The Place I Live the People I Know: Profiles from the Eastern Mediterranean

Everyone has a unique life story to tell. In The Place I Live The People I Know, author Lori Mendel shares stories from people she knows, gathered from Eilat in the south to Kibbutz Ne'ot Mordecai in the north near the Syrian border. There's Bishara from Nazereth, Edna from Beer Sheba, Ilan from Jerusalem, Noa from Tel Aviv, Sara from Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov, and many more. Some escaped the Holocaust, some are sabras-born in Israel, some are new immigrants; Jews, Arabs, Christians, and Druze living in this extraordinary country, full of passions and contradictions. Praise for The Place I Live The People I Know "Lori Mendel's vibrant experiment in oral history helps us to understand the amazing diversity of the Jewish state" -Patrick Tyler, Author, Fortress Israel "A gold mine of memories, the drama of Israel through the stories of those who live it. Lori Mendel has performed a valuable service, collecting the life stories of dozens of people, a true cross-section of that fascinating nation - moving, real and illuminating" -Martin Fletcher, NBC News and PBS Special Correspondent and author of Walking Israel, winner of the National Jewish Book Award. New novel is The War Reporter published by St Martin's Press, New York.

Lori Mendel completed her studies at UC Berkeley, taught in California and Paris, and managed her own publishing company before immigrating. In Israel, she did cross cultural training for the Ministry of Defense, taught at Shenkar College, and coached students applying for university. She lives in Israel with her partner, enjoying friends, bike touring, the desert, and the Mediterranean life. Her four grandchildren live in the United States.