In the Land of My Birth: A Palestinian Boyhood Paperback – November 22, 2017

by Reja-e Busailah (Author)

4.9 12 ratings

In the Land of My Birth recounts the coming of age of a blind Palestinian boy of modest milieu during the turbulent years leading up to the fall of Palestine in 1948. Above all, it is about the boy's life and his struggles to make his way in the sighted world, his upbringing, schooling, friendships, and adventures. It is a compelling human story with a mine of information on popular culture and customs, the educational system, and Palestinian life. While the looming conflict forms the essential backdrop, it comes to the fore only when it impinges directly on the boy's world. The fact that the memoir unfolds largely in real time, with events, conversations, and situations recounted not retrospectively but as they are experienced, provides a rare window on the political attitudes, social views, legends, prejudices, perceptions and misperceptions of ordinary Palestinians at the time, unmediated and unvarnished. Essential reading for anyone interested in the cultural, social, and political history of Palestine, the condition of blindness, and the education of the blind.

Print length

371 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Institute for Palestine Studies
Publication date

November 22, 2017
ISBN-10

0887280005
ISBN-13

978-0887280009
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Jerusalem in 1929, Reja-e Busailah completed his secondary education in Palestine before earning a BA in English literature from Cairo University and a PhD in the same field from New York University. He taught that subject for thirty years at Indiana University (Kokomo), with visiting professorships at Birzeit University (West Bank) and Muhammad V University (Morocco). Earlier, with an MA in special education from Hunter College, he taught at a school for the blind in Kuwait which he helped establish. In 1967 he founded Project Loving Care, dedicated to helping Palestinian children, which he directed until 1991. Dr. Busailah's passion is poetry, and a number of his poems have been published in various literary journals.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Institute for Palestine Studies (November 22, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 371 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0887280005
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0887280009
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces

Best Sellers Rank: #343,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.9 12 ratings

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4.9 out of 5

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Eman

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2018

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Compelling story!

3 people found this helpful

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Tom H

I liked this book for many reasons

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2018

I liked this book for many reasons; I will mention only three. First, I learned how a boy who is blind managed to cope so well that he was able to advance from home schooling to a school for the blind to regular high schools all the way to graduate study and end up becoming a professor of English at a major American university. Even though he was born in an underdeveloped country he was helped from an early age by his close family and neighbors who read to him constantly. He devised a sophisticated system of sonar, which allowed him to imagine his surroundings. His memory grew packed with sonograms that enabled him to navigate alone, and he soon mastered the art of reading by braille. That this memoir's gifted author is a published poet can be seen in his power to draw us into his experiences of growing up blind. It is a delight to read.
Second, I learned about the trials of living in a country colonized by a foreign power that not only deprived citizens of political freedom but eventually deprived them of their property and possessions and left them homeless. The author gives us a deeply moving account of participating in a forced march out of his own home and town.
Third, I learned why the Mideast problem--the endless strife between Palestinians and Israelis--is difficult if not impossible to solve because of the injustices of the past and the deep emotional feelings on both sides. For example, I got a view of the British occupation and its leaders, especially of Winston Churchill, quite different from what I was used to reading in the Western publications.
Tom Hartmann, Professor Emeritus, City University of New York

19 people found this helpful

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Mekhala Natavar

The most powerful book I have ever read in my life!

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2020

Absolutely an incredible journey through the inner eyes of a blind poet! I wish everyone in the world could read this book, which is as beautiful as it is painful. We have just lost an incredible soul who could make us see what he could feel and experience in what can only be described as extraordinary!

2 people found this helpful

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