Dr. Izzeldin Abueslaish is yet another example of someone who embodies resilience. He is a shining light in a conflict filled with cyclical violence. In the most recent stint of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he has lost even more family. I cannot imagine the strength it takes to continue being a pillar of hope. Dr. Abuelaish's story is a harrowing one, but one thing he does is fill his book with hopeful writing. In my mind, his writing made the sad parts easier to stomach. I read this book for a 3000-level history class, so a discussion over the reading was a must. One thing that was brought up was Dr. Abuelaish learning Hebrew. Language helps so much in relationship building, which was obvious in his time as a doctor in Israel but also in the phone call that put him in the spotlight. Certain meanings are lost in translation from one language to another, and yet he spoke in Hebrew in one of the scariest times of his life. Would his phone call live on air have been as impactful had he been speaking in Arabic and needed a translator? We may never know, but it is interesting to think about.

My one critique of this book would be to remember that Dr. Abuelaish does not speak for all of the Palestinians and it is important to recognize his privileges when reading. He has the ability and connections to get through the border checkpoints smoothly and on the regular, to supposedly call off a tank aimed at his house, to get his family members transported out of Gaza on multiple occasions to be treated, and to leave the Gaza Strip and move his family to Canada. Many Palestinians do not have these opportunities. I think it is much easier to have hope for the future when you have these opportunities, but most people in Gaza will not have these opportunities. So yes, his story is important and his messaging is important but it is easy to forget that his life is not the norm. Maybe that is a critique aimed at the reader and less at the writer himself, but still one that needs to be said.

TLDR: It was a good read, reasonably short, emotional yet encouraging, and a good insight into the life of one Palestinian man but also into what daily life in Gaza is like.