Occupied Voices: Stories of Everyday Life from the Second Intifada

Wendy Pearlman's "Occupied Voices" addresses an often overlooked aspect of the conflict in the Middle East. By recounting the stories of individuals living under conditions that (thankfully) none of us can even imagine, Pearlman sheds light on the crucible that is Palestine. The book helps the Western reader see Palestinians as individuals--something most texts fail to do, and something essential to truly understanding and resolving the conflict.I found the stories evocative and so moving, the photographs stunning.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the human cost to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It is a poignant and factual rendering from people of enormous faith, hope and courage, under conditions that most of us cannot come close to understanding. Once you read it, you will want to do something to help the people of Palestine. Read it, keep it, or pass it on. The world has to know the day to day tragedies that do not reach the pages of the newspapers, or the voices of the newsreaders.

It is very refreshing to read a scholarly book and find not just well-presented information about the conflict, but also to find such a warm, personal voice. Ms. Pearlman really provides such a compelling voice for those Palestinians who are trying to live gracefully in the midst of chaos. I didn't find that it minimizes the experience of the Israeli suffering, as one reviewer did, instead, amplifying their voices allowed me to, in effect, make eye contact with them, and walk a little while in their shoes, to glimpse the suffering, their tenacity and motivated me again to pray for a resolution to the crisis.

Wendy Pearlman, a gifted writer, has succeeded in capturing the human dimension of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza. Through a series of vignettes and interviews with people from all walks of life -- ranging from filmmakers to students to doctors and more -- Pearlman brings an entire nation to life. Readers learn about the Palestinian perspective through regular people, not government spokespeople and negotiators. If you like books that open your mind to new thoughts, new cultures and new perspectives know that this book accomplishes that in spades.

I think the Publisher's Weekly (PW) reviewer must have either had an axe to grind or not read the Pearlman book in which she convincingly outlines the reasons why she has chosen to give voice only to the (vastly under-represented) Palestinians. The funny thing is that the PW review talks about 'sides' where Pearlman's gentle and ruminative introductory essays and the interviewees she has chosen show *human beings* at the end of their tethers. The people she has chosen to interview represent a wide variety of backgrounds, and that she has gotten gripping, sad, and sometimes gently humourous stories from all of them is not only testament to her hands-off approach, but also to the depth of stories that are there to be told.Pearlman's background as a young Midwestern Jew who was raised with an allegiance to Israel makes the preface -in which she explains how she decided to write this book- as interesting a story as that of the Palestinians in the book itself. Furthermore, she gently, but firmly, deals with any number of arguments one often hears in the media about the Israel-Palestine conflict or about the Palestinians in the preface.As an Iranian who is interested in the Israel/Palestine conflict, I found her book rich in explanatory material, and rewarding in its attention to the human side of the conflict. I also liked its decidedly un-polemical stance, and its simple, jargon-free humanity.