Stranger in My Own Land, Fida Jiryis
Stranger in My Own Land, Fida Jiryis
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Stranger in My Own Land
Palestine, Israel and One Family's Story of Home

Author: Fida Jiryis

Narrator: Dina Pearlman

Unabridged: 16 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/30/2025


Synopsis

After the 1993 Oslo Accords, a handful of Palestinians were allowed to return to their hometowns in Israel. Fida Jiryis and her family were among them.

This beautifully written memoir tells the story of their journey, which is also the story of Palestine, from the Nakba to the present—a seventy-five-year tale of conflict, exodus, occupation, return, and search for belonging, seen through the eyes of one writer and her family. Jiryis reveals how her father, Sabri, a PLO leader and advisor to Yasser Arafat, chose exile in 1970 because of his work. Her own childhood in Beirut was shaped by regional tensions, the Lebanese Civil War, and the 1982 Israeli invasion, which led to her mother's death. Thirteen years later, the family made an unexpected return to Fassouta, their village of origin in the Galilee. But Fida, twenty-two years old and full of love for her country, had no idea what she was getting into.

Stranger in My Own Land chronicles a desperate, at times surreal, search for a homeland between the Galilee, the West Bank, and the diaspora, asking difficult questions about what the right of return would mean for the millions of Palestinians waiting to come "home."

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rebecca on January 28, 2024

Strong and painful book. FREE PALESTINE......more

Goodreads review by Gail on January 11, 2023

Personalized political history. Best book I have read on the subject in quite some time. A greater understanding of Middle East history since 1948 and how it impacted the lives of the people.......more

Goodreads review by RotemC on March 09, 2024

What an amazing book! The author writes fluently, making it easy to understand and connect with the content. As an Israeli, reading this book was a powerful experience, allowing me to emotionally connect with the Palestinian experience under occupation.......more

Goodreads review by Paulina on July 24, 2025

It’s soooo dense and definitely a little biased, but I learned so much and am really glad I read it at this moment in history.......more

Goodreads review by Afaf on November 13, 2025

An exhaustive and thoroughly researched oeuvre, but very personal at the same time!......more