I’ve finished my first country and while it took a little longer than I anticipated I feel like I’m off to a great start. My nonfiction book was written by an Arab born and raised in Israel and the novel’s main storyline was the prejudice against migrants with many chapters coming from her perspective. So, I liked that both books helped me see Israel from the eyes of someone not in the majority.

Nonfiction

Around the World in 60 Seconds: The Nas Daily Journey-1,000 Days, 64 Countries, 1 Beautiful Planet by Nuseir Yassin with Bruce Kluger, 2019, 272 pages

My review is here.

Fiction

Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, translated from Hebrew by Sondra Silverston, 409 pages, 2013

My review is here.

My goal is to read a fiction and nonfiction book set in and written by someone who was born in that country. As recommendations have trickled in I realized that it’s the ‘born in that country’ part that is going to make some books not work. I’m excluding the immigrant experience. It wasn’t my intent, I just didn’t really think it through in those terms. I’m not going to change the rules at this point. Maybe I’ll do a spin off challenge for that.

That being said here are three books I’ve read and liked in the last few years that were set in Israel, but not written by someone born there.

Too Far From Home by Naomi Shmuel – a children’s book about a girl who was born in Israel to two immigrant parents. A good book about prejudice and belonging. 4 stars

Dawn by Elie Wiesel – This is the second in the Night trilogy and a profound look at the evil of war. 5 stars

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden – A graphic memoir by a New Yorker taking her 10 day Birthright trip to Israel. 3.75 stars