by Soha Al-Jurf (Author)
When Soha Al-Jurf goes in search of her father's Palestinian village, she believes she is embarking on a journey that will help her reconcile the conflicted parts of her identity as a Palestinian-American Muslim woman. Instead, what she had anticipated would be the end of her long journey proves only to be the beginning of an elusive search for her true self, mired in the painful realization of what it means to be a refugee. Through exquisite storytelling and deep personal inquiry, Al-Jurf offers readers a rare and intimate perspective on one woman's struggle to reconcile her life in the U.S. with the one her parents left behind, instilling in her a longing for a homeland with which her own connection is uncertain. Weaving her unique personal narrative with the heart-rending stories of the people she encounters, this extraordinary account depicts the daily challenges of living in Occupied Palestine, revealed through the unguarded lens of a Palestinian-American woman who endeavors to make sense of her place in it all. Mournful, meditative, and disarmingly honest, this provocative work will resonate with anyone who sympathizes with silenced voices everywhere.
Author Biography
Soha Al-Jurf is a Palestinian-American Muslim writer who was born in the West Bank city of Nablus and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. She works as a speech-language pathologist in San Francisco. Her writing focuses on issues of identity and "finding one's own, authentic voice" by exploring themes of politics, spirituality, and personal story. Her writing has appeared in Turning Wheel, Critical Muslim, ElevenEleven, and al Majdal magazines, as well as online on CounterPunch and Transform. She is also the author of an autobiographical solo performance piece, Pressing Beyond In Between.
Number of Pages: 318
Dimensions: 0.71 x 8 x 5.25 IN
Publication Date: July 09, 2012
