely book for young readers about the current struggle to save the 7000-year-old Palestinian village of Silwan. Located on the outskirts of Jerusalem’s Old City, the village and its Palestinian community have been targeted for development and takeover by Israeli settlers and commercial interests. Palestinian families are being forced out to make room for Israeli residents and a tourist-oriented theme park called the City of David, designed to "prove" that the biblical King David built his temple here. The book is based on a series of interviews with young Silwanis who describe their campaign to save the village, their love for their home and their desire to remain there in spite of Israeli attempts to evict them. Author and narrator, Jody Sokolower, a California based teacher and writer, travelled to Silwan with her own teenage daughter, and the conversations between mother and daughter add a personal and compelling dimension to the narrative. Additionally, the book has wonderful photographs and graphics, and includes plenty of definitions and historical references that will help young readers understand the complicated political terrain of the region, particularly since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967 and its ongoing expansionism. It is a passionate book and powerfully makes the connection between the Palestinian movement and the movements of indigenous people and people of color around the world, without rhetoric or sloganeering. For all of us, young readers especially, this is an important book.
This is a terrific and timely book for young readers about the current struggle to save the 7000-year-old Palestinian village of Silwan. Located on the outskirts of Jerusalem’s Old City, the village and its Palestinian community have been targeted for development and takeover by Israeli settlers and commercial interests. Palestinian families are being forced out to make room for Israeli residents and a tourist-oriented theme park called the City of David, designed to "prove" that the biblical King David built his temple here. The book is based on a series of interviews with young Silwanis who describe their campaign to save the village, their love for their home and their desire to remain there in spite of Israeli attempts to evict them. Author and narrator, Jody Sokolower, a California based teacher and writer, travelled to Silwan with her own teenage daughter, and the conversations between mother and daughter add a personal and compelling dimension to the narrative. Additionally, the book has wonderful photographs and graphics, and includes plenty of definitions and historical references that will help young readers understand the complicated political terrain of the region, particularly since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967 and its ongoing expansionism. It is a passionate book and powerfully makes the connection between the Palestinian movement and the movements of indigenous people and people of color around the world, without rhetoric or sloganeering. For all of us, young readers especially, this is an important book.
August 20, 2025
I did not realize upon first looking into this work (I found it via scrounging through Nick Estes’ Goodreads catalogue nearly 4 years ago) that it was meant as a children’s book, or at least for middle-grade level readers. The writing style is simple, with many sentences ending in questions or emotional demands, as one does when writing for kids. However, for this purpose this book is excellent. Were I to teach middle grade children (maybe a range of 4th-7th graders) about the question of Palestine, this would be a book I would draw from. Combining generalized history, anecdotal experience, some original research, and comparative analysis with a particular case study in Palestine that may be unfamiliar to even people decently well read on the topic. It is not a pessimistic read, as many books for adults on Palestine are, in fact, while it sees the situation as bleak, it focuses moreso on how people are learning to live despite the hurdles put forth by the occupation. It helpfully draws parallels too between indigenous people in the US, and the systemized nature of mass incarceration, which some students would be able to make their own personal life comparisons too. Overall would highly recommend for teachers, and given some of its original content, at least a selective reading by others.
August 28, 2021
Just finished reading this excellent book. Interviews with Silwan youth and the caring, courageous adults who work with them, paint a vivid picture of what daily life is like for Palestinians, especially young Palestinians, living under Israeli apartheid and continued Israeli efforts to make Jerusalem a Jewish only city. A strength of the book is that is describes both the oppression and the resistance to it. As someone who is involved in Palestine solidarity work, I learned a great deal of new information and appreciated the insight into the similarities between settler colonialism in Palestine and the United States. This book is a great introduction to what is happening in Palestine/Israel for young people, or for anyone who wants to a clearer picture of what daily life is like for Palestinians under Israeli apartheid.
December 9, 2021
As far as nonfiction goes, I think this is a great book to have in any school or public library collection for the amount of information that is included. Especially since this conflict was so in the news for the past year, and it's a really complicated issue. Sokolower does a good job breaking down the history of Palestine and its relationship to Israel. It's something we don't learn a lot about in the US, and it's really eye opening to read about.
I also appreciated the way that Sokolower connects it to issues we see here in the US, too. I think this will help students contextualize what's happening there, and reading first hand accounts makes it even more powerful. All around, this is a well-constructed, well-researched, and well-written book.
I also appreciated the way that Sokolower connects it to issues we see here in the US, too. I think this will help students contextualize what's happening there, and reading first hand accounts makes it even more powerful. All around, this is a well-constructed, well-researched, and well-written book.
February 9, 2023
This book is brilliant. Although my friend Jody wrote it, I hadn't realized until I started reading, that it's meant for young adults, which is a huge part of why it's so brilliant. She does a magnificent job of weaving her travel narrative, from the US to Palestine and back, with Palestinian stories from Silwan (a village in Jerusalem) and from the Bay Area where she lives and teaches. This book would be an excellent teaching tool - all the clear explanations and footnotes make sure the history and context is accessible to American young people, and young people anywhere quite frankly. The way she also ties in BDS activism and connections with the BLM and indigenous movements in the US is critical, too. We need more books just like this!
July 5, 2021
Jody Sokolower's book is an important read for anyone who wants to understand how Palestinians, especially Palestinian youth, are able resist and persist in the face of Israeli occupation. The way the author combines historical background, interviews, and her own reflections make the book very engaging and accessible. She also makes a powerful connection between the resistance in Silwan to the resistance of Palestinians in diaspora. I'm planning to create curriculum, so I can teach this book in coming school year. My students will be able to make many connections between their own experiences and the youth in Silwan.
June 20, 2021
Jody Sokolower tells a powerful story of resistance and resilience in this beautiful book centered around Palestinian young people in Silwan. For educators interested in including this topic into curriculum, this is an excellent and engaging resource that weaves together contemporary issues, history, interviews, and reflection. This is a book that inspires transnational solidarity, and I’m really looking forward to passing on the messages that Palestinian youth have for young people in the U.S.
Read
March 18, 2022An excellent oral history of and introduction to Palestinian youth resistance from a USamerican perspective and an essential title for any public library collection. Directly refutes American public discourse of framing “the conflict” as a “complicated issue” and forges connections between US and Israeli settler colonialism, as well as resistance to both.
November 5, 2023
Incredible book! A quick read that covers so much history as well as the present day in Palestine. The interviews and stories shed light on the hardships the Palestinians face everyday but also into other aspects of their lives that bring them joy and comfort. An excellent read for anyone interested in learning about Palestine.
May 17, 2022
One of the most impactful books I can remember reading. More people need to know the truth about Israel's colonization of Palestine and the lengths they go to in order to accomplish their goals. Heartbreaking stories focused on the cost to young Palestinian children.
July 7, 2024
Ahistorical, anti-Isarel trash. Completely but not surprisingly ignores the historical fact that the Jews are indigenous to the land that is the subject of this book. No attention paid to the many, many times Palestinian leaders have left their people to suffer instead of choosing peace.
June 1, 2022
Chilling and honest, this is a must-read for everybody. Books like this one need to be part of school curricula.
January 11, 2023
An interesting, easy read..drawing a clear picture of the Palestinian and Israeli
conflict. It gives a deeper understanding of the history of the fight for human rights!
conflict. It gives a deeper understanding of the history of the fight for human rights!
April 4, 2024
A beautiful collection of heartbreaking stories. A quick read, each story, each chapter pulled me in. Opened my mind and my heart and I will never be the same. I wish everyone could read this.
January 20, 2025
An eye opener and I enjoyed how the author made a connection between the struggles of different people groups. It brought those truths closer to home and I was able to understand in a better way.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews