Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, August 2006, page 74

Books

Reviewed by Sara Powell

The Woman I Left Behind

By Kim Jensen, Curbstone Press, 2006, 204 pp. List: $15; AET $12.

IF YOU CARE about the Palestinian struggle for justice, if you love a love story, if you’ve ever been an activist or tried to work through a relationship, or rebelled in any way, this book is for you. But maybe, because it’s such a good story…because the characters are so real…maybe because the opening chapter really transports the reader to occupied Palestine—so thirsty for water, for justice, for freedom…maybe this book is for those who don’t know about the Palestinian cause. Maybe this book will cross that chasm of ignorance and introduce a new audience to the realities of Palestinian existence.

Because it’s good. Because the universality of the human issues addressed in Jensen’s debut novel assures its appeal to a broad audience, while the richness of the writing enhances that allure. Jensen’s description is artistic, her voice honest, her politics informed.

The Woman I Left Behind is a love story about Khalid, the proud and bitter Palestinian, exiled alone while still a boy, and Irene, dreamy and rebellious, in self-exile from her family. Their love is passionate, but the distrusting weight of their personal dysfunction drags them down into a bog of cultural and political misunderstandings that threaten the possibility of a future together.

Maybe, just maybe, this excellent novel, with its unflinching portrayal of the all-too-little-known Palestinian struggle, will serve as one more small stepping stone toward a future harmonious existence for us all.

The Boy and the Wall

By Amahl Bishara, Lajee Center, 2005, 24 pp. List: $22.50; AET: $18.

POIGNANTLY illustrated by children living in the West Bank’s Aida Refugee Camp—Linda al-Azzeh, Mohamed Qassim, Abeer Malash, Mohamed Sarhaan, Layan al-Azzeh, Khalid Qarqi’, Douha Musallam, Omar Khadar, Hamza Musallam and Basil Zubun—and written in both Arabic and English, Amahl Bishara’s story of The Boy and the Wall is a moving tale of a young boy daring to dream beyond the huge wall which has disrupted his life. Despite the physical and political ugliness of the wall, the boy’s world is beautiful and the story is hopeful. With the wise and loving support of his mother, he still is able to envision multiple roles for himself, all of which result in the destruction of the wall and a better future.

The children’s colorful drawings illustrate both the realities of childhood under occupation as well as the Palestinian culture in which they live. These illustrations combined with the simple story make this book ideal for reading out loud to a group of children, or for a child to read alone. However, there are some elements in the story that would need explaining to a child—what onions and tear gas have to do with each other for instance, or even what tear gas is, and why any child would need relief from it.

A factual introduction to the Aida refugee camp and its history, the wall, and the Lajee Center, where children from the camp have opportunities to play and learn (and where this book was produced), are a valuable addition, providing teachers and parents with useful background. Stamped on every page, the Lajee Center logo, incorporating the symbolic key to houses left behind, reminds the reader of one of the world’s most egregious and ignored refugee plights. This book should be in every school and library in the U.S. and beyond.

Sara Powell is director of the AET Book Club.