Under Olive Trees: The Odyssey of a Palestinian-American Family

by Sally Bahous

When Israel attacked Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria on June 5, 1967, husband and wife, Sally Bahous and Delmas Allen, knew that to ensure their safety they must soon leave Beirut, Lebanon, which had been their home for the last four years. With their three young children-Carrie, Jimbo, and Sudie-they boarded the USS Exilona bound for the United States. At that time more than forty years ago, author Sally Bahous didn't realize she would never return to Beirut. Based on letters Sally and Delmas wrote to their parents during the four years they lived in Beirut, this memoir vividly conveys the richness of Palestinian family life, history, and culture before and after Israel took possession of Palestinian lands, the political forces that originated and sustained Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands, and the injustice to the people that followed. Through a detailed portrayal of the daily lives of Sally's family in the Palestinian community already in exile in Beirut, Under Olive Trees describes the events and attitudes that led to that exile. Interwoven throughout are easy to- follow memories of life in Palestine before the exile to Beirut. Bahous paints a beautiful portrait of a life enriched by family and friends.

516 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2010

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/2011 This book was written by my sister-in-law's mother and chronicles the family's four years in Lebanon from 1963-1967. Throughout the book the author also describes her family's flight from Palestine in 1948 when she was a young girl. She further describes the plight of Palestinians displace by the creation of Israel and those who remained in their home country. The author did a wonderful job expressing her personal story, the stories of other Palestinians, and the thoughts an emotions inherent in the situation.