Nadia Captive Memoir of an Arab Woman of Hope

A fascinating memoir about life in the Middle East

The birth of Fay Afaf Kanafani (Nadia) in February 1918 coincided with major political events: the end of World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. As the world around her reshaped itself, Nadia moved to Labenon, where she spent her childhood, to state of Israel reduced her to refugee status, along with thousands of others.

In this remarkable autobiography, Afaf Kanafani reconstructs her life as an abused child, a young bride and mother, a widow twice over, a breadwinner, and ultimately a survivor. Through her eyes we see the dispersion of Palestinians during the cration of Israel, and the destruction of civilian life in Labenon's civil war. Rich in detail and anecdote, the book weaves together the personal and the political to provide fresh insights into the complexities of life within Arb society in the mid-twentieth century.

I will give this book 5 out of 10.