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silverlyrics · 6 months

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Books about Palestine and Palestinian Heritage

This is by no means an exhaustive list. These are books I was able to source from my local library and thought other people might appreciate them as well. I have not read them all, but the intention of the list is Palestinian perspectives and characters.

List order: Children's books, Young Adult books, Adult books, Graphic novels

Junior

We Are Palestinian A Celebration of Culture and Tradition by Reem Kassis: A stunning non-fiction children's book celebrating everything Palestinian! From culture and food, to music and literature, We Are Palestinian is a celebration of Palestinian heritage. Brought to life by award-winning writer Reem Kassis, every spread is filled with wonderful anecdotes, fascinating facts, and memorable quotes.

Homeland; My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck: A Palestinian family celebrates the stories of their homeland in this moving autobiographical picture book debut by Hannah Moushabeck. With heartfelt illustrations by Reem Madooh, Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine is a love letter to home, to family, and to the persisting hope of people, which transcends borders.

Three Wishes; Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis: Ellis turns her attention to the young people of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After visiting the region to conduct interviews, she presents their stories here in their own words. Twelve-year-old Nora, eleven-year-old Mohammad, and many others speak directly about their lives -- which prove to be both ordinary and extraordinary: They argue with their siblings. They hate spinach. They have wishes for the future. Yet they have also seen their homes destroyed and families killed, and live amidst constant upheaval and violence.

Farah Rocks Florida by Susan Muaddi Darraj: Farah's little brother is in the hospital with a heart problem that needs surgery, so her parents send sixth-grader Farah off to stay with her grandmother in a retirement condo in Florida; Sitti Fayrouz does not speak much English, has a lot of rules, and does not understand Farah's interest in geology, so Farah is not happy with the move--but despite being the only child in the community, Farah finds that the people are nice, and despite getting off to a bad start (she accidentally dumped a soda on his lap) she forms a friendship with Dr. Fisher, who shares her interest in science. Palestinian-American Author.

These Olive Trees by Aya Ghanameh: The story of a Palestinian family's ties to the land, and how one young girl finds a way to care for her home, even as she says goodbye. It's 1967 in Nablus, Palestine. Oraib loves the olive trees that grow outside the refugee camp where she lives. Each harvest, she and her mama pick the small fruits and she eagerly stomp stomp stomps on them to release their golden oil. Olives have always tied her family to the land, as Oraib learns from the stories Mama tells of a home before war. But war has come to their door once more, forcing them to flee. Even as her family is uprooted, Oraib makes a solemn promise to her beloved olive trees. She will see to it that their legacy lives on for generations to come.

Ghaddar the Ghoul And Other Palestinian Stories by Sonia Nimr: Retells nine Palestinian folktales featuring women of character, genial tricksters, and mischievous animals.

Balcony on the Moon; Coming of Age in Palestine by Ibtisam Barakat: Balcony on the Moon follows Ibtisam Barakat through her childhood and adolescence in Palestine from 1972-1981 and chronicles her desire to be a writer.

Young Adult

We're in This Together A Young Readers Edition of We Are Not Here to Be by Linda Sarsour: In this middle grade edition of We Are Not Here to be Bystanders , Linda shares the memories that shaped her into the activist she is today, and how these pivotal moments in her life led her to being an organizer in one of the largest single-day protests in US history. From the Brooklyn bodega her father owned to the streets of Washington, DC, Linda's story as a daughter of Palestinian immigrants is a moving portrayal of what it means to find your voice in your youth and use it for the good of others as an adult.

Tasting the Sky A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat: In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war.

Something More by Jackie Khalilieh: A contemporary teen romance novel featuring a Palestinian-Canadian girl trying to hide her autism diagnosis while navigating her first year of high school, for fans of Jenny Han and Samira Ahmed. Palestinian-Canadian Author.

Ida in the Middle by Nora Lester Murad: Every time violence erupts in the Middle East, Ida knows what's coming next. Some of her classmates treat her like it's all her fault--just for being Palestinian!... One day, dreading a final class project, Ida hunts for food. She discovers a jar of olives that came from a beloved aunt in her family's village near Jerusalem. Ida eats one and finds herself there--as if her parents had never left.

Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Laskin: Pamela L. Laskin's beautiful and lyrical novel in verse delivers a fresh and captivating retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that transports the star-crossed lovers to the modern-day Israel-Palestine conflict. Ronit, an Israeli girl, lives on one side of the fence. Jamil, a Palestinian boy, lives on the other side. Only miles apart but separated by generations of conflict--much more than just the concrete blockade between them.

Adult Fiction and Nonfiction

Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone? by Maḥmūd Darwīsh: Palestine's most internationally famed poet of all, Mahmoud Darwish

The Palestinian Table by Reem Kassis: Authentic modern Middle Eastern home cooking - 150 delicious, easy-to-follow recipes inspired by three generations of family tradition.

Her First Palestinian And Other Stories by Saeed Teebi: Saeed Teebi's intense, engrossing stories plunge into the lives of characters grappling with their experiences as Palestinian immigrants to Canada. These taut and compelling stories engage the immigrant experience and reflect the Palestinian diaspora with grace and insight.

Once Upon A Country A Palestinian Life by Sari Nusseibeh: A prominent Palestinian's searching, anguished, deeply affecting autobiography, in which his life story comes to be the story of the recent history of his country.

Zaitoun Recipes From the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan: Oil from the olive -- which is known in Arabic as zaitoun -- flows in abundance in the kitchens of Palestine.

Notes on the Occupation Palestinian Lives by Éric Hazan: Almost 40 years after the Israeli military occupation of Palestine, scenes from the West Bank remain rare and fragmented. Despite its prominence in the world news, suprisingly little is known about daily life in this troubled land. Here is a rare portrait of a population living with the reality of war and the dream of peace. (Published 2007).

A White Lie by Madeeha Hafez Albatta: The Women's Voices from Gaza series honours women's unique and underrepresented perspectives on the social, material, and political realities of Palestinian life. In A White Lie, the first volume in this series, Madeeha Hafez Albatta chronicles her life. Among her remarkable achievements was establishing some of the first schools for refugee children in Gaza. Her story will benefit Middle East scholars, social justice and human rights advocates, and all who want to know more about the modern history of Palestine.

Love Is An Ex-country by Randa Jarrar: Queer. Muslim. Arab American. A proudly Fat woman. Randa Jarrar is all of these things. In this provocative memoir of a cross-country road trip, she explores how to claim joy in an unraveling and hostile America.

The Words of My Father Love and Pain in Palestine by Yousef Khalil Bashir: A Palestinian-American activist recalls his adolescence in Gaza during the Second Intifada, and how he made a strong commitment to peace in the face of devastating brutality in this moving, candid, and transformative memoir that reminds us of the importance of looking beyond prejudice, anger, and fear.

Places of Mind; A Life of Edward Said by Timothy Brennan: The first comprehensive biography of the most influential, controversial, and celebrated Palestinian intellectual of the twentieth century.

We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders; A Memoir of Love and Resistance by Linda Sarsour: Women's March co-organizer Linda Sarsour shares how growing up Palestinian Muslim American, feminist, and empowered moved her to become a globally recognized and celebrated activist on behalf of marginalized communities across the country.

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan: From a dazzling new literary voice, a debut novel about a Palestinian family caught between present and past, between displacement and home...On the eve of her daughter Alia's wedding, Salma reads the girl's future in a cup of coffee dregs. She sees an unsettled life for Alia and her children; she also sees travel, and luck. While she chooses to keep her predictions to herself that day, they will all soon come to pass when the family is up rooted in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967.

Ishmael's Oranges by Claire Hajaj: It's April 1948, and war hangs over Jaffa. One minute seven-year-old Salim is dreaming of taking his first harvest from the family's orange tree; the next he is swept away into a life of exile and rage. Seeking a new beginning in swinging-Sixties London, Salim finds an unexpected love with Jude, a troubled Jewish girl struggling with her own devastating family legacy. The bond between them flourishes in the freedom of the age, bringing the promise of thrilling new worlds. But before long, childhood conflicts and prejudices reawaken to infringe upon their life together, pulling them and their children inexorably back towards the Middle East and its battlegrounds.

I Shall Not Hate; A Gaza Doctor's Journey: by Izzeldin Abuelaish Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish - now known simply as "the Gaza doctor" captured hearts and headlines around the world in the aftermath of horrific tragedy: on January 16, 2009, Israeli shells hit his home in the Gaza Strip, killing three of his daughters and a niece. By turns inspiring and heartbreaking, hopeful and horrifying, this is Abuelaish's account of a Gazan life in all its struggle and pain. A Palestinian doctor who was born and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza.

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa: A heart-wrenching, powerfully written novel that does for Palestine what The Kite Runner did for Afghanistan. Mornings in Jenin is a multi-generational story about a Palestinian family.

Falastin; A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi: Falastin is a soulful tour of Palestinian cookery today from Ottolenghi's Executive Chef Sami Tamimi, with 120 highly cookable recipes contextualized by his personal narrative of the Palestine he grew up in.

The Parisian, Or, Al-Barisi by Isabella Hammad: A masterful debut novel by Plimpton Prize winner Isabella Hammad, The Parisian illuminates a pivotal period of Palestinian history through the journey and romances of one young man, from his studies in France during World War I to his return to Palestine at the dawn of its battle for independence.

Graphic Novels

Power Born of Dreams My Story Is Palestine by Mohammad Sabaaneh: Translating headlines into authentic lived experiences, these stories come to life in the striking linocut artwork of Mohammad Sabaaneh, helping us to see Palestinians not as political symbols, but as people.

A Child in Palestine; The Cartoons of Naji Al-Ali by Naji Al-Ali: For the first time in book form, A Child in Palestine presents the work of Naji al-Ali. Through his most celebrated creation, the witness-child Handala (Hanthala), al-Ali chronicles the Israeli occupation, the corruption of the regimes in the region, and the plight of the Palestinian people.

Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq: Ahmed was raised in the refugee camp of Baddawi in northern Lebanon, one of many thousands of children born to Palestinians who fled (or were expelled from) their homeland during the 1948 war that established the state of Israel. Ahmad's dogged pursuit of education and opportunity echoes the journey of the Palestinian people, as they make the best of their existing circumstances while remaining determined to one day return to their homeland.

The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories by Marguerite Dabaie: In this current political climate, being a Palestinian is a hazard. However, there are common grounds where East meets West. The Hookah Girl is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel of a childhood as a Christian Palestinian in America.

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Send letters to your local government for ceasefire (UK, Canada, US, Australia)

Donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians

Donate to Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Donate to The World Food Program

Donate to Doctors Without Borders

Donate to UNRWA

#palestine #Palestinian #Palestinians #book list #books #children's books #young adult books #ya books #adult books #fiction #non-fiction #graphic novels #free palestine

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nightshadedawn · 1 year

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Non-Binary Glossary

As someone who is non-binary myself, I felt it important to include lots of non-binary characters in my fantasy novel that does not give a SHIT about what you present as, thus I needed to come up with titles for various things, and I thought I'd share what's so far in my glossary, with perhaps a smidgen of hope it'll get a bit of recognition.

Baba/Babby/Bather/Grandbather - The non-binary word for parents and grandparents.

I imagine the 'papa' or 'granny' equivalent of this one would be 'tata' or 'batty'.

Why, yes, this word was built off of 'baba' which it to my understanding, a word for 'father' in many cultures. But did you know it's meaning differs in many different cultures? And, also, it's catching on as the 'parent' word, and if I ever become a parent (highly unlikely) I want to be called Baba, if not just by my name because I absolutely can't picture being called by a title of any sort.

Crown - The non-binary word used used for someone of the status of queen or king.

This idea I obtained from an interactive fiction I read, where your character was referred to as 'Crown [Insert Name]' no matter what gender you made your character. It flowed well, so I decided I'd use the thematics of it in my own works going forward.

Emperus - A non-binary title used for someone of the status of empress or emperor.

I had a bit of trouble coming up with this one. But seeing as both emperor and empress both started with that 'emp' I knew I had to keep that, and from there, I played around with multiple second-halves, ending on the 'erus' because I'm a simple creature and it combined the 'er' and 'ess' of the other two, so it didn't feel entirely out of place.

Enna - The non-binary word for your parent’s sibling.

I fucking hate pibling. I don't know why, but it makes my skin CRAWL. I'd rather the niblings just call me by my name than have pibling anywhere in the conversation. Specifics wise, both 'aunt' and 'uncle' begin with vowels, but end differently. So I knew I wanted the word to begin with a vowel, and one different than the ones already used. I also knew it couldn't end with the hard 't' sound or the drawling 'el'. So I came up with a few options, and landed on enna because it was four letters like aunt, but two syllables like uncle, and began with the letter 'e' which is the most common letter in the alphabet. It's probably my favorite word on this list.

Laus - A non-binary word for someone of the status of Lord or Lady.

Ah, probably my second favorite word. Like for emperus and enna, I looked at the original words to find what they had in common. Only the 'L' followed by a vowel, which meant my word had to end different than both lord and lady. Well, it did have that pesky d in there, which proved a problem when I was trying to come up with words. I didn't like any of the other words I came up with, and landed on laus because it was the least miserable. The only other memorable ones were 'lent', 'lurt', and 'ludt' which all look terrible. Laus may stand out next to lord and lady, but at least it looks nice.

Princer/Prinx/Prinxer - A non-binary word for a royal heir. The ‘x’ is pronounced with a ‘zz’ sound.

Enby equivalents tends to have the 'x' at the end of their words, for whatever reason, since there's so many other things we could have done, but that's not the point. The point is both princess and prince begin with the 'princ'. I just needed to fluff up the end. In the end, I came up with these three, which I have not actually decided which one I'm going to use in my book. Pincer and prinxer are pronounced similarly, being 'prin-sehr' and 'prin-zer'. Phonetically, they don't sound similar to prince or princess, but at least one of them looks similar.

Ser/Sur - Honorifics used for knights in a similar vein to ‘Sir’. Sur is used for women, while ser is used for nonbinary, and sir remains for men. All are pronounced similarly.

I thought I was brilliant when I came up with this one. Originally, it was going to be 'sar' for women, and 'sur' for non-binary, but when I realized how similar 'sur' sounded in my head to 'sir' my brain went 'ser too' and thus, here we are. Because am I the only one who thinks it's dumb how men have all these titles and women keep having to use the same one over and over and over again? It's always "lady this" and "lady that". Well, no longer for the knights, as they will be referred to with Sur. Ser will be used for enbys due to so many of my other words containing the e. E for enby, everyone.

Words I am currently working on:

Madam/master

Duke/duchess

Baron/baroness

Countess/count

Earl - Will be looking for both an enby and women word, because currently, it's just countess here again.

Going down this route will be pretty easy, except for the madam/master one. Once I decide on the princess/prince word, the rest of these will just follow those rules, as princess just added 'ess' onto the end of 'prince' after all.

#writing #creative writing #novels #fantasy #fantasy novel #fantasy fiction #royalty #nobility #world building #fantasy world building #nonbinary #non binary #enby #royal titles #noble titles

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