If you’re tired of self-help and fiction books and are looking for something that’ll teach you a lot about the Middle East, why not pick up a book about Palestine? Your IG feed may be flooded with news about what’s happening in Palestine, but if you really want to read about the history, there are no better teachers than Edward W. Said, Ilan Pappe and Mahmoud Darwish. Below, we’ve listed the top 5 books that will paint a clearer picture of the Palestinian struggle.
A CHILD IN PALESTINE BY NAJI AL-ALI
Naji Al Ali was a famous artist who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, where renowned Palestinian poet, Ghassan Kanafani, discovered Al-Ali’s talent for drawing. Soon after, Naji’s cartoons were published in newspapers across the Middle East, and became symbols of Palestinian resistance. One of his most recognisable sketches were of a little boy whose back was turned, wearing ragged clothes and standing barefoot with his hands clasped, symbolising his resistance and rejection of the occupation. “Handala was born 10 years old and he will always be 10 years old. It was at that age that I left my homeland. When Handala returns, he will still be 10 years old, and then he will start growing up,” shared Ali-Ali. If you often find yourself resonating with visuals more than words, this collection of his artworks is the book to buy.
IN SEARCH OF FATIMA BY GHADA KARMI
Doctor, author and academic Ghada Karmi writes of her personal experiences growing up in Palestine as well as her memories of being exiled in the 1948 Nakba in this emotionally captivating memoir.
THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE BY EDWARD W. SAID
Esteemed scholar and professor Edward W. Said has left his footprints not just in Palestine but across the world for his remarkable work to educate the public on the Palestinian cause. In this world-acclaimed book, Said addresses the fatal clashing of the occupier and the occupied and the consequences of the collision. Other must-read books by Said include Orientalism and Covering Islam, both in which he shines a light on the effect of Western biases towards the Arab world as a whole.
THE HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR ON PALESTINE BY RASHID KHALIDI
If you’re looking for a book that dives deeper into the history of the Palestinian struggle, Rashid Khalidi’s best-selling book is the one for you. He analyses the history of the region before the creation of the state of Israel to educate and inform the reader through undebatable evidence. A must read for someone looking for something a little more informative rather than personal.
RETURN BY GHADA KARMI
After you read Karmi’s best-selling book In Search of Fatima, a must read is this sequel and standalone memoir. Raised in Britain following her family’s exile from Palestine, Ghada Karmi leaves her adoptive home in an attempt to return to her homeland. In this book, she takes the reader through her journey in Palestine, which looks barely recognisable to her years after she had left. This book may be a personal story but it is one that any Palestinian will relate to, and everyone can sympathise with.
