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Stranger in My Own Land: Palestine, Israel and One Family's Story of Home
After the 1993 Oslo Accords, a handful of Palestinians were allowed to return to their hometowns in Israel. Fida Jiryis and her family were among them.
This beautifully written memoir tells the story of their journey, which is also the story of Palestine, from the Nakba to the present-a seventy-five-year tale of conflict, exodus, occupation, return and search for belonging, seen through the eyes of one writer and her family. Jiryis reveals how her father, Sabri, a PLO leader and advisor to Yasser Arafat, chose exile in 1970 because of his work. Her own childhood in Beirut was shaped by regional tensions, the Lebanese Civil War and the 1982 Israeli invasion, which led to her mother's death. Thirteen years later, the family made an unexpected return to Fassouta, their village of origin in the Galilee. But Fida, twenty-two years old and full of love for her country, had no idea what she was getting into.
Stranger in My Own Land chronicles a desperate, at times surreal, search for a homeland between the Galilee, the West Bank and the diaspora, asking difficult questions about what the right of return would mean for the millions of Palestinians waiting to come 'home'.
This beautifully written memoir tells the story of their journey, which is also the story of Palestine, from the Nakba to the present-a seventy-five-year tale of conflict, exodus, occupation, return and search for belonging, seen through the eyes of one writer and her family. Jiryis reveals how her father, Sabri, a PLO leader and advisor to Yasser Arafat, chose exile in 1970 because of his work. Her own childhood in Beirut was shaped by regional tensions, the Lebanese Civil War and the 1982 Israeli invasion, which led to her mother's death. Thirteen years later, the family made an unexpected return to Fassouta, their village of origin in the Galilee. But Fida, twenty-two years old and full of love for her country, had no idea what she was getting into.
Stranger in My Own Land chronicles a desperate, at times surreal, search for a homeland between the Galilee, the West Bank and the diaspora, asking difficult questions about what the right of return would mean for the millions of Palestinians waiting to come 'home'.
392 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2023
37 people are currently reading
652 people want to read
About the author
Fida Jiryis
5 books2 followersFida Jiryis is a writer and editor who has written on life as a Palestinian in Israel and the West Bank.
She contributed to Kingdom of Olives and Ash, a Washington Post bestseller on fifty years of Israeli occupation, and Amputated Tongue, a Hebrew-language anthology of Palestinian literature.
She contributed to Kingdom of Olives and Ash, a Washington Post bestseller on fifty years of Israeli occupation, and Amputated Tongue, a Hebrew-language anthology of Palestinian literature.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 28, 2024
Strong and painful book. FREE PALESTINE
December 17, 2023
“The notion that we were trying to live our lives and make the most of a terrible situation rang hollow. We were all burying our head in the sand, until our turn came”
An excellent eye-opening book. Eventually there will be freedom, justice, human rights and equality
An excellent eye-opening book. Eventually there will be freedom, justice, human rights and equality
January 11, 2023
Personalized political history. Best book I have read on the subject in quite some time. A greater understanding of Middle East history since 1948 and how it impacted the lives of the people.
August 26, 2024
I can't explain how heartbreaking yet eye-opening this book is. Sitting down and reading Jiryis' family story and witnessing the Nakba, intifadas, and decades of forced displacement through their eyes means grieving the losses alongside them, celebrating the happiness, and feeling the anger and rage. I wish I could give every Palestinian a hug, I wish I could keep them safe from Israeli zionists, I wish for a Free Palestine.
September 25, 2023
Ouch. There's a bubble I didn't know I had burst. This is a first hand account of the cruelty that Israel visits on its Palestinean "citizens" (and most of it before the nation-state law and other nonsense). I'm taking parts with a grain of salt, because it's clear from a few mistakes, but the overall impression is that there are some major problems in Israel (like, worse than I thought).
That said, excuse you, lady, it's the Western Wall.
(Also, she refers to the first Gulf War as Desert Shield, when it became Desert Storm when the attack happened, which is why I'm questioning the fact checking.)
That said, excuse you, lady, it's the Western Wall.
(Also, she refers to the first Gulf War as Desert Shield, when it became Desert Storm when the attack happened, which is why I'm questioning the fact checking.)
March 9, 2024
What an amazing book! The author writes fluently, making it easy to understand and connect with the content. As an Israeli, reading this book was a powerful experience, allowing me to emotionally connect with the Palestinian experience under occupation.
September 28, 2024
A wonderful interwoven account of her personal and political history. I learnt much about the history of Palestine and the resilience and humanity of Palestinians.
July 25, 2025
It’s soooo dense and definitely a little biased, but I learned so much and am really glad I read it at this moment in history.
November 14, 2025
An exhaustive and thoroughly researched oeuvre, but very personal at the same time!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews