“A heart-shattering novel, timeless in its truth. Every page resounds with the profound injustice done to Palestine, every page shimmers with a promise of hope, both breathed to life by susan abulhawa's masterful writing.” —Fatima Bhutto, author of THE RUNAWAYS
“susan abulhawa possesses the heart of a warrior . . . A major writer of our time, to read [her] is to begin to understand not simply the misinformation we have received for decades about what has gone on in Palestine and the Middle East, but to come to terms with our own resistance to feeling the terror of our own fear of Truth.” —Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of TAKING THE ARROW OUT OF THE HEART
“Never before have I read such a fascinating novel about Palestine and Israel. It gives insight and affects me emotionally in a way only great novels can.” —Henning Mankell, author of the Kurt Wallander mystery novels
“A powerful and passionate insight into what many Palestinians have had to endure since the state of Israel was created. susan abulhawa guides us through traumatic events with anger and great tenderness too, creating unforgettable images of a world in which humanity and inhumanity, selflessness and selfishness, love and hate grow so close to each other.” —Michael Palin, actor and philanthropist
“In both its specific Palestinian content and its larger human dimension, this novel is at once a challenge to complacency and ignorance as well as an affirmation of all that is enduring and valuable in the undefeated human spirit.” —Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian political and civic leader and author of THIS SIDE OF PEACE
“When we grow numb to horror, when our minds slam shut in shock and denial, sometimes a story can slip to reawaken our humanity. This is that story, never more relevant, and my heart is stronger for reading it.” —Laline Paull, author of Women's Prize–shortlisted POD
“Relevant, powerful, emotional, and vivid, [Mornings in Jenin] is now an essential must-read for anyone who cares about the state of the world.” —Bidisha Mamat, broadcaster and critic
“Luminous . . . The reissue is especially timely as the dominant Western narrative concerning Israel's land theft and dehumanization of Palestinians is challenged by the world's close-up view of genocide in Gaza.” —Victoria Brittain, author of LOVE AND RESISTANCE IN THE FILMS OF MAI MASRI
“Achingly beautiful, a modern Palestinian classic.” —Saleem Haddad, author of GUAPA
“Piercing, lyrical, and unfailingly moving, [Mornings in Jenin] is the multigenerational story of a Palestinian family . . . Every character, Jewish or Palestinian, is drawn with great nuance-even tenderness-paradoxically illuminating the evils of the Zionist cause, its greed, its relentless quest for power . . . a most extraordinary journey through history and human emotions.” —Nii Ayikwei Parkes, author of TAIL OF THE BLUE BIRD AND AZÚCAR
“Still has a lasting impact on me. A story that I once read, and turned out to be my reality as well.” —Plestia Alaqad, journalist
“An indelible family saga of resilience and humanity in the face of colonial injustice, Mornings in Jenin is as timely and urgent today as it was when it first debuted. With an eye for historical detail and a subtle grasp of emotional truth, susan abulhawa writes with integrity and grace. If you read only one novel about Palestine this year, let it be this one.” —Mai Al-Nakib, author of AN UNLASTING HOME
Audacious, no-holds-barred account of a Palestinian family's suffering during 60 years of Israeli occupation. In 1948, Yehya Abulheja, prosperous farmer and patriarch of a family that for 40 generations has occupied Ein Hod, a village near Mount Carmel, worries only about the coming olive harvest and his son Hasan's marriage to an unsuitable Bedouin girl, Dalia. All is forgiven when Dalia bears sons Yousef and Ismael. Dismissing rumors that Jewish immigrants plan to establish their own state, annexing Palestinian lands, the Abulhejas are stunned when Ein Hod is shelled and its residents herded into a refugee camp at Jenin. During the forcible eviction, baby Ismael is snatched by an Israeli soldier desperate to help his despondent wife, a Holocaust survivor rendered sterile after repeated rapes by the SS. The couple renames the child David. Hasan and Dalia's daughter Amal, Abulhawa's protagonist, is born in Jenin. Ismael's kidnapping has cost Dalia her sanity; Yehya is shot for trespassing on his former land; and Hasan disappears during the Six Day War in 1967. Yousef encounters David, an Israeli soldier whose facial scar resembles Ismael's. After repeated beatings and torture by Israeli soldiers, including David, Yousef joins the PLO resistance fighters. Following Dalia's death, Amal's scholarly bent propels her from a Jerusalem orphanage/school to college in Philadelphia. She reunites with Yousef, his bride Fatima and their daughter Falasteen in Shatila, a Lebanese refugee enclave, where she teaches Palestinian children, marries Majid, a young doctor, and becomes pregnant. As Israel's attacks on Lebanon mount, Amal returns to the States, intending to arrange for her family to follow.Soon, though, Majid perishes in the bombardment of Beirut and Fatima and Falasteen are slaughtered by the invaders. Yousef, a suspected terrorist, vanishes. In a fog of grief, Amal struggles to nurture her infant daughter, Sara. David reaches out in remorse to Amal, and a precarious healing begins. A potent debut. Author appearances in New York and Philadelphia
