In My Mother's Footsteps
A Palestinian Refugee Returns Home
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In My Mother's Footsteps
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Narrated by:
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Lameece Issaq
About this listen
1948, Jerusalem. Zakia is forced to flee the only home she’s ever known as war rips through the leafy streets and the bustling spice-filled souqs. Taking just one suitcase, Zakia thinks she’ll be able to return soon. But within weeks, she realizes she won’t be allowed back to her beloved homeland.
2007, California. Mona grew up with her mother Zakia’s memories of Palestine, imagining the muezzin’s call for prayer and the medley of church bells her mother so vividly described to her. So, when Mona gets the opportunity to teach conflict resolution in Ramallah, she also embarks on a personal pilgrimage to find her mother’s home in militarized and occupied Jerusalem.
With cherished letters from her mother who writes to Mona regularly, sharing her story of Jerusalem, Mona dreams of one day being guided by her through the winding cobblestone alleys of the Old City. Yet it is Mona who instead holds her mother’s hand as they finally visit Jerusalem together. After 59 years of exile, her mother is returning to the place she once called home – but can a lifetime of loss ever be healed?
A moving and heartbreaking journey of a daughter discovering her Palestinian roots and recovering her mother’s beloved past. It’s also an intimate and tender account of daily life for Palestinians as never seen before. Perfect for fans of The Bookseller of Kabul and The Beekeeper of Aleppo.
©2021 Mona Hajjar Halaby (P)2021 Thread, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Utterly heart-breaking, absorbing, and tender...will stay with you long after you finish the last page." (Christy Lefteri, best-selling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo)
"An intimately detailed and moving account of what’s lost and found when human beings are displaced." (Sahar Mustafah, author of The Beauty of Your Face, a 2020 New York Times Notable Book)
What listeners say about In My Mother's Footsteps
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- invincible girl
- 16-06-23
a moving memoir
This was a really good read, very moving and sad but also quite uplifting in the way the Palestinian people,the authors family show such resilience in such terrible circumstances.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Eileen
- 27-08-24
Not in the name of God!
I was prepared to take a side according to what I thought I knew!
If you asked me what a Palestinian was I’d have said a Muslim.
If you had said why did Israel have the right to occupy the region I would have said because the war councillors were ashamed by the atrocities that the Jews suffered & felt that the surviving Jews deserved a country they could call a homeland and this “ Barren” area could be cultivated to provide this.
I didn’t consider the complexity of those dispersed and ravaged people’s inability to consider their needs retrospectively with those whose homes, rights, and dignity where being disenfranchised to fulfil the birth of this new state Israel !
Proportioning blame is to presume that we think there is a solution.
I stand a little more informed of the road that brings us to this conflict of present day.
I heard the refugees heart cry in this story and thank you for your contribution to furthering my understanding
I pray for the martyrs that suffer worldwide in this manner! If your war is small or in view of the world media know I will pray for your peace.
God will judge in His righteousness.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-09-21
In mothers footsteps
Absolutely brilliant. Loved listening to this all of it. Voice crystal clear recommend it. Story was touching in everyway
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Arlene
- 09-11-23
Highly recommend
The author provides an eloquent insight into the lives and losses of the palestinian people. Incredibly moving.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- karen
- 19-09-21
Interesting. I didn’t know all this
I listened to this book but I can’t remember why I chose it. It’s basically the life of a Palestinian family who were forced to leave their home when the country of Israel was created in 1948. I actually had no real understanding of the history of this area, only hearing of constant trouble in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem etc in my lifetime. Hearing from the Palestinian perspective was eye opening. I feel I have been educated as the author explains in detail what happened and was is perceived to have happened to the natives, the inhabitants snd the Jewish newcomers after WW2 and right up to the present day.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Valerie
- 20-04-24
motherhood and loss
I listened to this beautifully read book while working on an art project based on motherhood and loss in Gaza. remembering Rania"s babies, born 13 October 2023, killed in a rocket attack in Raffah, 3 March 2024. We can't comprehend over 30,000 deaths... but we can decide to remember one family.
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- Shermeen
- 04-04-24
Outstanding heart quenching memoir of a beautiful soul
I can’t thank the author enough, Mrs.Hajjar Halaby, for sharing in such a humbling and honest manner the story of her mother, her own life, and the history of the Palestinian people. Throughout the book, different stories are unveiled, from heart torn tragedies to beautiful records on love compassion and forgiveness.
My eyes were filled with tears, my laughter beamed my face, while my heart was overflowing with nostalgia. Thank you for sharing the narrative of a refugee, for sharing the tales of the Palestinian diaspora, and for enlightening the world with the truth. One of the best biographies.
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