UNDERRATED BOOKS FROM PALESTINE

So many people over the last two years have decided to read up on Palestine and this is amazing to see. Many will be reading the works do Pappé, Chomsky and Shehadeh. However in this blog post I want to tell you all about some underrated books from Palestine I think you should read. By underrated I mean books that I don’t see many people discussing.

JOKES FOR THE GUNMEN - MAZEN MAAROUF

Jokes for the Gunmen is a collection of short stories that are inspired by Maarouf’s turbulent life, something sadly all to common for Palestinians. Maarouf being someone who has been forced to live in many cities in his life, whether it be through displacement or pursuing his dreams, its not wonder his collection of short stories is all about life in cities from various perspective. Jokes for the Gunmen, despite being an award winning piece of literature, is one that I find few people in the online book community to be talking about. In my opinion it is the absurdest nature of this book that has made it one that the masses have not flocked it, despite the book being longlisted for the International Booker Prize. If you are someone who appreciates the unique art of short stories, this is one I definitely recommend you pick up! You can get the book from Bookshop & Waterstones.

DANCE OF THE DEEP BLUE SCORPION - AKRAM MUSALLAM

Dance of the Deep Blue Scorpion is honestly one of the wildest books I have read in my lifetime. It follows a young man living in Ramallah who is reflecting on his life. Sound’s straight forward enough right? Well when we get the points where we experience his nightly dreams of scorpions, the powers of his aunt who can leap over mountains and how he scratches his father’s amputated leg. Though absurd, Dance of the Deep Blue Scorpion is Musallam using that absurdity as a metaphor for trying to process the loss of your homeland and the erasure of your identity. Truly is you want to read a book like no other, I implore you to read this. You can get the book from Bookshop & Waterstones.

GAZA WRITES BACK - EDITED BY REFAAT ALAREER

You have definitely heard the name Refaar Alareer. He was the educator, activist and leader. His poem “If I Must Die” came back to prominence when he was martyred by Israel in 2023. This book is an anthology of short stories Alareer helped bring together from young Gazans in the aftermath of the 2008/2009 offensive known as “Operation Cast Lead”. The stories are raw and crafted by these young people’s first hand experiences. Despite the dire situations these people faced there is a sense of courage and determination that oozes from every one of these stories. We are truly lucky that Refaat and these young writers blessed us with their words. You can get the book from Waterstones.