Author to read from book that offers insight into the lives of people touched by Middle East unrest

Wooster resident Nahida Halaby Gordon, professor emerita at Case Western Reserve University, is editor and author of a new book, “Palestine Is Our Home: Voices of Loss, Courage, and Steadfastness.” The book’s broad scope includes history, personal narratives, art, culture and contemporary commentary. It offers glimpses and insight into the lives of those personally touched by Middle East unrest. Designed to foster discussion and dialogue, Gordon said, “At the end of each section there are four to six questions so that people will think about what they have just read. There is a leader’s guide at the end that offers suggestions about using the book as a study guide.” Gordon said, “The book has a lot of notes. I don’t say anything without referencing it.” Additionally there is a black-and-white version of the book available for purchase at a reduced price, making it more affordable for discussion groups. Gordon smiled and said, “But there is a chapter on embroidery, and those pictures should be viewed in color.” The author pulls two small, beautifully embroidered bags from her purse to illustrate her point. The comprehensive work contains four tables and more than 60 images including maps and photographs. Photos include traditional works of art and costumes as well as the embroidery. The book’s cover is a photo of an olive tree. The photograph, a gift to Gordon from her sister, symbolizes “Endurance on the land.” Gordon’s husband, Donald Gordon, said, “That tree is probably several hundred years old.” On the back cover is another moving and deeply symbolic photo. “One of my father’s keys,” Nahida Gordon said. “Many Palestinians fled for their lives, thinking they will leave and come back ... You lock the door and put the key in your pocket.” The book contains a picture of the house that Nahida Gordon shared with her family.Nahida Gordon and her family fled from Palestine in 1948, surviving what is called the Nakba (catastrophe) and emigrated to the United States. “Palestine Is Our Home” contains Nahida Gordon’s personal commentary as well as 22 first-person narratives. “The narratives are organized by the district where the person came from. The book has a map that shows the districts as they were before it was divided. The people who gave me narratives are professors, housewives. There is an official of the Presbyterian Church, a prisoner ... a whole cross section of society.” The individual chronicles also encompass a broad range of history. “The narrates emanate from different historical periods. The first period was in 1947-48 — the Nakba — and then there was the 1967 war, the Naksa (setback). There are two stories from the Gaza strip.” These two are more contemporary accounts. Nahida Gordon’s sister, Samia A. Halaby, contributed one of the book’s chapters. “My sister is a world-renowned artist with works all over the world.” Halaby’s art may be viewed in museums such as the Metropolitan in New York City and the Cleveland Museum of Art.Nahida Gordon will read excerpts from her book at The Wooster Book Company on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. She also will be available to sign copies. For more information regarding Gordon, this new book and her other upcoming projects, see www.palestinebooks.com. “It’s essentially a story that’s unknown in this country,” Nahida Gordon said. “I’d like people to know ... the human side of the story. I’d like it to be distributed as widely as possible so that people would know the Palestinian side.” Copies of “Palestine is Our Home: Voices of Loss, Courage, and Steadfastness” are currently available at The Wooster Book Company, 205 W. Liberty St., Wooster.