The Words of My Father

A Palestinian American recalls his adolescence in Gaza during the Second Intifada and how he made a commitment to peace in this transformative memoir.

In the Gaza Strip, growing up on land owned by his family for centuries, fourteen-year-old Yousef Bashir was preoccupied with soccer, school pranks, and meeting his father’s impossibly high standards. Dignified and empathetic, kind yet strict, Yousef’s father was a pillar of strength for his family and community. Though he and Yousef butted heads fiercely, they loved each other unconditionally. Despite an Israeli settlement hovering on its periphery, the Gaza of Yousef’s childhood could only be described as a paradise.

That all changed when the Second Intifada exploded, and Israeli soldiers seized the Bashir family home. Yousef was forced to learn the rules of a new life in captivity and to watch his father treat the invading soldiers as honored guests—a testament not only to his father’s desire for peace between Palestine and Israel but also to his unshakeable belief that it was truly within reach. Yet nothing could prepare Yousef or his father for the Israeli bullet that would instantly transform both of their lives . . .

A riveting tale of a father and son, of reckoning and redemption, Yousef’s story is a heart-wrenching reminder in these troubled times that forgiveness is a gift—and a choice.