Read The World - Palestine - Mornings In Jenin

Book: Mornings In Jenin
Author: Susan Abulhawa
Pages: 352
Book takes place in the country: YES (at least 50%)
Author is from the country: NO, but her parents are
I have visited: NO

This is my 161st book of the year.

I do understand that Palestine is not technically a country recognized right now.  They are a territory.  But when I looked up the countries of the world - Israel and Palestine are listed separately.  So I wanted to give them each a book category.

This is a story that covers many generations of a Palestinian family.  Living in Ein Hod in the 1940s, they are forced from their home by the Israelis.  They are placed in tented, refugee camps in Jenin.  This begins the Abulhejo's story of living through the violent times of their country over the next 50 years.  They watch friends and family torn away from them by soldiers, bombs, and the horrors of war.  Overtime, the tents are replaced by cinderblock homes and families who are placed there hope to someday return to the homes they left.

This was an incredible book.  I liked it right from the beginning.  The story is horrific.  While fictionalized, the author uses stories from people who lived through this terrible time to make some of it historically accurate.  She is an incredible writer.  I found myself very invested in the characters in these stories -one bad thing happened after another.  It will tear at your heart strings.  It is a very sorrowful story, and the author does an amazing job painting a full picture of what Palestine was when Israel invaded.

This is a book not to be missed.  You will not be disappointed.

Stars: 5