Children of Bethany - Softcover

Saïd K. Aburish

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747508801 ISBN 13: 9780747508809

Publisher: Bloomsbury, 1991

Synopsis

This is the remarkable story of the Palestinians written with insight from the personal experiences of a Palestinian Arab.

In the 1920s and 1930s, life in the peaceful village of Bethany, outside Jerusalem, was dominated by its flamboyant headman, Khalil Aburish, guardian of the tomb of Lazarus. Said Aburish, grandson of the headman, relates the vivid history of his family which, like so many others, has been torn apart by events in Palestine in the course of the century.

In 1948, with Palestine in flames, the Aburish family scattered. Some remained in Bethany. Others began a new life across the world, establishing themselves as journalists, advertising executives, professors, bankers-even revolutionaries. The Aburishes who stayed in Bethany watched as their peaceful way of life was destroyed by events in the outside world-culminating in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank which threatens their very existence.

About this title

About the Author:

Said K. Aburish was born in the biblical village of Bethany near Jerusalem in 1935. He attended university in the United States and subsequently became a correspondent for Radio Free Europe and The Daily Mail, and a consultant to two Arab governments. Now a freelance journalist and author, his books include Children of Bethany, Cry Palestine, and Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge.

Review:

“A rich and intensely affecting work. Children of Bethany is a welcome and articulate addition to the documentation of the Palestinian experience since World War I. It will enlighten not only those interested in the Middle East but anyone touched by the plight of dislocated populations.” ―New York Times Book Review

“A well-written and important book, which offers insights into Arab society in general, and the Palestinians in Particular.” ―Independent

“Compelling throughout . . . An important and valuable historical record . . . Quite apart from its political and historical relevance, Children of Bethany is the touching story of a family, written with honesty and without evading unflattering revelations.” ―Jewish Chronicle

“In this book, journalist Aburish reflects on his childhood, ancestry, and socio-political identity as an Arab growing up in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem. His "personal tale slips easily and almost imperceptibly into a narrative in microcosm about the dispersed three or four million Palestinians living throughout the world.” ―International Herald Tribune

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0747508801
• ISBN 13: 9780747508809
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256