Readings and Resources
Librarians and Archivists with Palestine has compiled a listed of readings and resources, spanning news sources to suggested fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, and more. Select a genre below to begin exploring. Last updated: January 2024.
News Sources
- +972 Magazine
- ArabLit
- The Electronic Intifada
- Institute for Palestine Studies
- International Middle East Media Center
- Jadaliyya
- Maan News Agency (local news)
- Mondoweiss
- Palestine Monitor
- Silwan Information Center
- This Week in Palestine
- This Is Palestine podcast (Institute for Middle East Understanding)
Advocacy and Activism
In the US
- Adalah-NY – Campaign for the Boycott of Israel
- Al-Awda: The Palestinian Right to Return Coalition
- Gaza Names Project (2014)
- IfNotNow
- Jewish Voice for Peace
- Palestine Legal
- US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
In Israel/Palestine
- 7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
- Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
- Addameer – Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
- alQaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society
- B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
- Decolonize Palestine
- Grassroots Al-Quds/Jerusalem
- Palestinian BDS National Committee
- Zochrot
Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions:
- BDS call from Palestinian civil society (July 9, 2005)
- Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) call from Palestine (2004)
- Open letter from Palestinian Queers for BDS to queer academics, artists, and activists (2011)
- Against Apartheid: The Case for Boycotting Israeli Universities, Bill V. Mullen & Ashley Dawson, editors, Ali Abunimah, forward (2015).
- Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights by Omar Barghouti (2010)
Non-Fiction
- The Battle for Justice in Palestine by Ali Abunimah (2014)
- The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine and A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples by Ilan Pappe (2003)
- Gaza Unsilenced, edited by Refaat Alareer and Laila El-Haddad (2015)
- The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017, by Rashid Khalidi (2020)
- Israel Palestine and the Queer International by Sarah Schulman (2012)
- Jerusalem Interrupted: Modernity and Colonial Transformation, 1917-Present, edited by Lena Jayyusi (2015)
- Nothing to Lose But Your Life, by Suad Amiry (2009)
- Palestine and Footnotes in Gaza, by Joe Sacco (2009)
- Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation, by Saree Makdisi (2008)
- Palestinian Walks: Forays Into a Vanishing Landscape by Raja Shehadeh (2007)
- Sabra and Shatila: September 1982 by Bayan Nuwayhed Al-Hout (2004)
- The Prisoners’ Diaries: Palestinian Voices from the Israeli Gulag, edited by Norma Hashim (2013)
- The Question of Palestine by Edward Said (1979)
- Seeking Palestine: New Palestinian Writing on Exile and Home edited by Penny Johnson and Raja Shehadeh (2012)
- The Storyteller of Jerusalem: The Life and Times of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904-1948, edited by Salim Tamari & Issam Nassar; trans. by Nada Elzeer (2013)
- Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer by Phyllis Bennis (2003)
- Zionism Unsettled by the Israel/Palestine Mission Network
Adult Fiction
- Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa (2019)
- All That’s Left to You: A Novella and Short Stories by Ghassan Kanafani (1966)
- The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem (2019)
- The Book of Gaza: A City in Short Fiction edited by Atef Abu Seif (2014)
- The First Well: A Bethlehem Boyhood by Jabra Ibrahim Jabran (1995)
- Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury (2005)
- Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafani (1963)
- Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa (2006)
- The Parisian by Isabella Hammad (2019)
- Return to Haifa by Ghassan Kanafani (1969)
- Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (2017)
- The Secret Life of Saeed, The Pessoptimist by Emile Habiby; translated by Salma Khadra Jayyusi and Trevor LeGassick (1974)
- Time of White Horses by Ibrahim Nasrallah (2012)
- Touch by Adania Shibli; translated by Paula Haydar (2010)
- Wild Thorns by Sahar Khalifeh (1976)
Memoir and Life Writing
- The Drone Eats with Me: A Gaza Diary by Atef Abu Saif (2015)
- Gaza Mom: Palestine, Politics, Parenting, and Everything in-Between by Laila El-Haddad (2010)
- Gaza Writes Back edited by Refaat Al-Areer (2013)
- In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story by Ghada Karmi (2002)
- Letter from Gaza by Ghassan Kanafani (1956)
- Sharon and My Mother-In-Law by Suad Amiry (2003)
- This Side of Peace by Hanan Ashrawi (1995)
Poetry
Listed first by author’s last name, then by publication date.
- Birthright : Poems by George Abraham. (2020)
- You Can Be the Last Leaf by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat; translated by Fady Joudah. (2022)
- Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire, edited by Jehad Abusalim. (2022)
- Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha. (2022)
- Sadder Than Water: New & Selected Poems by Samih al-Qasim; translated by Nazih Kassis. (2006)
- The Twenty-Ninth Year by Hala Alyan. (2019)
- A Gaza of Siege and Genocide by Yahya Ashour. (2024)
- Bayna Bayna: In-Between by Zeina Azzam. (2021)
- Some Things Never Leave You: Poems by Zeina Azzam. (2021)
- We Begin Here: Poems for Palestine and Lebanon edited by Kamal Boullata and Kathy Engel. (2007)
- Jehan Bseiso, “Gaza, from the Diaspora” (The Electronic Intifada, July 28, 2014)
- Almond Blossoms and Beyond by Mahmoud Darwish; translated by Mohammad Shaheen (2003)
- The Butterfly’s Burden by Mahmoud Darwish; translated by Fady Joudah. (2006)
- Rifqa by Mohammed El-Kurd. (2021)
- For Lives Undone: Gaza Summons Its Writers to Speak (Shahadat, Spring 2012)
- Born Palestinian, Born Black by Suheir Hammad (1996)
- Drops of This Story by Suheir Hammad (1996)
- ZaatarDiva by Suheir Hammad (2006)
- Breaking Poems by Suheir Hammad (2008)
- Suheir Hammad performs “Daddy’s Song” (2010)
- Suheir Hammad, Gaza Suite (video of Suheir Hammad reading 5 parts: Gaza, Rafah, Tel Al-Hawa, Jabalya, Zaytoun) (2010)
- Tethered to the Stars by Fady Joudah. (2021)
- […] by Fady Joudah. (2024)
- Poets for Palestine edited by Remi Kanazi. (2008)
- Remi Kanazi, “Poem for Gaza” (2011)
- Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine by Remi Kanazi. (2011)
- Before the Next Bomb Drops: Rising Up from Brooklyn to Palestine by Remi Kanazi. (2015)
- 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2002)
- You and Yours (American Poets Continuum) by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2005)
- Transfer (American Poets Continuum) by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2011)
- A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2014)
- Tender Spot: Selected Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2015)
- The Tiny Journalist by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2019)
- Cast Away: Poems of Our Time by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2021)
- Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2022)
- Honeybee: Poems & Short Prose by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2022)
- Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners by Naomi Shihab Nye. (2022)
- Water & Salt by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha. (2017)
- Kaan and Her Sisters by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha. (2023)
- Something About Living by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha. (2024)
- Blood Orange by Mx. Yaffa. (2023)
- The Silence That Remains: Selected Poems, 1982-2003 by Ghassan Zaqtan; translated by Fady Joudah. (2017)
- Rafeef Ziadah, “We Teach Life, Sir” (2013)
Grades K-5
- A is for Amandla: The ABC Guide for Young Revolutionaries by Dr. A. Kayum Ahmed, 2024
- A is for Arab by Wafa Shami (author) and Lama Jawhari (illustrator), 2023
- The Aida Camp Alphabet by Amahl A. Bishara (author, editor) and youth at Lajee Center, Aida Refugee Camp, 2015
- Al Beit by Zacharia Tamer (author) and Mohieddin El Labbad (illustrator), 1979
- Baba What Does My Name Mean?: A Journey to Palestine by Rifk Ebeid (author) and Lamaa Jawhari (illustrator), 2022
- The Blue Pool of Questions by Maya Abu-Alhayyat (author), Hassan Manasrah (illustrator), and Hanan Awad (translator), 2017
- The Boy and the Wall by Amahl A. Bishara (author) and Youth at Lajee Center Aida Refugee Camp (illustrators), 2005
- Christina Goes to the Holy Land by Maria C. Khoury (author) and Fotini Dedousi (illustrator), 2003
- Counting Up the Olive Tree: A Palestine Number Book by Golbarg Bashi (author) and Nabi H. Ali (illustrator), 2019
- Easter in Ramallah by Wafa Shami (author) and Shaima Farouki (illustrator), 2019
- Eleven Words for Love: A Journey through Arabic Expressions of Love by Randa Abdel-Fattah (author) and Maxine Beneba Clarke (Illustrator), 2023
- Far From Home by Diyala Rasul (author), Samar Nassar (illustrator), 2022
- From The River To The Sea by N. Salem, 2022
- Ghaddar the Ghoul: And Other Palestinian Folk-Tales by Sonia Nimr (author) and Hannah Shaw (illustrator), 2007
- The Ghoul by Taghreed Najjar (author) and Hassan Manasra (illustrator), 2020
- Giza the Gaza Donkey by Grace Austin (author) and Teresa Abboud (illustrator),2024
- Halal Hot Dogs by Susannah Aziz (author) and Parwinder Singh (illustrator), 2021
- Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck (author) and Reem Madooh (illustrator), 2023
- Jenin and the Precious Palestinian Pie by Nadine Foty (author) and Sanskriti Shukla (illustrator), 2023
- The Little Green Drum by Taghreed Najjar (author), Hassan Manasrah (illustrator), and Lucy Coats (translator) 2015
- Mama in Congress: Rashida Tlaib’s Journey to Washington by Rashida Tlaib (Author) and Adam Tlaib (Author) with Miranda Paul (Author), and Olivia Aserr (Illustrator), 2022
- My Brother and Me by Taghreed Najjar (author), Maya Fidawi (illustrator), Michelle Hartman (translator), 2019
- My Garden Over Gaza by Sarah Musa (author) and Saffia Bazlamit (Illustrator), 2022
- My Name Is Palestine by Nadine Foty (author) and Wathmi De Zoysa (illustrator), 2022
- Olive Harvest in Palestine by Wafa Shami (author) and Shaima Farouki (illustrator), 2019
- The Olive Tree Said to Me by N. Salem (author), 2021
- P Is for Palestine: A Palestine Alphabet Book by Golbarg Bashi (author) and Golrokh Nafisi (illustrator), 2017
- Rest in My Shade: A Poem About Roots by Nora Lester Murad (author) and Danna Masad (author), featuring illustrations by Palestinian artists, 2019
- Salim’s Soccer Ball: A Story of Palestinian Resilience by Tala El-fahmawi (author) and Neveen Abu Saleem (illustrator), 2022
- Secret Recipe Box by Helal Musleh (author) and Nalan Alaca (illustrator), 2019
- Sitti and the Cats: A Tale of Friendship by Sally Bahous (author) and Nancy Malick (illustrator), 1997
- Sitti’s Bird: A Gaza Story by Malak Mattar (author and illustrator), 2022
- Sitti’s Key by Sahar Khader Ali (Author) and Noor Alshalabi (illustrator), 2023
- Sitti’s Olive Trees by Ndaa Hassan (author) and Soumbal Qureshi (illustrator), 2021
- Sitti’s Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye (author) and Nancy Carpenter (illustrator), 1997
- The Story of Hurry by Emma Williams (author) and Ibrahim Quraishi (Illustrator), 2014
- Teta’s Thoub by Fatin Badran Kadri (author) and Fatima Kadri (Illustrator), 2021
- These Olive Trees by Aya Ghanameh (author and illustrator), 2023
- Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur!: A Palestinian Folktale retold by Margaret Read MacDonald and illustrated by Alik Arzoumanian, 2006
- Watermelon Madness by Taghreed Najjar (author) and Maya Fidawi (illustrator), 2018
- What Shall We Play Now? By Taghreed Najjar (author) and Charlotte Shama (illustrator), 2022.
- What the Kite Saw by Anne Laurel Carter (author) and Akin Duzakin (illustrator), 2021
- When Za’atar Met Zeit by Wafa Shami (author) and Shaima Farouki (illustrator), 2021
- Yalla, Let Me Show You Palestine by Nasser Nabhan (author) and Miranda Kharsa (illustrator), 2021
- You Are the Color by Rifk Ebeid (author) and Noor Alshalabi (illustrator), 2022
- You, Me, and a Tree by Omar Abed (author), Nejla Shojaie (illustrator), 2019.
Grades 6-8
- 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye, 2002
- Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq (author and artist), 2015
- Balcony on the Moon: Coming of Age in Palestine by Ibtisam Barakat, 2016
- Children of the Stone City by Beverley Naidoo, 2022
- A Child’s View from Gaza: Palestinian Children’s Art and the Fight against Censorship by Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) (compiler); Alice Walker (writer of forward), 2012
- Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village by Jody Sokolower (author); Nick Estes (writer of introduction), 2021
- Farah Rocks Fifth Grade by Susan Muaddi Darraj (author) and Ruaida Mannaa (illustrator), 2020
- Farah Rocks Summer Break by Susan Muaddi Darraj (author) and Ruaida Mannaa (illustrator), 2021
- Farah Rocks New Beginnings by Susan Muaddi Darraj (author) and Ruaida Mannaa (illustrator), 2022
- Farah Rocks Florida by by Susan Muaddi Darraj (author) and Ruaida Mannaa (illustrator), 2022
- The Flag of Childhood: Poems from the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye (compiler), 2008
- Gaza Writes Back: Short Stories from Young Writers in Gaza Palestine by Refaat Alareer (editor), 2014
- Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye, 1999
- Ida in the Middle by Nora Lester Murad, 2022
- A Little Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird with Sonia Nimr, 2016
- Outside the Ark: An Artist’s Journey in Occupied Palestine by Ellen O’Grady, 2005
- Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat, 2013
- The Shepherd’s Granddaughter by Anne Laurel Carter, 2008
- Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis, 2004
- Thunderbird. Book One. By Sonia Nimr (author); M. Lynx Qualey (translator), 2022
- Thunderbird. Book Two. By Sonia Nimr (author); M. Lynx Qualey (translator), 2022
- We Are Palestinian: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition by Reem Kassis (author) and Noha Eilouti (illustrator), 2023
- We’re in This Together: A Young Readers Edition of We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders by Linda Sarsour, 2022
- Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah, (adapted by Eva Di Cesare), 2010
- Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands Sonia Nimr (author); M. Lynx Qualey (translator), 2021
- Young Palestinians Speak: Living Under Occupation by Annemarie Young (Author), Anthony Robinson (Author, Illustrator), 2017
Grades 9-12
- The Butterfly’s Burden by Mahmoud Darwish (author); Fady Joudah (translator), 2007
- Code Name: Butterfly by Ahlam Bsharat (Author); Nancy Roberts (translator), 2016
- Finding Melody Sullivan by Alice Rothchild, 2023
- Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson Palestine and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis (Author); Frank Barat (Editor); Cornel West (Preface), 2016
- I Don’t Want This Poem to End: Early and Late Poems by Mahmoud Darwish (author); Mohammad Shaheen (editor and translator), 2017
- Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delisle (author); Helge Dascher (translator), 2015
- The Lemon Tree: An Arab a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan, 2020
- Palestine Speaks: Narratives of Life Under Occupation compiled and edited by Cate Malek and Mateo Hoke, 2021
- Palestine: The Special Edition (2007) and Footnotes in Gaza (2010) by Joe Sacco.
- Power Born of Dreams: My Story Is Palestine by Mohammad Sabaaneh (author and artist), 2021 [Watch the author/artist create his work here (expand the image and turn on the speaker!)]
- They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri, 2022
- Trees for the Absentees by Ahlam Bsharat,et al., 2019
- Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer by Phyllis Bennis, 2019
- Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone? by Mahmoud Darwish (author); Jeffrey Sacks (translator), 2006
Films and Movies
- “5 Broken Cameras” (dir. Emad Burnat, 2012)
- “500 Dunum on the Moon” (dir. Rachel Leah Jones, 2002)
- “Amreeka” (dir. Cherien Dabis, 2009)
- “Arna’s Children” (dir. Juliano Mer Khamis and Danniel Danniel, 2004)
- “Divine Intervention” (dir. Elia Suleiman, 2002)
- “Farha” (dir. Darin J. Sallam, 2021)
- “Jenin, Jenin” (dir. Mohammed Bakri, 2002)
- “Like Twenty Impossibles” (dir. Annemarie Jacir, 2003)
- “Native Sons: Palestinians In Exile” (dir. Tom Hayes, 1985)
- “Paradise Now” (dir. Hany Abu-Assad, 2005)
- “People and the Land” (dir. Tom Hayes, 1997)
- “Slingshot Hip Hop” (dir. Jackie Reem Salloum, 2008)
- “The Great Book Robbery” (dir. Benny Brunner, 2012)
- “The Time That Remains” (dir. Elia Suleiman, 2009)
- “Two Blue Lines” (dir. Tom Hayes, 2015)
- “Wedding in Galilee” (dir. Michel Khleifi, 1987)
- “When I Saw You” (dir. Annemarie Jacir, 2012)
- Netflix’s Palestinian Stories Collection (personal account required to view)
Palestinian Libraries and Archives
- Report on Damage to Palestinian Libraries and Archives during the Spring of 2002 by Tom Twiss. Progressive Librarian, #21, Winter 2002.
- “Preliminary report and recommendations from an IFLA/FAIFE-mission to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories 13th – 21st April 2007” by Stuart Hamilton and Frode Bakken.
- “A Role for Oral History — Uncovering Palestinian Memory,” Al Majdal #32, Winter 2007 and this particular project: www.palestineremembered.com
- Papers from the International Conference on Libraries from a Human Rights Perspective, Ramallah 2008.
- “Libraries in Palestine” by Françoise Lefebvre-Danset. IFLA Journal 35, no. 4 (December 1, 2009): 322–334.
- Memorandum of Understanding at joint cooperation on Palestinian archival material stolen and currently housed in Israeli Archives.
- “Overdue Books: Returning Palestine’s ‘Abandoned Property’ of 1948” by Hannah Mermelstein. Jerusalem Quarterly, #47, 2011.
- “Occupational Hazards, Revisited: Palestinian Historiography” by Lauren Banko. The Middle East Journal, vol. 66 issue 3, September 23, 2012. p. 440-452.
- “Palestinian Libraries,” International Responsibilities Task Force, Social Responsibilities Round Table, American Library Association
- “Libraries Under Occupation: A Conversation with Palestinian Librarians Randa Kamal and Diana Sayej Naser,” Progressive Librarian, #45, Winter 2016/2017.
- “Libraries and Access to Information In Palestine: Impacts of Military Occupation” by Deanna K. Roberts. ATLA Summary of Proceedings 74, December 2020.
- “Stolen Memories: Israeli State Repression and Appropriation of Palestinian Cultural Resources” by Blair Kuntz. Journal of Radical Librarianship, vol. 7, 2021.
- “Libraries & Archives Under Occupation: Special Issue on Palestine,” Progressive Librarian, #48, Spring 2021.
- “Stolen Pieces of Palestine: Archival Responsibility in the Case of Displaced Archives” by Connor White. The iJournal: Student Journal of the Faculty of Information, vol. 9 (1), 2023.
- “Finding Palestine in the Library” by Jamie Carlstone. Medium, December 20, 2023.
- “A case for library/archives boycott and divestment: ExLibris” by David Staniunas. Medium, January 3, 2024.
Chronologies, Bibliographies, and Resource Recommendations by Other Organizations
- A Bibliography for Palestine Solidarity Encampments: A Resource for Student Rebellions by punctum books (all are open access)
- A Bibliography of Books on Palestine and the Palestinians (Palestinian American Resource Center)
- Community-generated popular histories/oral histories
- Palestine and Palestinians: An Annotated Bibliography and Filmography by Noha Ismail
- Palestine Program Toolkit for Libraries
- Palestinian Feminist Collective Resources (toolkits and children’s workbook)
- Palestinian Feminist Reading List
- Toolkit to Defend K-12 Educators and Librarians Against False Accusations of Antisemitism | Ida in the Middle
Palestine Focused LibGuides
- Researching Palestine LibGuide at UMass Amherst Libraries
- Decolonizing Israel/Palestine LibGuide at Emory University
- Palestine LibGuide at Skyline College
- Black and Palestinian Solidarities in Context LibGuide at Rutgers University
Graphic Novels & Comic Books
- Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq, 2015.
- A Child in Palestine: the Cartoons of Naji al-Ali by al-Ali, Naji (Intro by Joe Sacco), 2009.
- Mis(h)Adra and Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata, 2017.
- The Hookah Girl: And Other True Stories by Marguerite Dabaie, 2018.
- Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delisle, 2012.
- Power Born of Dreams: My Story Is Palestine by Mohammad Sabaaneh, 2021.
- Palestine (1991), Footnotes in Gaza (2009), and The War on Gaza (Current) by Joe Sacco.
- Squire by Nadia Shammas (Author) and Sara Alfageeh (Illustrator), 2022.
- Where Black Stars Rise by Nadia Shammas and Marie Enger, 2022.
- Shiny Misfits: A Graphic Novel by by Maysoon Zayid (Author), Shadia Amin (Illustrator), 2024. (For grades 3-7).
To suggest additional materials for inclusion, or to report a broken link, please email librarians2palestine@gmail.com.