Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza

Author: Mosab Abu Toha
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Winner of the American Book Award, the Palestine Book Award and Arrowsmith Press's 2023 Derek Walcott Poetry Prize National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry Finalist

“Written from his native Gaza, Abu Toha’s accomplished debut contrasts scenes of political violence with natural beauty.” —The New York Times

In this poetry debut, Mosab Abu Toha writes about his life under siege in Gaza, first as a child, and then as a young father. A survivor of four brutal military attacks, he bears witness to a grinding cycle of destruction and assault, and yet, his poetry is inspired by a profound humanity.

These poems emerge directly from the experience of growing up and living in constant lockdown, and often under direct attack. Like Gaza itself, they are filled with rubble and the ever-present menace of surveillance drones policing a people unwelcome in their own land, and they are also suffused with the smell of tea, roses in bloom, and the view of the sea at sunset. Children are born, families continue traditions, students attend university, and libraries rise from the ruins as Palestinians go on about their lives, creating beauty and finding new ways to survive.

Praise for Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear:

“Mosab Abu Toha is an astonishingly gifted young poet from Gaza, almost a seer with his eloquent lyrical vernacular … His poems break my heart and awaken it, at the same time. I feel I have been waiting for his work all my life.” —Naomi Shihab Nye

“Though forged in the bleak landscape of Gaza, he conjures a radiance that echoes Miłosz and Kabir. These poems are like flowers that grow out of bomb craters and Mosab Abu Toha is an astonishing talent to celebrate.” —Mary Karr

“Mosab Abu Toha's Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear arrives with such refreshing clarity and voice amidst a sea of immobilizing self-consciousness. It is no great feat to say a complicated thing in a complicated way, but here is a poet who says it plain: ‘In Gaza, some of us cannot completely die.’ Later, ‘This is how we survived.’ It’s remarkable. This is poetry of the highest order.” —Kaveh Akbar

Books to Read

1. Non-fiction
“Palestine: A Socialist Introduction” edited by Sumaya Award and Brian Bean
This is a great place to start if you don’t know or understand the history of Palestine. The book is a collection of essays from all different authors exploring various parts of Palestinian history and present.

2. Fiction
“Minor Detail” by Adania Shibli
This is a super short book (144 pages) that is impressive and haunting, starting in the summer of 1949 during the Nakba.

3. Poetry
“Rifqa” by Mohammed El-Kurd
This collection of poetry addresses Palestinian history, serving as both a deeply emotional eulogy and a call to action for liberation.

4. Poetry
“Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear” by Mosab Abu Toha
An accessible collection where the author talks about his life living under siege in Gaza, painting a picture of everyday life for Palestinians.

5. Non-fiction
“The Palestine Laboratory” by Antony Loewenstein
An incredible piece of journalism looking at Israel’s development of occupation-enforcing technologies tested in Palestine.

Other Media to Consume

• Mixed media: “Not That Complicated” by US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. An incredible resource that plainly lays out history and misconceptions about Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

• Article: “We Volunteered at a Gaza Hospital. What We Saw Was Unspeakable.” by Mark Perlmutter and Feroze Sidhwa.

• Documentary: "Investigating war crimes in Gaza” by Al Jazeera. An extensive investigation into the war crimes perpetrated by Israel in the last year.

Take Action

Mutual Aid: Donating to families in Palestine facing hardships can make essential resources such as food, shelter, and healthcare more accessible.

Key Organizations

• The Sameer Project: Hosts campaigns to help families with medical supplies, food, and shelter.
• North Water Aid: Raising funds to provide displaced families with clean drinking water.
• Gaza Soup Kitchen: Helps provide meals to displaced families.

Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions: The BDS movement seeks to pressure entities that support Israel by withholding financial support and advocacy.

Educate

Use social media or other platforms to speak up about Palestine and continue educating others, ensuring the injustices faced are not overlooked.