Common Reading Experience

Ghassan Kanafani

“Abu Quais rested his chest on the damp ground, and the earth began to throb under him, with tired heartbeats, which trembled through the grains of sand and penetrated the cells of his body…”

Mourid Barghouti

“It is very hot on the bridge. A drop of sweat slides from my forehead down to the frame of my spectacles, then the lens. A mist envelops what I see, what I expect, what I remember. The view here shimmers with scenes that span a lifetime; a lifetime spent trying to get here. Here I am, crossing the Jordan River…”

Sonia Nimr

“And so it was that my mother went into labor while sitting astride the donkey that was carrying her from the city to our village. My father had to halt the caravan and pitch a small tent at the foot of the mountain. In that long-ago tent, my mother bore twins…”

Raja Shehadeh

“In the uneasy first years of the new millennium I felt that my days in Palestine were numbered. But whether Palestine or myself would slip away first was an open question…”

Beloved for the power of his language and his continual resistance to oppression, Darwish is often referred to as Palestine’s national poet. His books are available through the AUC library link below.

The daughter of a Palestinian refugee, Nye draws our attention to the importance of cultural heritage and the richness of daily life. Her books are available through the AUC library link below.