Overview

In the Gaza Strip, growing up on land owned by his family for centuries, eleven-year-old Yousef is preoccupied by video games, school pranks, and meeting his father's impossibly high standards. Everything changes when the Second Intifada erupts, and soldiers occupy the family home. Shot by an Israeli soldier at the age of fifteen, and taken to hospital in Tel Aviv, Yousef slowly and painstakingly confronts the paralysis of his lower body. Under the ceaseless care of Israeli medical professionals, he gains a new perspective on the value of co-existence. These transformative experiences set Yousef on a difficult new path that leads him to learn to embody his father's philosophy and spread a message of co-existence in a world of deep-set sectarianism. The Words of My Father is a moving coming-of-age story about survival, tolerance, and hope.

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9781912208807

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Reviews

'[A] remarkable new memoir ... full of youthful exuberance, unlikely adventures, and raw discovery ... captivating.' –Robin Wright, The New Yorker ‘[An] eloquent and affecting memoir … An inspiration to peace activists in all theatres of war and struggle and a book that deserves a wide audience.’–Kirkus Reviews 'Yousef Khalil Bashir has written a work of profound spiritual beauty, […] The Words of My Father offers all of us hope that this seemingly intractable conflict can find a solution that is just to both sides.'–Yossi Klein Halevi, author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor

Author Information

Yousef Bashir is a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip, the son of a respected educator. After relocating to the United States, he earned a BA in International Affairs from Northeastern University and an MA in Co-existence and Conflict from Brandeis University. Now living in Washington DC, Bashir is a public speaker, author, and a peace advocate. He currently works for the Palestinian Diplomatic Delegation to the United States.

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