I FOUND MYSELF IN PALESTINE

A diverse collection of authors with a shared connection to Palestine meditate on why their relationship to the land and its people endures.

Whether in Gaza, Ramallah, or any other city or territory in Palestine, the writers Murad brings together in this often moving compendium of culture and history are viewed by the Palestinian people living there as “adjabi”—“an alien” or “a person not belonging to a particular place or group.” For some, their invitation to Palestine and its people came via marriage; others arrived in pursuit of a need to become a positive force in the world. What each found in this tortured part of the Middle East is a magnetic dichotomy of openness and tradition, a place where transplants from seemingly anywhere may become woven into the fabric of local life, even if they are never fully assimilated. Above all, it may be Palestine’s deep and abiding wellspring of familial love and interconnectedness that holds each contributor fast. As Carolyn Agner Quffa, who arrived in Ramallah in 1985 with her Palestinian husband, writes, “one dominant trait that I hold in high esteem is the value placed on family. Children, in particular, are cherished as a pure joy. Children are a family endeavor, and everyone helps and takes an interest.” While seemingly averse to dwelling too much on the dark realities of Israeli occupation for fear that such an approach might define the Palestinian identity being celebrated, those realities cannot be ignored. Some of the other topics include “Learning To Pray,” “A Very High Tolerance for Frustration,” “The Clothes They Wear,” and “Trying To Be a Good Dad in a Complicated Neighborhood.” A minor quibble: The intimate reflections each writer has to offer sometimes demand more attention than some of the skimpier entries allow.

An engrossing anthology that attempts to see past the pain and bloodshed into the soul of the Palestinian people.