This is a heartbreaking novel dissecting the Palestinian conflict that
is based on a true story. Rula Jebreal traces the lives of generations of Palestinians in order to
understand the intractable conflict. Hind Husseini,
benefactor of thousands of children, is the figurehead in this
examination of race, religion and what a homeland means. A film adaptation starring Freida Pinto is out now. Click on the screen below to view a trailer of the film which is released in December 2010.
In 1948, as violence erupts in Jerusalem, a young Arab woman, Hind Husseini, finds fifty-five abandoned children in the streets and faces the biggest challenge of her life. Hind establishes the Dar El-Tifel orphanaga, dedicating her life to providing love, support and education to the children, changing their destiny. As the years pass and the conflict rages on, Hind finds that - despite her best efforts - some of her older students are taking part in the violent struggle for Palestinian independence, including one of her brightest students, Miral.
Rula Jebreal is an award-winning journalist who specialises in immigration rights issues. She was born in Palestine, studied and worked in Italy for many years, and now lives in New York.
