Occupied Voices

Wendy Pearlman
June 2003     ISBN: 1560255307

The stories she heard, ranging from the humorous to the tragic, paint a profile that is as honest as it is uncommon in the Western media: one of ordinary people who just want to live ordinary lives. As Pearlman writes, "The personal stories and heartfelt reflections that I encountered did not expose a hatred of Jews or a yearning to push Israelis into the sea. Rather, they painted a portrait of a people who longed for precisely that which had inspired the first Israelis: the chance to be citizens in a country of their own."

"Wendy Pearlman has done all of us an enormous favor by letting us hear the voices of twenty-seven Palestinians who have endured the bitterness of living in an occupied land. I know of no better way for Americans to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict then to listen to these poignant, intensely human stories."

--Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

"This book lets the voices of the Palestinian people speak for themselves and tell their story of suffering, resistance, little joys amidst the horrors, and the unbreakable hope for a just peace.... Reading this book may break your heart, but it also reminds you how marvelous the human spirit is."

--Tanya Reinhart, Tel Aviv University, author of Israel/Palestine:How to End the War of 1948

"Pearlman expertly interweaves elements of her personal journey to Palestine with the experiences of a broad range of average Palestinians. She has given these voices a platform, now it is up to us to listen."

--Hisham Sharabi, author of Neopatriarchy: Theory of Distorted Change in Arab Society

"In this stunning collection of interviews, each of which is introduced by a beautifully written and illuminating essay, Wendy Pearlman gives us something we are rarely allowed: an intimacy with Palestinians that is both human and humane.... What emerges is a discourse of compassion and understanding that argues, more than anything, that peace is still possible in this deeply wounded land."

--Sara Roy, Harvard University

"[Occupied Voices] brings to life the agonies of everyday life experienced by average Palestinians under Israeli Occupation.... This oral history is a revealing firsthand documentary account of Palestinians' current existence. Highly recommended."

--Library Journal

Wendy Pearlman is studying for her PhD in Government at Harvard University. Her commentaries on Middle East affairs have appeared in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and the Philadelphia Inquirer.