Middle East

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Johanna’s grandfather founded the largest clothing store in town and built up his wealth with his own hands–at least that’s the family legend. But when Johanna travels to Israel for a class project, she finds out that the family of Meta Levin originally owned the store. She learns that her grandfather legally acquired the company during the Nazi regime according to the anti-Semitic laws of the Third Reich. Johanna is worried: her family’s wealth is obviously founded on injustice. Should she keep silent, or should she wake the sleeping dogs?

War in the Middle East: A Reporter’s Story: Black September and the Yom Kippur War

In 1970, when the Jordanian civil war known as Black September began, U.P.I. correspondent Wilborn Hampton was sent to report on unfolding events. Holed up in the InterContinental Hotel and caught in the crossfire, he managed to get the story out. Three years later, dispatched to Israel to cover the Yom Kippur War, the reporter took it on himself to drive to the front lines.

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home.

Featured in Volume II, Issue 2 of WOW Review.

The Frozen Waterfall

When she finally joins her father and brothers in their new home in Switzerland, a twelve-year-old Turkish girl encounters the tremendous difficulty of living in a foreign country without knowing the language and customs.

A Little Piece of Ground

During the Israeli occupation of Ramallah in the West Bank of Palestine, twelve-year-old Karim and his friends create a secret place for themselves where they can momentarily forget the horrors of war.

Featured in Volume II, Issue 4 of WOW Review.

Sister Shako and Kolo the Goat : Memories of My Childhood in Turkey

Sister Shako, an old woman whose family was killed in a vendetta, lives with her goats in eastern Turkey. She asks for shelter from Dalokay’s father who was the landlord of the village. The young boy’s friendship with the old woman flourishes with daily visits.

Ziba Came on a Boat

Ziba came on a boat. Sitting in the crowded hull, with her mother’s arms around her, Ziba remembers all that she has left behind. They hope to find peace and safety in a new land, but where will their journey end.

Middle East

This book made in-depth look at the peoples and laces of this diverse and fascinating region-from the cradle of civilization to the powerful countries that playa central role in today’s global economy and politics.