16 Audiobook Recommendations: Books for Palestine

The Tiny Journalist

By Naomi Shihab Nye

“Naomi Shihab Nye is an incredible award-winning Palestinian American poet. Her poetry and children’s books are some of the most beloved in the industry. I myself, grew up reading her books and she is a personal hero of mine. This book of poetry was inspired by Janna Jihad Ayyad, the “Youngest Journalist in Palestine,” who at age 7 began capturing videos of anti-occupation protests using her mother’s smartphone.”

You Exist Too Much

By Zaina Arafat

“You Exist Too Much is a debut coming-of-age story that flashes between the US and the Middle East, by an impressive new Palestinian American voice. Poet George Abraham refers to it as ‘A direct resistance to pinkwashing…one that centers Palestinian memory and generously unpacks the underlying sociopolitical contexts of Palestinian society for non-Palestinian readers.'”

Love Is an Ex-Country

By Randa Jarrar

“Love is an Ex-Country is a masterful memoir that will dispell all tropes about Muslims and Palestinians, told through the lens of a cross-country road trip. An unapologetically queer, Muslim, Palestinian, fat, triumph!”

“This visceral, unforgettable memoir is Jarrar’s barbaric yawp, asserting her triumphant choice to live joyfully in a hostile world.” —Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire, A Best Book of the Year

Enter Ghost

By Isabella Hammad

“Isabella Hammad’s second novel features present day Palestine and an artist’s struggle with diaspora, displacement, and life under occupation.”

“A thorough and thoughtful exploration of the role of art in the political arena.” —Kirkus, starred review

Evil Eye

By Etaf Rum

“Evil Eye by Etaf Rum is an exploration of womanhood as a Palestinian American, navigating intergenerational trauma, cultural struggles, and complex family dynamics.”

“Evil Eye is a moving look at the complexities of identity, marriage, and redemption.” —Melissa Rivero, author of The Affairs of the Falcóns

Salt Houses

By Hala Alyan

“Set in the wake of the 1967 six-day war, a Palestinian family is uprooted and flees to Kuwait, only to face another war and displacement when Saddam Hussein invades.”

‘[Salt Houses] illustrate[s] the inherited longing and sense of dislocation passed like a baton from mother to daughter.” —New York Times Book Review

They Called Me a Lioness

By Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri

“Many of us remember the viral video of a young, fierce, blonde-haired child slapping an IOF soldier who refused to leave her home. This is the story of that child through her imprisonment, fight for justice, and continuing activism to end the occupation. A great book for young adult readers interested in learning about life under occupation.”

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

By Ilan Pappe

“For folks looking for some much-needed context to the events unfolding in the region, pick up this book which outlines the 75 year strife of the Palestinian people.”

“Ilan Pappe is Israel’s bravest, most principled, most incisive historian.” —John Pilger, director of The War on Democracy and author of Freedom Next Time

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine

By Rashid Khalidi

“From the definitive scholar on the topic, envelope yourself in the history of Palestine from the 1800s to present in this compelling title.”

“This is the first true people’s history of the hundred-year struggle of the Palestinian people, a beautifully written text and a call for justice and self-determination.” —Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders

By Linda Sarsour

“Linda Sarsour is one of the most powerful female leaders we have today. Listen to her moving story of growing up in Brooklyn, finding her voice, and leading folks all the way to the women’s march. She is a prolific Palestinian activist and her words shake me to my core.”

“Linda Sarsour’s moving memoir is a testament to the power of love in action—a fierce, courageous, joyous love for all people of all religions, genders, races and backgrounds that reaches across all borders and boundaries. If you’re wondering what kind of activism holds the potential to free us all, this book offers an answer.” —Michelle Alexander, NY Times bestselling author of The New Jim Crow

Justice for Some

By Noura Erakat

“Noura Erakat, human rights attorney and professor at George Mason University, has served as legal counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives and as a legal advocate for Palestinian refugee rights at the United Nations. In her debut book, Erakat defines the legal struggle for Palestinian sovereignty and outlines a new approach to understanding the Palestinian struggle for freedom, told through the power and control of international law.”

“[Noura Erakat] forcefully argues that the skillful use of international law as a tool of struggle can be generative of hope and possibility—for Palestine and the world. Justice for Some is precisely the book we need at this time.” —Angela Y. Davis, author of Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

Except for Palestine

By Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick

“Marc Lamont Hill and Israel-Palestine expert Mitchell Plitnick spotlight the sanctimony of progressives and liberals who oppose regressive policies on immigration, racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ rights, and other issues but don’t extend these core principles to the oppression of Palestinians.”

“For too long, many have championed the rights and liberties of oppressed peoples here and abroad, but remained silent on Palestinian freedom, or even worse, supported U.S. policies that render Palestinian humanity and suffering invisible. This clear and courageous book is a clarion call for moral integrity and political consistency.” —Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary

Something More

By Jackie Khalilieh

“For those looking for a lighter read, pick up Something More, a YA rom-com by Jackie Khalilieh, an autistic Palestinian Canadian.”

“[A] thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining debut that centers questions of identity via a fresh lens.” —Publishers Weekly

Mother of Strangers

By Suad Amiry

“A cinematic story of young love set against the background of the 1948 Nakba in Jaffa.”

“A powerful story of love, loss, and the destruction of a nation.” —Booklist, starred review

Against the Loveless World

By Susan Abulhawa

“Susan Abulhawa has become a leader for so many Palestinian writers and readers in the past decade. Alice Walker says: ‘Susan Abulhawa possesses the heart of a warrior; she looks into the darkest crevices of lives, conflicts, horrendous injustices, and dares to shine light that can illuminate hidden worlds for us.’ This heart-wrenching story of love, endurance, and war will devastate you but leave you hopeful.”

Minor Detail

By Adania Shibli

“Adania Shibli was set to win an award at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year but after October 7th, the award ceremony was cancelled simply because she was Palestinian. The Guardian newspaper says: ‘The terror Shibli evokes intensifies slowly, smoldering, until it is shining off the page…The book is, at every turn, dangerously and devastatingly good.’ The cancellation of this event caused outrage in the book community that prides itself in sharing diverse and underrepresented voices. As a result, readers across the world are picking up Minor Detail to #ReadTheResistance.”