Description: A prominent Palestinian's searching, anguished, and deeply affecting autobiography, in which his life story mimics the recent history of his country.
Brief description: Sari Nusseibeh, a philosopher, was the Palestine Liberation Organization's chief representative in Jerusalem from 2001 to 2002, in which role he advocated a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. He is the president of and a professor at Al-Quds University, the Arab University of Jerusalem. Nusseibeh was educated at Oxford and Harvard, and was a Radcliffe Institute Fellow at Harvard for 2004-05. He is the author of two previous books.
Review Quotes:
"One of the best personal accounts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever written . . . A fascinating and deeply intelligent memoir." --Ethan Bronner, The New York Times
"There are villains and victims, patriots and fools, war and peace, betrayal and corruption, and an inevitable romance. . . . The book dramatizes recent history in Palestine as few others have done." --Amos Elon, The New York Review of Books "Terrific . . . highly recommended for those who want to appreciate the dilemma of the Palestinian democrat." --Christopher Hitchens, Slate "A deeply admirable book by a deeply admirable man." --Leon Wieseltier, The New York Times Book Review "Once Upon a Country is an often enthralling book, with a lucid unfolding of the issues and subtle analysis of the games played by both sides. . . . This complicated man--shrewd, idealist, pragmatic, dreamer, peaceful warrior---is very much worth knowing." --Charles Matthews, San Francisco Chronicle "Captivating . . . Once Upon a Country is a magnificent study of hope under siege." --Robert Malley, The Washington Post "A bighearted, admirable, and exceptionally interesting account of Nusseibeh's struggle for an equitable peace in a conflict in which compromise is often interpreted as treason. This is a rare book." --Jeffrey Goldberg, Los Angeles Times "Once Upon a Country is a subtle, sad, and humorous memoir that casts a fresh light on the Israeli-Palestinian tragedy and a vivid picture of Palestinian society as well." --Amos Oz, author of A Tale of Love and Darkness