Literature – that opens the heart

One of my friends is from the Middle East. Her Arab family lost their home in Jerusalem following the establishment of the State of Israel. She still has many relatives in Israel and the neighbouring countries and regions. She has told me on several occasions that – apart from the human suffering – she is particularly distressed by the fact that, in many places, the Israelis have uprooted the Arabs’ olive trees. I never quite understood that – until I recently read the novel Jasmine I read a description by the author Eli Amir, who grew up in Baghdad and later emigrated to Israel, of how an Arab man was forced to give up a centuries-old olive grove because a new Jewish town was being built on the site. He could not bear the pain… could no longer eat… and died with the trees he had inherited from his ancestors. This image has stayed with me… and brought home to me one of the many facets of this region.

I don’t just want to know the facts and the biblical texts; I also want to understand the situation of Jewish and Arab people on a deeper, more heartfelt level. That’s why I asked my friend – and another friend who has studied Israel extensively – for their book recommendations. I’ve already read Jasmin – a brilliant book that touches the heart and fosters understanding for both Jews and Arabs. I’ll be reading the other books bit by bit – and I’m really looking forward to them.

Here are the tips:

NOVELS

Eshkol Nevo: Four Houses and a Longing

A novel that gives the reader an insight into everyday life in Jerusalem.

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/3423137584?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creativeASIN=3423137584&linkCode=xm2&tag=downtoearth-21

Eshkol Nevo: Homesick

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0092G53SC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creative=6742&creativeASIN=B0092G53SC&linkCode=as2&tag=downtoearth-21&linkId=ROJBZWL2PD23E3XG

Eli Amir: Jasmine

This is the book that really brings both the Israeli and Arab perspectives to life on an emotional level. It is set in the period following the 1967 war. I’ve already read it… and it really moved me.
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/3442738504?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creativeASIN=3442738504&linkCode=xm2&tag=downtoearth-21

Susan Abulhawa: While the World Slept

A gripping novel about Israel and the Palestinians

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/3453356624?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creativeASIN=3453356624&linkCode=xm2&tag=downtoearth-21

Susan Abulhawa: Mornings in Jenin

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1408813556?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creativeASIN=1408813556&linkCode=xm2&tag=downtoearth-21

BIOGRAPHIES / LIFE STORIES

by Arabs working towards reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians

Elias Chacour: Israeli, Palestinian and Christian: His Life, as told by Pia de Simony and Marie Czernin

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/3451291959?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creativeASIN=3451291959&linkCode=xm2&tag=downtoearth-21

Elias Chacour: And yet we are brothers. Peace for Palestine

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/378200583X?ie=UTF8&camp=1638&creativeASIN=378200583X&linkCode=xm2&tag=downtoearth-21

Elias Chacour: Blood Brothers: The Dramatic Story of a Palestinian Christian Working for Peace in Israel.