Days of Honey, Days of Onion: The Story of a Palestinian Family in Israel

Clinical psychologist Gorkin presents an intimate, revealing, unbiased probe into the hearts and minds of a Palestinian Arab family. Gregarious retired farmer Abu Ahmad and his tireless, nimble wife Umm Ahmad, who have nine grown children and 26 grandchildren, live in an Arab village in the center of Israel. One son, Ahmad, is a book publisher; another, Hassan, is the family farmer; Maysa, a daughter, is a social worker specializing in incest cases; Hassan's brother-in-law Toufiq was tortured by Israelis and spent three years in jail for his involvement with the PLO. Through oral testimonies, readers learn how life under the Israeli military government (1949-66), which confiscated enormous tracts of land from native Arabs, left an indelible mark on the family, and how the intifada triggered smoldering anger among family members. Gorkin, an American Jew who emigrated to Israel in 1982 and teaches at Hebrew University, has produced a valuable and engaging report. (Sept.)