Today is the first day of Read Palestine Week, hosted by Publishers for Palestine. Participating publishers will be making one of their titles free from November 29 - December 5!
As I’m writing this, the list of free books isn’t yet available, but I thought I’d share my current and queued up reads by Palestinian authors.
Note: I am linking the books through Books for Palestine’s Bookshop, through which they can make a commission and donate the proceeds to benefit Palestinian organizations.
Fiction:
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli — (also my book club’s pick for December!) This spare but brutal novel begins with the true story of an atrocity committed by Israeli soldiers one year after Nakba, the “minor detail” which becomes an obsession for a Palestinian woman many years later.
The author’s award ceremony for this book was canceled by the Frankfurt Book Fair because of October 7, just one incident among many of silencing Palestinian voices in the past 2 months, as well as the past several decades.
Nonfiction:
Orientalism by Edward Said — a foundational text in Asian American studies and Postcolonialism, tracing the origins of orientalism to the European domination of the Middle East.
I’ve read about 100 pages so far and it feels like so many puzzle pieces, of what’s happening right now, of the history that has led us to this moment, of my experiences as an Asian American, have snapped into place.
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi — this history text makes it clear that the Zionist project was always a colonial one, and Palestinian resistance has existed since Palestinians have been aware of Zionist ambitions to take over their land. A good starting point for learning the history of Palestine from 1917-2017.
Poetry:
The Butterfly’s Burden by Mahmoud Darwish, translated by Fady Joudah — a collection of three books by one of the most renowned Palestinian poets.
A reminder to keep talking about Palestine and keep calling and emailing your representatives. Find a protest near you here and learn about the Boycotts, Divestments, and Sanctions (BDS) movement here.