First published 1999
Born in colonial-era Palestine, Edward Said navigates the upheaval of his homeland becoming Israel. As a Christian Palestinian and American citizen, he grapples with a fragmented identity. Forced to leave his Arab roots behind, Said retraces his childhood amid the rubble of war-torn Lebanon and the fading grandeur of 1950s Egypt. Confronting a terminal diagnosis, he crafts this poignant memoir to preserve the "lost world" of his early years before it vanishes forever.
Genres: historical-fiction, autobiography, biography-memoir, cultural
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water
Setting: United States
320 pages · Paperback · Granta Books
Content warnings: colonialism