Fairly Queer Books | 5 Books from Gaza - Read Palestine...

5 Books from Gaza - Read Palestine Week

It's that time of year again!

I'm putting this out a week ahead to give you all some recommendations for Read Palestine Week (November 29-December 5). I have participated in Read Palestine Week since 2023. You can check out my videos from 2024 and 2023 which have a ton of book/comic recommendations in them.

This spotlight of Palestinian literature was started by publishersforpalestine.org " a global collective of publishers, and others who work in publishing around the world, who stand for justice, freedom of expression, and the power of the written word.

Read Palestine Week is seven days when people around the world read – publicly and in community – as part of the global resistance to the genocide of the Palestinian people. To this end, publishers, librarians, & booksellers will share free reads, host events, and recommend books.

This year, there is a particular focus on raising funds to support Palestinian writers in Gaza. This supposed ceasefire in Gaza has not stopped the daily suffering from a lack of resources, food, medicine, and access to consistent aid that is desperately needed for an entire population. Gaza has faced genocide, ecocide, and a despicable attempt at cultural erasure that has been unsuccessful. The people of Gaza still rebuild, still share their stories, still make their presence in this world known. Here are some of the books and comics by writers and cartoonists from Gaza that I recommend:

First I would be remiss to give a list of authors from Gaza and not include the work of the late Dr. Refaat Alareer. A poet, writer, and academic from Gaza that had been a vocal advocate for his people for decades. I was introduced to his work in university in a race and resistance studies class I took that shared his TedX talk called Stories Make Us. This edited collection is in honor of the children of Gaza.

It is called Gaza Writes Back: Short Stories from Young Writers in Gaza, Palestine, a compelling anthology of short stories from fifteen young writers in Gaza, members of a generation that have endured Israel's siege and blockade. Their words take us into the homes and hearts of moms, dads, students, children, and elders striving to live lives of dignity, compassion, and meaning in one of the world's most embattled communities.

The next recommendation I have for you is from a new publishing company called Gaza Publications started earlier this year by poet and writer Husam Maarouf. You can read about how this publication was started & the unique challenges they have faced in starting this endeavor within occupied territory in an interview featured in Arab Lit Quarterly here.

Their first release is a short story collection “The Man Who Looked Back” by Amer Al-Masri. This is not just a literary collection — it is an emotional testimony to the unseen tragedies of Gaza.

Support the publisher and this poetry collection by purchasing a copy here: https://han-dal.net/shop/books/the-man-who-looked-back/ (Written in Arabic)

The next recommendation is The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience by Plestia Alaqad.

A document of the indomitable Palestinian spirit, told through the voice of one ordinary young woman, The Eyes of Gaza is a tribute to Alaqad's beloved Gaza, a paean to the courage and endurance of Palestine, and a manifesto of hope for its future.

The next one is We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza's Youth edited by Ahmed Alnaouq and Pam Bailey.

These are the stories of young people from Gaza, born under Israeli occupation and blockade, who keep fighting to be recognized as human beings with hopes, dreams, and lives worth living.

I would also like to spotlight an artist from Gaza named Safaa Odah. Safaa is an animation artist and cartoonist from Gaza, making daily cartoons from her tent.

In collaboration with The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, Mohammad Sabaaneh and translator Nada Hodali put together a comic of Safaa's work titled Safaa and the Tent, with all proceeds going directly to her.

That is my list for this year. For every book I finish, I will be donating $10 to a Palestinian family in Gaza that I have known for 2 years now. You can read their story here. Thank you for spending the time to read this and as always, Free Palestine.