What do you think?
Rate this book
My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story
Gaza is the frontline in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and rarely out of the news, this book explores the daily lives of the people in the region, giving us an insight into what is at risk in each round of violence.
Ramzy Baroud tells his father's fascinating story. Driven out of his village to a refugee camp, he took up arms and fought the occupation at the same time raising a family and trying to do the best for his children. Baroud's vivid and honest account reveals the complex human beings; revolutionaries, great moms and dads, lovers, and comedians that make Gaza so much more than just a disputed territory.
Ramzy Baroud tells his father's fascinating story. Driven out of his village to a refugee camp, he took up arms and fought the occupation at the same time raising a family and trying to do the best for his children. Baroud's vivid and honest account reveals the complex human beings; revolutionaries, great moms and dads, lovers, and comedians that make Gaza so much more than just a disputed territory.
210 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2010
28 people are currently reading
1540 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 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 22, 2013
The more I read about the history of the Palestinian people, the more I am reminded of the history of America’s indigenous people since Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola in 1492. In both cases ethnic cleansing with its accompanying genocide were norms, especially when the indigenous peoples fought back. In both cases the indigenous populations were treated with disrespect, contempt and removal. And in both cases, genocide and ethnic cleansing were denied by the conquerors and their friends. In the public discourse, we’re the good guys, they the villains. As Israeli historian Shlomo Sand says “what history does not wish to relate, it omits,” as if omitting it wipes the slate of history clean. It does not. Eventually, liked or not, truth emerges and has to be faced.
For the Palestinians, many people still believe the old story. Just recently I heard someone say “it’s hard to feel much sympathy for them when they spend so much time killing innocent people.” That’s the approved story, and vested interests would like to keep it that way, but with the advent of the Internet and the vocal voice of Palestinian journalists like Ramzy Baroud, this is rapidly changing. It is way past time that we all hear the Palestinian side of the story of what has happened to them since Israel became a nation in 1948 with the blessing of the UN, the U.S., Britain, France and other European powers. The truth, it is said will make us free when we hear and understand it. It is not always a pleasant experience, nor should it be.
Ramzy Baroud’s book, My Father Was a Freedom Fighter is an important book. It is more than the story of his father, grandfather, their ancestral village of Beit Daras, its obliteration and their flight to Gaza. It is the story of the Palestinian people since 1948 when a well-trained army of 65,000 attacked them, making over 700,000 of them refugees. It is the story of their heroic will to live, to educate themselves, and to provide for their families. It is also the story of constant persecution and agony that culminates in the apocalyptic destruction of Gaza during Israel’s monstrously-named “Operation Cast Lead”.
Ramzy Baroud is a fine writer, his book is well-researched, and the story of his family’s experience one that is easily understood. It doesn’t make for pleasant reading, nor should it. I came away from it with an appetite to learn more. Pick up a copy, read and reread it, quarrel with it, listen, and do more research on your own. That’s what I do.
For the Palestinians, many people still believe the old story. Just recently I heard someone say “it’s hard to feel much sympathy for them when they spend so much time killing innocent people.” That’s the approved story, and vested interests would like to keep it that way, but with the advent of the Internet and the vocal voice of Palestinian journalists like Ramzy Baroud, this is rapidly changing. It is way past time that we all hear the Palestinian side of the story of what has happened to them since Israel became a nation in 1948 with the blessing of the UN, the U.S., Britain, France and other European powers. The truth, it is said will make us free when we hear and understand it. It is not always a pleasant experience, nor should it be.
Ramzy Baroud’s book, My Father Was a Freedom Fighter is an important book. It is more than the story of his father, grandfather, their ancestral village of Beit Daras, its obliteration and their flight to Gaza. It is the story of the Palestinian people since 1948 when a well-trained army of 65,000 attacked them, making over 700,000 of them refugees. It is the story of their heroic will to live, to educate themselves, and to provide for their families. It is also the story of constant persecution and agony that culminates in the apocalyptic destruction of Gaza during Israel’s monstrously-named “Operation Cast Lead”.
Ramzy Baroud is a fine writer, his book is well-researched, and the story of his family’s experience one that is easily understood. It doesn’t make for pleasant reading, nor should it. I came away from it with an appetite to learn more. Pick up a copy, read and reread it, quarrel with it, listen, and do more research on your own. That’s what I do.
January 10, 2020
A moving book told, on a personal level and of historical fact, of the greatest injustice of our time, aided and abetted by those who tout freedom and democracy - the USA.
All should read about the atrocities committed by Israel in the name of some erroneous claim to an historical homeland.
All should read about the atrocities committed by Israel in the name of some erroneous claim to an historical homeland.
January 17, 2024
Ramzy Baroud manages to intermingle the biography of his father Mohammed persuasively with the history of the occupation of Palestine, from the Nakba to 2006. This dual structure made the book feel a bit slow and plodding in parts, especially near the start, but really pays off overall, both humanising a bleak history of civilians-as-statistics while also revealing much that is obscured by the abysmal coverage of Palestine in the news. Above all, this narrative structure exposes the foundational fraud in the colonial mindset that facilitates Israel's genocide; Mohammed was himself as old as the Israeli state.
While Baroud is a journalist rather than historian (and I think this shows in the style and substance), the attention given to historical circumstance and the clarity of explanation is laudable. While he errs in some regards to avoiding full historical or political analysis, the end result is occasionally dry explanations (which get increasingly engaging as the text hits its stride partway through) that succeed in providing effective summaries to those coming to the text with little prior knowledge. Personally I would have loved more analysis of the PFLP and Hamas, both of whom Mohammed is described as supporting at various points as they fought against the relentless dehumanisation of refugees in the Gaza strip - but can appreciate the text sticks to balancing its history with its biography.
Above all, the success of the text lies in piercing the vale that Western-supported Israeli propaganda has cast over the very humanity of Palestinians. In this narrative they are neither terrorists down to the last infant, as the IDF posit, nor nameless and helpless victims whose fate is inevitable, as Western Press posits. Mohammed was a child, whose childhood is stolen as the Nakba forces his parents to flee their home. Mohammed was a son, who watches as his father, wracked with regret, dies while still in the refugee camp, still dreaming that one day he will return to his village, Beit Daras, and find his home waiting there for him. Mohammed was a younger sibling in a newly impoverished household whose hopes of rising from dirt and dust are pinned on his older brother, and who, in a fit of rebellion, escapes from Gaza to briefly travel Egypt. Mohammed was a freedom fighter, who on his return to Gaza joins up with the Egyptian forces at a time when Palestinians still had hope that other Arab countries would help to liberate them from ethnic cleansing. Mohammed was a businessman, who creative dealings stemmed from his refusal of both the betrayal of becoming an Israeli informant or policeman (as other ex-soldiers were coerced into being) and the humiliation of the slave-like conditions many Palestinians were forced to endure as labourers for Israelis. Mohammed was a husband, whose marriage was filled with love - whose wife died of potentially treatable disease when Israel refused to let them leave the Gaza concentration camp for treatment. Mohammed was a parent, who fought with everything he had to give his children a better future, even when this meant his children managed to leave Gaza, and he was left alone, refused a visa by Isreali authorities to even visit his daughter a 20 minute drive away; left alone in his house overlooking the grave of his firstborn, his wife, numerous cousins and countless neighbours and friends - all murdered by various forms of Israeli terror. Mohammed was a respected elder who died at 70 in 2006, in an act of collective punishment inflicted on Gaza in response the the electoral victory of Hamas, Israel cutting off all water and electricity while Ramzy (who he had persuaded to flee to America) listened on the phone to him wheezing as his lungs failed him without the help of his electrical medical apparatus or access to any medicine. Mohammed was a Palestinian in a settler state that denied his humanity, who lived a long life full of love and hope despite the inhuman brutality and cruelty of the settler regime.
Unfortunately, that is where this narrative is forced to end. The position of the Palestinian's in Gaza looked particularly bleak in the last few years of Mohammed's life, with the legacy of Yasser Arafat and the PLO becoming increasingly bitter as they became enforcers of the brutal inequality brought by the Oslo Accords, with corruption only growing as he was replaced after his death (suspected by many Palestinian's at the time to be a poisoning) by Abbas (a puppet who has since repeatedly broken the Palestinian constitution while supporting the blockade of Gaza), and Fateh enacted brutal reprisals against those Palestinians who resisted Israeli occupation. Ramzy recounts his father's horror that after everything they had endured violence was being carried out on Palestinians not only by Israel but also by other Palestinians in lockstep with their occupiers. The situation in Palestine has changed drastically since those days though, in ways that are hinted at in this narrative. The legitimacy of the PLO as spokespersons for Palestinians, left in tatters by years of appeasement towards Israel, was picked up by Hamas after it's victory in the 2006 legislative elections - after which, despite various genocidal reprisals and acts of collective punishment, it has steadily united Palestinian resistance and now leads a united liberation front which includes other liberatory groups included in Baroud's narrative such as the PFLP. I would've personally liked to see more information about how Hamas managed the difficult task of governing within a concentration camp while simultaneously organising for self-liberation, but this is of course outside the scope of his fathers story and shaped by events that Baroud couldn't have predicted - for others interested, there's three books on my to-read list to fill this gap: Hamas: from resistance to regime by Paola Caridi; Decolonizing Palestine: Hamas between the Anticolonial and the Postcolonial by Somdeep Sen; and Gaza under Hamas by Björn Brenner.
In summary, an occasionally slow book but definitely worth the read. I hope that one day, Ramzy can travel to a free Palestine and know that his father is at peace.
While Baroud is a journalist rather than historian (and I think this shows in the style and substance), the attention given to historical circumstance and the clarity of explanation is laudable. While he errs in some regards to avoiding full historical or political analysis, the end result is occasionally dry explanations (which get increasingly engaging as the text hits its stride partway through) that succeed in providing effective summaries to those coming to the text with little prior knowledge. Personally I would have loved more analysis of the PFLP and Hamas, both of whom Mohammed is described as supporting at various points as they fought against the relentless dehumanisation of refugees in the Gaza strip - but can appreciate the text sticks to balancing its history with its biography.
Above all, the success of the text lies in piercing the vale that Western-supported Israeli propaganda has cast over the very humanity of Palestinians. In this narrative they are neither terrorists down to the last infant, as the IDF posit, nor nameless and helpless victims whose fate is inevitable, as Western Press posits. Mohammed was a child, whose childhood is stolen as the Nakba forces his parents to flee their home. Mohammed was a son, who watches as his father, wracked with regret, dies while still in the refugee camp, still dreaming that one day he will return to his village, Beit Daras, and find his home waiting there for him. Mohammed was a younger sibling in a newly impoverished household whose hopes of rising from dirt and dust are pinned on his older brother, and who, in a fit of rebellion, escapes from Gaza to briefly travel Egypt. Mohammed was a freedom fighter, who on his return to Gaza joins up with the Egyptian forces at a time when Palestinians still had hope that other Arab countries would help to liberate them from ethnic cleansing. Mohammed was a businessman, who creative dealings stemmed from his refusal of both the betrayal of becoming an Israeli informant or policeman (as other ex-soldiers were coerced into being) and the humiliation of the slave-like conditions many Palestinians were forced to endure as labourers for Israelis. Mohammed was a husband, whose marriage was filled with love - whose wife died of potentially treatable disease when Israel refused to let them leave the Gaza concentration camp for treatment. Mohammed was a parent, who fought with everything he had to give his children a better future, even when this meant his children managed to leave Gaza, and he was left alone, refused a visa by Isreali authorities to even visit his daughter a 20 minute drive away; left alone in his house overlooking the grave of his firstborn, his wife, numerous cousins and countless neighbours and friends - all murdered by various forms of Israeli terror. Mohammed was a respected elder who died at 70 in 2006, in an act of collective punishment inflicted on Gaza in response the the electoral victory of Hamas, Israel cutting off all water and electricity while Ramzy (who he had persuaded to flee to America) listened on the phone to him wheezing as his lungs failed him without the help of his electrical medical apparatus or access to any medicine. Mohammed was a Palestinian in a settler state that denied his humanity, who lived a long life full of love and hope despite the inhuman brutality and cruelty of the settler regime.
Unfortunately, that is where this narrative is forced to end. The position of the Palestinian's in Gaza looked particularly bleak in the last few years of Mohammed's life, with the legacy of Yasser Arafat and the PLO becoming increasingly bitter as they became enforcers of the brutal inequality brought by the Oslo Accords, with corruption only growing as he was replaced after his death (suspected by many Palestinian's at the time to be a poisoning) by Abbas (a puppet who has since repeatedly broken the Palestinian constitution while supporting the blockade of Gaza), and Fateh enacted brutal reprisals against those Palestinians who resisted Israeli occupation. Ramzy recounts his father's horror that after everything they had endured violence was being carried out on Palestinians not only by Israel but also by other Palestinians in lockstep with their occupiers. The situation in Palestine has changed drastically since those days though, in ways that are hinted at in this narrative. The legitimacy of the PLO as spokespersons for Palestinians, left in tatters by years of appeasement towards Israel, was picked up by Hamas after it's victory in the 2006 legislative elections - after which, despite various genocidal reprisals and acts of collective punishment, it has steadily united Palestinian resistance and now leads a united liberation front which includes other liberatory groups included in Baroud's narrative such as the PFLP. I would've personally liked to see more information about how Hamas managed the difficult task of governing within a concentration camp while simultaneously organising for self-liberation, but this is of course outside the scope of his fathers story and shaped by events that Baroud couldn't have predicted - for others interested, there's three books on my to-read list to fill this gap: Hamas: from resistance to regime by Paola Caridi; Decolonizing Palestine: Hamas between the Anticolonial and the Postcolonial by Somdeep Sen; and Gaza under Hamas by Björn Brenner.
In summary, an occasionally slow book but definitely worth the read. I hope that one day, Ramzy can travel to a free Palestine and know that his father is at peace.
July 9, 2016
When I first came across the title of this book, My Father was a Freedom Fighter, I thought, "How brave". Anyone with any connection to the Middle East understands the risk such a statement makes. This is especially true after 9-11 and even more so in the wake of terrorist attacks abroad from so-called Islamists. The book is told in three perspectives: historical, personal, and first account. Readers are taken on the unfortunate journey of Ramzy Baroud's family from their native village of Beit Daras to the refugee camps of Gaza. The journey is well documented and supported by academic research, the author's personal interviews and stories handed down by his family, and those narrated by the elderly women of Beit Daras, such as Um Mohammad and Um Adel. We learn about Baroud's father, Mohammad, and his struggle for recognition and a final return to his village. We're also exposed to the suffering of the people of Gaza, as well as their resilience and commitment to life and living. Unlike other books that cover the Palestinian's dispossession, Baroud breaks the monotony and sadness of their suffering with a touch of humor that stems from fond memories of his youth. It's a book that should be read by anyone who wants to understand how a people can still learn to live despite a brutal occupation.
December 11, 2023
❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹
May 3, 2016
Great introduction to the plight of the Palestinian people. The book manages to blend personal history with that of Palestine, and Gaza in particular. It debunks common misconceptions about the peace process as well as the creation of Israel and destroys the misrepresentation of Gaza in the media. Underscores the reasons why many Palestinians rejected the Oslo-accords and why they resent the corrupt and authoritarian P.A.
A good book for those who wonder; Why armed struggle? Why Hamas? Why the first intifada? Or the second one? It helps to understand the Palestinian struggle and mindset. More importantly; it humanizes the resistance by adding emotions like humiliation to the narrative.
Vivid, and well written. Full of compassion and heart.
A good book for those who wonder; Why armed struggle? Why Hamas? Why the first intifada? Or the second one? It helps to understand the Palestinian struggle and mindset. More importantly; it humanizes the resistance by adding emotions like humiliation to the narrative.
Vivid, and well written. Full of compassion and heart.
June 4, 2020
There are very few books that leave such a huge impact on me that I end up seeing myself as pre- and post- that book. This is one of those few. As an Arab and a Muslim that belongs to an oppressed people, the Palestinian cause has always been close my heart. I grew up seeing images of young Palestinian boys facing soldiers with nothing but bare chests and stones.
This was a painful book to read, and my progress was slow because the facts, the numbers, the details made my blood boil. But throughout, I kept thinking the same thing: if this is how reading it makes me feel, how did the author manage to write it?? To not only research and add facts and numbers and quotes, but to do that while knowing that he is describing his own people. His grandparents being forced to flee their own home. His father being forced to beg as a young boy to help provide for the family. His mother dying after being beaten by Israeli soldiers and not getting proper medical help. His father dying alone in a refugee camp because "it was determined that it was too great a risk for the security and the well-being of the State of Israel (..) to grant him a permit to enter the West Bank for treatment, or at least to die in the company of his sons". It is beyond me how the Palestinian people have survived all the oppression, all the injustice, and all the times they were abandoned by supposed allies.
The author says: "One would think that a place seemingly accustomed to death like Gaza would tire from keeping track of its victims, especially when there are so many to count. But the Strip's victims, old or new, are never mere numbers, but people with names, faces and families; their posters adorn the scruffy and decaying walls of every refugee camp."
This is a book that I will keep. It is a book that I will pass on to my children. And I will explain to them that the VERY LEAST we can do is to listen to what the Palestinians have to say. To acknowledge their suffering and amplify their voices. And most importantly: to never forget.
This was a painful book to read, and my progress was slow because the facts, the numbers, the details made my blood boil. But throughout, I kept thinking the same thing: if this is how reading it makes me feel, how did the author manage to write it?? To not only research and add facts and numbers and quotes, but to do that while knowing that he is describing his own people. His grandparents being forced to flee their own home. His father being forced to beg as a young boy to help provide for the family. His mother dying after being beaten by Israeli soldiers and not getting proper medical help. His father dying alone in a refugee camp because "it was determined that it was too great a risk for the security and the well-being of the State of Israel (..) to grant him a permit to enter the West Bank for treatment, or at least to die in the company of his sons". It is beyond me how the Palestinian people have survived all the oppression, all the injustice, and all the times they were abandoned by supposed allies.
The author says: "One would think that a place seemingly accustomed to death like Gaza would tire from keeping track of its victims, especially when there are so many to count. But the Strip's victims, old or new, are never mere numbers, but people with names, faces and families; their posters adorn the scruffy and decaying walls of every refugee camp."
This is a book that I will keep. It is a book that I will pass on to my children. And I will explain to them that the VERY LEAST we can do is to listen to what the Palestinians have to say. To acknowledge their suffering and amplify their voices. And most importantly: to never forget.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2012
A moving account of one man's experience of losing his home and ultimately his hope living under the brutal and unjust Israeli occupation of Gaza. This book provides a valuable human face to the long suffering Palestinian refugees as well as the historical context to the current situation in Gaza.
September 14, 2015
An amazing marriage of historical facts and personal narration. As much as I liked the simplicity of characterization and language, smooth moving between chapters, description of intellectual and daily life in pre-1948 occupation towns and cities, I lived the diaspora pains experienced by Mohammed Baroud's family of Beit Darras
June 19, 2019
Beautiful and terrible to bear witness to. Despite including a lot of names, dates, numbers, and historical accounts of battles and resistance (which normally I find hard to follow), this book read more like a novel than a difficult history book and made Palestine's history come alive through the story of his family. Recommend.
April 30, 2024
This mf does not know how to make falafel
May 16, 2025
Brilliantly balances both the political and personal history of Gaza. It was published in 2010, and it’s so deflating to know what else is to come. One of the greatest injustices of our time.
May 4, 2024
10. I’ve read copious amount of Palestinian literature, fiction and non. This books changes you. It’s a strong blend of history and personal stories. I felt so many emotions reading it, it lodged itself deep in my heart.
“The day he died, his faithful radio was lying on the pillow close to his ear so that even then he might catch the announcement for which he had waited for so long. He wanted to comprehend his dispossession as a simple glitch in the world’s consciousness that was sure to be corrected and straightened out in time. He was not mindful of balances of power, regional geopolitics, or other trivial matters. But it is not as if Grandpa was not a keen man, for he certainly was in all worldly matters of relevance to his humble existence. But he decidedly refused to entertain any rationale that would mean the acceptance of an eternal divorce from a past that defined every fiber of his being.”
“The day he died, his faithful radio was lying on the pillow close to his ear so that even then he might catch the announcement for which he had waited for so long. He wanted to comprehend his dispossession as a simple glitch in the world’s consciousness that was sure to be corrected and straightened out in time. He was not mindful of balances of power, regional geopolitics, or other trivial matters. But it is not as if Grandpa was not a keen man, for he certainly was in all worldly matters of relevance to his humble existence. But he decidedly refused to entertain any rationale that would mean the acceptance of an eternal divorce from a past that defined every fiber of his being.”
November 21, 2023
This was a tough book to read: in light of all that's happened since October 7th and the relentless slaughter that Israel has unleashed upon Gaza during this second Nakba, it was just emotionally heart-breaking and draining. Ramzy Baroud, who is an excellent writer and a pragmatic chronicler of the Palestinian struggle, writes lovingly about his father who never stopped dreaming of going back home to his village of Beit Daras. A life lived for 70 years under various guises of occupation, all of it brutal and dehumanizing, and yet never gave up his dream, and continued to hope -at the end of the day- he could pass that dream on to his children. This is the amazing thing about the Palestinian people. Ben Gurion famously said that the old would die and the young would forget, but he vastly underestimated the resolve of the oppressed.
January 21, 2024
Instead of forming unfounded opinions about the current situation in Gaza and Israel, I've decided to read about the history of this region and conflict. My Father Was a Freedom Fighter provides an important Gazan historical and lived perspective of the Palestinian Israeli conflict. After reading this book and a few others, I have little hope for the region and its peoples. However, I am trying to hold on to the belief that by learning more, by understanding multiple viewpoints, and by demonstrating these approaches, people can start to feel empathy and change can slowly occur.
November 16, 2025
video book review: https://youtu.be/ar72vjGX1bw
As I say in the review, this book can serve as a short and simple one-volume Palestinian-perspective summary of the hundred years' war on Palestine. Baroud pays tribute to his own family's history, sharing shocking and humorous stories, while also offering a running commentary on what was happening in the bigger picture as his family survived from day to day.
As I say in the review, this book can serve as a short and simple one-volume Palestinian-perspective summary of the hundred years' war on Palestine. Baroud pays tribute to his own family's history, sharing shocking and humorous stories, while also offering a running commentary on what was happening in the bigger picture as his family survived from day to day.
January 23, 2024
They were disorganized and desperate, but determined to fight the oppressive nature of the colonial project underway in Palestine, the increasing orders of land evictions, the loss of land, livelihoods, and even worse, honor.
Selain tanah para Nabi, Palestina dijuluki tanah para pemberani—menurutku buku ini salah satu buktinya.
Selain tanah para Nabi, Palestina dijuluki tanah para pemberani—menurutku buku ini salah satu buktinya.
April 7, 2019
Loved this book. The author did a great job of explaining about life in Palestine before the English left, when Egypt and other countries tried to take control, and up to present day. Palestine deserves to be its own country. Free Palestine!
December 27, 2023
Truly captivating read… truly shows the resilience of Gaza’s people over the years in the face of relentless injustice and oppression. This book also provides a lot of contextual historical and political analysis.
November 24, 2023
Another memoir that goes deep into the personal and political struggles of the author's father, Mohammad #Baroud, and the larger Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice. The book takes you on a journey through the events from the #Nakba (the expulsion of #Palestinians from their homes in 1948) to the present day.
Baroud's ability to blend his personal storytelling with historical context is nothing short of masterful. As I immersed myself into the pages of this memoir, I found myself not only connecting with the author's family but also with the larger narrative of the Palestinian people.
The way this is written is both eloquent and accessible, and it allowed me to understand more the struggles, hopes, and dreams of his father and the countless Palestinians who have fought for their rights. The stories he shares are heart-wrenching, illustrating the immense pain and loss experienced by his family and their community.
What struck me most was the #resilience and strength of the Palestinian people, as portrayed through the experiences of Mohammad Baroud and the countless others who have fought for their freedom. Despite facing unimaginable hardships, they continue to resist and strive for justice. And this is exactly what we have all witnessed today, never losing hope. Never giving up, but taking each catastrophe and becoming even stronger each time.
Baroud's ability to blend his personal storytelling with historical context is nothing short of masterful. As I immersed myself into the pages of this memoir, I found myself not only connecting with the author's family but also with the larger narrative of the Palestinian people.
The way this is written is both eloquent and accessible, and it allowed me to understand more the struggles, hopes, and dreams of his father and the countless Palestinians who have fought for their rights. The stories he shares are heart-wrenching, illustrating the immense pain and loss experienced by his family and their community.
What struck me most was the #resilience and strength of the Palestinian people, as portrayed through the experiences of Mohammad Baroud and the countless others who have fought for their freedom. Despite facing unimaginable hardships, they continue to resist and strive for justice. And this is exactly what we have all witnessed today, never losing hope. Never giving up, but taking each catastrophe and becoming even stronger each time.
March 27, 2024
Excellent generational record and also a quicker look at the history of Palestine than say Khalidi's The Hundred Years War. USians would do well do read this one to combat the mostly pro-Israel position that dominates the government, media, and everything else. It emphasizes the essential point missing from the conversation - no peace agreement has ever addressed right of return, end to occupation, settlement removal, etc and instead focuses solely on Israeli security and hands Palestinians a list of demands it must comply with - OR ELSE. Other myths are also addressed, but that one was well- stated and much needed now.
You'll also get a much better look at what Hamas is and isn't, what the elections meant, and how it resulted in the complete imprisonment of the population.
I hope one can see how these genocide efforts happen every few years. It isn't a cycle of violence or two sides, but a colonial power trying to displace the indigenous population.
You'll also get a much better look at what Hamas is and isn't, what the elections meant, and how it resulted in the complete imprisonment of the population.
I hope one can see how these genocide efforts happen every few years. It isn't a cycle of violence or two sides, but a colonial power trying to displace the indigenous population.
December 30, 2024
Bought this off Amazon way back in 2010, only gotten round to finish it now. Thsi is a deeply personal and moving account of life under Israeli occupation. Baroud’s storytelling humanises the Palestinian struggle with grace and honesty, with a narrative that is rich with history and emotion. A poignant reminder of resilience and hope amidst adversity. May Allah grant eternal happiness to the author's late father and recently martyred sister.
Read
November 5, 2018This isn't a bad book at all. It's just so full of political details that after a while it was too hard for me to follow. I thought that the personal part is too tiny compared to the political explanations. But I already know more about Palestine than I did before, so it was worth it.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews