Finalist for the National Book Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize An NPR Best Book of the YearA subtle psychological portrait of the author's relationship with his father during the twentieth-century battle for Palestinian human rights. Aziz Shehadeh was many things: lawyer, activist, and political detainee, he was also the father of bestselling author and activist Raja. In this new and searingly personal memoir, Raja Shehadeh unpicks the snags and complexities of their relationship. A vocal and fearless opponent, Aziz resists under the British mandatory period, then under Jordan, and, finally, under Israel. As a young man, Raja fails to recognize his father's courage and, in turn, his father does not appreciate Raja's own efforts in campaigning for Palestinian human rights. When Aziz is murdered in 1985, it changes Raja irrevocably. This is not only the story of the battle against the various oppressors of the Palestinians, but a moving portrait of a particular father and son relationship.
We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir Mentions in Our Blog
2023 National Book Awards Longlist
Published by Amanda Cleveland • September 17, 2023
Presented by the National Book Foundation, the National Book Awards celebrate the best writing in America. Every year, a winner is chosen in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, literature in translation, and young people’s literature from 10 finalists. Here are this year’s nominated titles.
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