Halaby's mother had to leave her home in Palestine in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war, firstly living in Egypt and then in Geneva, Switzerland. Halaby herself then met her husband-to-be in Geneva and they moved to California where they made their life. As their children left home and were leading their own lives, Mona jumped at an opportunity to spend a year in Ramallah, Palestine, teaching Conflict Resolution in a local school. Throughout her time there, Mona kept a journal of her day-to-day life, her integration with the children and her travels through her mother's homeland, visiting places that her mother was telling her about in her regular letters to her daughter. As the months go on, Mona's mother and father make the long journey from Geneva to visit her in Ramallah and undertake a journey of their own.
I have no knowledge or understanding of any of the issues in Israel or Palestine and whilst I appreciate this is only one person's story, it has made me keen to discover more. Many of the stories of Mona's mother's early life was thought-provoking and at times. heart-breaking and does make you wonder what sort of a world we live in.
The author gave us such vivid descriptions of the places she visited throughout her year in Ramallah that it was easy to visualise in your mind as she travelled throughout the country. Using her mother's letters in the book also brought the stories to life and it did make me feel sadness and despair at the things her mother experienced during her life.
Lameece Issaq as the narrator did the story justice and I forgot at times that it wasn't the author speaking. She brought feelings and emotion into an already emotive subject.
I would recommend this story to anyone who has an interest in the Middle East and the history involved and although only a singular viewpoint it did tug at the heartstrings.
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