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
Activism
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Non-Fiction
Adult Fiction
Memoir
Poetry
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Films
Libraries & Archives
Bibliographies
Palestine Focused LibGuides
Graphic Novels & Comics

News Sources

Advocacy and Activism

    In the US

    In Israel/Palestine

Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions:

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

Palestinian Libraries and Archives

Chronologies, Bibliographies, and Resource Recommendations by Other Organizations

Palestine Focused LibGuides

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.