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They Called Me a Lioness

A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom
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( 5,182 ratings, 972 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
They Called Me a Lioness is the deeply personal memoir of Ahed Tamimi, a Palestinian activist who was jailed at sixteen after an encounter with Israeli soldiers. Growing up in Nabi Saleh, a West Bank village affected by Israeli occupation and illegal settlements, Tamimi’s narrative reveals the daily struggles and resistance faced by her community. The book explores her family’s legacy of activism, the pain of imprisonment, and her determination to fight for justice while trying to live a normal life as a daughter and student.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is suited for readers interested in contemporary biography, Middle Eastern history, social justice, and activism, especially those seeking a personal perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the eyes of a young woman deeply involved in the resistance movement.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A Palestinian activist jailed at sixteen after a confrontation with Israeli soldiers illuminates the daily struggles of life under occupation in this moving, deeply personal memoir.

"I cannot even begin to convey the clarity, the intensity, the power, the photographic storytelling of They Called Me a Lioness." - Ibram X. Kendi, internationally bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR - Kirkus Reviews

"What would you do if you grew up seeing your home repeatedly raided? Your parents arrested? Your mother shot? Your uncle killed? Try, for just a moment, to imagine that this was your life. How would you want the world to react?"

Ahed Tamimi is a world-renowned Palestinian activist, born and raised in the small West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, which became a center of the resistance to Israeli occupation when an illegal, Jewish-only settlement blocked off its community spring. Tamimi came of age participating in nonviolent demonstrations against this action and the occupation at large. Her global renown reached an apex in December 2017, when, at sixteen years old, she was filmed slapping an Israeli soldier who refused to leave her front yard. The video went viral, and Tamimi was arrested.

But this is not just a story of activism or imprisonment. It is the human-scale story of an occupation that has riveted the world and shaped global politics, from a girl who grew up in the middle of it. Tamimi's father was born in 1967, the year that Israel began its occupation of the West Bank and he grew up immersed in the resistance movement. One of Tamimi's earliest memories is visiting him in prison, poking her toddler fingers through the fence to touch his hand. She herself would spend her seventeenth birthday behind bars. Living through this greatest test and heightened attacks on her village, Tamimi felt her resolve only deepen, in tension with her attempts to live the normal life of a daughter, sibling, friend, and student.

An essential addition to an important conversation, They Called Me a Lioness shows us what is at stake in this struggle and offers a fresh vision for resistance. With their unflinching, riveting storytelling, Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri shine a light on the humanity not just in occupied Palestine but also in the unsung lives of people struggling for freedom around the world.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its powerful and vivid storytelling, the memoir draws readers into the harsh realities of Palestinian life under occupation while embodying hope and resilience. Ibram X. Kendi lauds it for its clarity and intensity, describing it as a photographic account of Israeli apartheid and Palestinian resistance. Middle East Monitor highlights Tamimi’s compelling voice and the book’s testament to community bravery and justice. This moving combination of personal memoir and historical overview offers a detailed understanding of the occupation’s impact.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780593134597

Publisher: Random House USA Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 September 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Random House Inc

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Ahed Tamimi is a Palestinian activist from Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank. As a child, she rose to global prominence for confronting Israeli soldiers during weekly demonstrations, which led to her imprisonment at the age of sixteen. She is studying international law at Birzeit University and plans to use her degree to advance the struggle for a free Palestine. Dena Takruri is an award-winning journalist who has reported extensively on the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Europe's refugee crisis, and other global struggles. The daughter of Palestinian immigrants, Dena was born and raised in the United States, yet spent many summers in Palestine. She is a Senior Presenter and Producer at AJ+ and has previously worked at HuffPost Live and Al Jazeera Arabic.

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