Her First Palestinian

by Saeed Teebi

Elegant, surprising stories about Palestinian immigrants in Canada navigating their identities in circumstances that push them to the emotional brink.

Saeed Teebi’s intense, engrossing stories plunge into the lives of characters grappling with their experiences as Palestinian immigrants to Canada. A doctor teaches his girlfriend about his country, only for her to fall into a consuming obsession with the Middle East conflict. A math professor risks his family’s destruction by slandering the king of a despotic, oil-rich country. A university student invents an imaginary girlfriend to fit in with his callous, womanizing roommates. A lawyer takes on the impossible mission of becoming a body smuggler. A lonely widower travels to Russia in search of a movie starlet he met in his youth in historical Jaffa. A refugee who escaped violent circumstances rebels against the kindness of his sponsor. These taut and compelling stories engage the immigrant experience and reflect the Palestinian diaspora with grace and insight.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, Canada, Middle East, Adult Fiction, Book Club

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2022

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A varied short story collection about Palestinian Canadians living in Toronto. Saeed Teebi did a nice job showing the heterogeneity of the Palestinian lived experience and themes included navigating complicated family dynamics, the consequences of engaging in activism, and self-doubt and self-confidence. While the writing in this collection didn’t grab my attention or wow me, I’m very much here for promoting Palestinian authors and they’re incredibly important work.

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, that was some delightful writing.

Every line came across as polished and intentional but not in a way that was stifling or heavy. Each story was strong enough and different enough from the others to stand on its own and not become a muddled. The characters each had their particular voice, and they were varied in a way that felt honest, which I loved.

While there is a fair bit of heartbreak and heavy topics in there this book is really more about the diasporic experience than about Trauma. I think this part makes it a uniquely important read at this point in time.

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palestinian Diaspora Shorts
Review of the Astoria (House of Anansi Press) paperback (August 22, 2022)

This was an excellent collection of short stories, each of which approached the Palestinian immigrant experience from very disparate views and situations. I had expected that there would be more about activism and politics, but these stories were much more universal. You can relate to many of them simply based on the immigrant experience. They are stories of people and families displaced from their homelands.

My story summaries are setups only, and hopefully won’t be considered spoilers. The book’s own synopsis also describes several of these as well. None of these were lower than 4s and several were strong 5s, making for a 5 rating overall.

1. Her First Palestinian **** A Palestinian Canadian doctor teaches his Canadian lawyer girlfriend about Palestinians and then finds he is losing her to her activism. You can read this story online at the CBC.
2. Do Not Write About the King ***** The head of a Palestinian family, who immigrated to Canada via Saudi Arabia, tries to discourage his son from writing disparaging comments about ‘The Kingdom’ on his online blog.
3. Cynthia ***** An otherwise shy of relationships Palestinian-Canadian student (immigrated to Canada via Amman) at the University of Toronto invents a fictitious Canadian girlfriend named Cynthia in an attempt to better fit in with his housemates.
4. The Body ***** Sam, an articling student at a Toronto law firm is assigned a seemingly impossible task to facilitate the return of the body of the deceased son of a high-profile client to Toronto from Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario overnight, against all coroner’s rules.
5. Ushanka ***** An old Palestinian man travels to Moscow in search of the Russian starlet which he met in his youth, many years previously when she visited Yafa in Palestine. He gave her oranges (a reference to the book cover photo) and she gifted him a ushanka (Russian: a winter cap with ear flaps, usually lined with fur or faux fur)
6. At the Benefit **** Kasir, a Palestinian refugee, bristles at being used as a spectacle for donors at fundraising events held by his immigration sponsor.
7. Woodland **** Shareef (whose family is in Abu Dhabi) and Noor (whose family is in Algeria) travel around Southern Ontario looking for antiques and art at various small town auctions.
8. The Reflected Sky ***** The funniest story. A house-sitter leaves dozens of sticky post-it-notes around an apartment which he lived in, which are meant to welcome back its actual tenant upon her return. The notes make commentary about the articles in the apartment. Then there is a double-twist ending.
9. Enjoy Your Life, Capo ***** Romero and Capo (the nickname given by Romero to his Palestinian-Canadian partner) are building a breathing recognition app for medical purposes, but which may have intelligence / military uses. Capo's activist daughter is unaware of the implications.

*Thank* you to my non-GR friend Tony for this most excellent book!

Other Reviews
A review and interview at Saeed Teebi Celebrates Palestinian Identity and Community in New Story Collection, by Eva Zhu, October 5, 2022.

A Palestinian-Canadian review at MontrealSerai, by Zachary Couture, January 11, 2023.

Trivia and Links
A book launch was hosted on September 21, 2022 at the Toronto Palestinian Film Festival and you can read an article and watch a video about the launch here.

[Shagufta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a FIVE STAR READ. It is textured and bold and surprisingly and beautiful and made me oh so homesick for Toronto. This is an important and needed read.

[Emmkay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong, engaging short story collection centered on Palestinian Canadians in Toronto and its environs. As with any collection, some stories drew me in more than others. Especially memorable ones were:

- “Her First Palestinian,” in which the main character’s non-Palestinian girlfriend becomes increasingly enthusiastic about Palestinian culture and struggles
- “Ushanka,” in which an elderly Palestinian man visits Moscow looking for an actress he encountered in Palestine as a teenager in 1947
- “Do Not Write About the King,” in which a young academic at a Canadian university can’t bring himself to agree to his father’s request to remove a snide reference to the country where they used to live from his blog
- “Enjoy Your Life, Capo,” in which an entrepreneur thinks that he’s finally going to get a break when he receives an offer for his invention.

Timely when published, and all the more timely now. I also enjoyed reading this interview in Canadian Lawyer of the author: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/features/lawyers-book-of-short-stories-highlights-experiences-of-the-palestinian-diaspora/368758 .

[Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nine short stories, all about the Palestinian diaspora in Canada make this book up. I loved reading each of them - but my favourite was Ushanka! All of these stories bring to life the richness of the Palestinian community. The book references the impacts of the occupation on characters and their families, but only in the background. It instead focuses on the stories of the individuals - so impt when everything in the west (media, school) has erased the individuality of Palestinians.

[julz · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love this person’s writing. i don’t think i’m a big fan of short stories as a format and i kept getting pissed because every new story i read was so interesting and everytime it ended and went to something completely new that didn’t have connecting characters or intertwined storylines i was annoyed but that’s literally the only negative thing i can say. i enjoyed this :) also so trippy reading stories about the middle eastern community in mississauga and toronto

[Judith Vives · Rating 4 out of 5]

!!! qué bueno qué bueno

her first palestinian es una colección de relatos sobre inmigrantes palestinos en canadá. me ha gustado mucho que, siendo tan completa y vasta la experiencia palestina, este libro se centrase en un grupo tan concreto (al final, el autor bebe directamente de su experiencia y de lo que conoce).

siempre valoro la cohesión temática (o al menos, de sensaciones) en una colección de relatos, así que: check. el estilo de escritura también me ha parecido limpio, emocional, muy sólido durante todos los ensayos. creo que mete mucha textura a los personajes masculinos, incluyendo acciones misóginas, frustrantes... pero siempre con un objetivo en el ensayo y con control por parte del autor.

no se lleva las cinco estrellas porque un par de ensayos me han dejado un poco indiferente, pero los que me han impactado.... han sido muy fuertes. en concreto, creo que el último relato (enjoy your life, capo) es de lo mejor que he leído en mi vida. me dejó dos horas mirando el techo de la habitación sin poder dormir tras leerlo, y he seguido pensando en él, sin exagerar, cada día. "ushanka" ha sido otro de mis favoritos, y estuve con la lagrimita en el ojo en varias ocasiones.

lo recomiendo muchíshimo!!

[janeee :D · Rating 4 out of 5]

free palestine till its backwards

this was genuinely so good,,,, each story was memorable and packed a punch save for woodland and the reflected sky . would recommend to anyone but especially right now that its important to center palestinian voices . gahh this was genuinely so evocative and GOOD like yk what this reminded me of a lot actually,,, bliss montage by ling ma . yaya so if u want a book similar to that , pick up her first palestinian . actually just pick this up period . 3.5 !!!

edit on march 6 - what was i thinking this is a 4 lemme change it

[Enid Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This is a debut collection? Wow….. they are so polished… yet simultaneously raw, on account of the subject matter and treatment.

This collection takes a no holds barred approach to bringing the lives of the members of the Palestinian diaspora into sharp detail.

Such an important work. Can’t wait to read what he writes next.

[Salty Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant and moving collection of stories centered around Palestinians living in Canada. Each one shows off a deep love of the Palestinian diaspora for the land and people they've left behind, for the country ravaged by an unforgivable and inhumane genocide. The final story - Enjoy Your Life, Capo - absolutely destroyed me. It tells a story of a Palestinian tech guru who sells his breathing recognition app to IDF, who plan to use it to murder his people. Meanwhile, his teen daughter gets censored by her school for posting a pic of a Palestinian revolutionary on her social media. The divergent moral stance between the father and his offspring make for a harrowing tale. Absolutely essential and prescient collection.

[Hala Khalaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in a beautiful bookstore in Prince Edward County, browsing, inhaling that quintessential bookstore smell, when my husband appeared at my elbow, brandishing this small, yellow book. “Check this out,” he said, knowing I’d gravitate to the word “Palestinian” in the title. A quick glance, and I immediately resolved to buy this book, despite my usual dislike towards short story collections; I prefer my novels meaty, with weight to them, promising long hours of escapism. Short stories, to me, leave too much space for thoughts to swirl, which did not appeal to someone who wanted thoughts suspended when lost in a book.

I will forever be grateful to my husband for finding this book for me. It is a treasure of a find, and I have already started rereading sections that I want to highlight, because so much of these stories resonate with me.

This is a debut for the author, who must never, ever stop writing, never stop observing the complexities of humanity, never stop reflecting the feelings of belonging, or not quite belonging at all. Written with empathy, insight, acute observance - these stories of Palestinians living their lives in Canada, their realities as immigrants, are nuanced and intelligent and heartbreaking while still showing so much humour and understand as well. Nine stories in total, stories that are masterful in their telling, stories that are rich and tragic and so elegantly and eloquently told.

My favourite has to be “Enjoy Your Life, Capo”. With “Ushanka” being a close second. “Do Not Write About The King” was triggering and filled me with rage. It’s a book that stirs your feelings and all your emotions.

So so intuitive. Loved it. Cannot recommend enough!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love saeed teebi’s writing style. It shapes characters so faithfully and his stories don't sugarcoat our existence or make us into ‘single story’ one dimensional heroic deities like so many stories about palestinians do. Instead he gives shape to the turmoil, the angst and the different positions and opinions diasporic palestinians work through. Each story painting an individual and not a persona. To end the collection on a note of guilt and remorse was a choice. One that drags us to question our complicity and complacency living in the comforts of the west as people intrinsically and dutifully tied to what we were ripped from in the east.

[sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diasporic stories about living in a land that is not quite yours while watching a land that was yours be taken away.

[Raheleh Abbasinejad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably good. Totally recommend!

[Mizuki Giffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story Ushanka in this collection is one of the best short stories I've ever read

[Samantha Matta · Rating 5 out of 5]

these short stories were so well written! it took you behind the scenes of Palestinian people and families outside of Palestine to show all aspects of their lives—the normalcy, the struggles, and at times the disconnect from the plight of their people back in the motherland. each story was realistic but also had a slight shock factor, which was always moderate enough to be believable but still be interesting. it was also fun to see how he explained certain arabic words with somewhat complex meanings. would love to read more from this author!

[MsArdychan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please Note: I received an advance copy of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading Her First Palestinian, by Saeed Teebi. I often find the short story format to be less than satisfying. Just as you start to know who the characters are, the story is finished. But I found this collection of short stories immediately compelling. Each story is complete and satisfying to the reader. I could see this as a movie.

What I liked:

Format/Setting:

I am usually not a fan of the short story format. But this device is used to great effect by the author in this book. Instead of looking at how they came to be in Canada, the stories focus on the immediate issues at hand: relationships with non-Palestinians, fitting in with other Canadians, and guilt for leaving family behind.

I have lived in other countries, and I can tell you that it is a challenge to find ways to fit in. Often, expats gravitate towards other expats for the comfort and familiarity of speaking their native language. It takes a lot to integrate into another society, and I have tremendous respect for people who do that. This book grapples with that challenge to figure out social norms, while still retaining your own sense of self.

Characters:

There is so much variation to the different characters. The reader will feel empathy with some, but not all, of them. This is smart. Not every immigrant will be a good person. I'm thinking of one story in particular. This person is a stalker! But his being a creep is not because he is from Palestine, it's because he is just a bad person. Every society has them (sadly). I appreciated that the author shows the good, and the bad, of human nature.

But most of the characters have dilemmas that are extremely relatable. The moral choices we make at work when we realize our company is doing something repugnant. The feelings of being used by another in a relationship. The guilt we have if we've been successful while others in our family are struggling. The particular situations in this book may be unique to Palestinian immigrants, but the underlying emotions are universal.

[Nashwa S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first set of short stories that I’ve picked up in a while after hearing the author speak at a book launch. The stories in this book are well-written, delivering the plight not only of P*lestinians living in Palestine, but the Palestinians living in diaspora in Canada. Each story is rooted in authenticity, each offering a unique perspective. The build up to the stories is brilliant with endings that pay off really well. That’s a hard thing to pull off in short forms of fiction but Teebi did it.

Highly recommend 🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, but its concise nature does nothing to diminish the sadness and melancholy in each of the stories in this collection. As usual, I found a couple of stories that didn't speak to me...but they were more than outnumbered by the rest...which resonated with loss and defeat, but also insidious moments of optimism. Highly recommended.

[abby ❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

maybe this turned me into a short story collections girl

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory reading; beautiful writing.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Her first palestinian is a short story collection about Palestinian emigrants who had to leave their motherland and are now living in Canada.

The stories include a variety of characters, some left Palestine due to the genocide, others are children that were born in Canada and only visited Palestine during a short period of time, others only heard stories about the country.

All of the short stories are well constructed and although there were some I didn’t enjoy as much they are there to humanize palestinians. Very few stories are about the conflict itself, but how palestinians live their daily life in a different country than their own. Consequently it shows how the genocide affects their personal lives, even if they are so far away.

"I cloaked my origins as well as I could. If pressed, I offered a summary statement: my parents are from the Middle East, or something equally bland and untraceable."

A big theme throughout the book is identity, some characters hide the fact that they’re palestinians, others say it proudly only to be encountered with oposition, rejection and anti-semitism claims.

The writing is accessible, it is clear that Teebi wanted this book to reach a wild audience, not only those who were familiar with arab traditions, but people from all around the world. It is simple, but direct, however it doesn’t take away from the stories, if anything it adds to it, these are just normal people narrating their lives.

"Most of all, I thought of the mountains that hugged our tiny village, that circumscribed our world. I missed those mountains, even if I always longed to escape their embrace."

I enjoyed how each short story had a different voice and that the reader can distinguish them. We don’t get confused about which story are we reading now, the difference is clear.

“My understanding is that the family would like to get the body to their home country so they can perform the funeral rites themselves, in their traditional way,” he said. “It’s an admirable purpose, isn’t it? You would understand that more than anybody.”> *“My understanding is that the family would like to get the body to their home country so they can perform the funeral rites themselves, in their traditional way,” he said. “It’s an admirable purpose, isn’t it? You would understand that more than anybody.”

This collection dives deeply into the microagressions arabs suffer, especially in the West. Always being asked where they are from or in cases like the excert above, that the traditions in all arab countries are the same.

Watching these microagressions happen through the eyes of the characters that we were following, it felt as if they had been directed at you. You could understand them right away as you were inside their head. However, most of the times they were never addressed, because the character was so used to them. Knowing this happens regularly in the real world just seems dystopian, but it was a point Teebi adressed extremelly well.

Mohsen had managed to emigrate as a young man long ago, establishing himself and starting a family. He returned to Gaza every few years — the ajnabi cousin, the foreigner — with his well-tended teeth and sunscreen-preserved skin (…) “How lucky you are,” he would say, taking languorous looks around, “to still have our homeland’s air cool the pupils of your eyes every day.” But everyone in Mohsen’s company would have traded places with him any day

The stories about emigration where without a doubt my favourites. It explores both sides, those who move to another country and those who stay behind and face the consequences. The ressentment of watching your family leave but knowing you'd do the same if the opportunity was granted. The way emigration takes away your identity and that you’d wish to say in your motherland, but knowing it isn’t safe. These were all adressed with care and it gave a new perspective.

What I want most is silence. Since the tumult started, since children began to be unearthed from the rubble of downed buildings, I ache for silence"

Palestinians are constantly bombarded with the awful news that their homeland is suffering. Sometimes it gets too much and these short stories address it in the most heartbreak way possible. What is it like for normal people, who are not activist, to deal with the fact that their home is disapearing? I could put all the quotes I underlined here, but then i'd be spoiling the book.

I urge everyone to read this collection, it gives us great insight into normal daily lives of emigrants and there are interesting concepts to be debated here.

My rating of the stories:

⇒ Her first palestinian: 3 stars
⇒ Do not write about the king: 5 stars
⇒ Cynthia: 4 stars
⇒ Body: 5 stars.
⇒ Ushanka: 5 stars.
⇒ At the benefit: 4.5 stars
⇒ Woodland: 4.5 stars
⇒ The reflected sky: 3 stars
⇒ Enjoy your life, capo: 5 stars

[Maggie Ghobrial · Rating 5 out of 5]

the ending of this book will stick with me for life…..an absolute must read

[Dina]

Saeed Teebi really captures the essence of being palestinian in diaspora in all its varieties in these stories…

[Sam Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another SACK book club book 😎 there were some short stories that I’d rate 5 stars, and some that I just didn’t quite get as much. Overall informative, enjoyable, and really funny!

[christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

an incredible and memorable read. these short stories reveal the many complexities of the palestinian diaspora. the melancholic undertone throughout these stories adds to the uniqueness of this book and i really enjoyed the author's writing overall. ushanka, the reflected sky, and enjoy your life, capo were my favourites. the ending will stick with me for a while.

[Zainab Bint Younus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the stories were meh. Several were downright rubbish. A couple were actually good.

The final one - "Enjoy Your Life, Capo" - was painfully, brutally real.

A Palestinian software developer invents tech intended to help people with breathing issues, against the backdrop of BLM and Sheikh Jarrah, for which his daughter campaigns endlessly

The ending twist was just... oof. Skip the whole book except this story. Damn.

[Bahareh Mostafazadeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that stays with you. Like something happens and you remember one of the stories. Or you go back to thinking about one because you feel like you still haven't really processed the ending or the characters.

[Tracy Hollen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars