Behind the Wall: Life, Love, and Struggle in Palestine
“This is a book that all supporters of the Palestinian struggle will want to give to family and friends.”“I have read many books about Palestine, most by Palestinians; Wiles is one foreigner who has absorbed the essence of life in Aida and Palestine generally. This is a perfect book for both the experienced activist and the newcomer to Palestinian reality.”“Wiles’ work is an important contribution to what I insist on referring to as a ‘People’s History of Palestine.’”“Wiles has created a page-turner, filled with volatile situations, anguish and bravery, but without the sensationalist packaging of much Middle East reporting. Few books take the reader into Palestinian lives so close up and personal as this one, while also contextualizing their experience with background information. Wiles goes a step further: his book is a wake-up call, a demand for change, for the right of return and an end to the occupation.”“The themes and narratives emphasized in Wiles’ book are made meaningful by his images and his prose. His tone is deeply respectful and humble, offering writers a model discourse.”“An amazingly powerful read. . . . Wiles’ writing style is elegant and clear. There are very few books—none that I recall immediately—that I read through in one sitting. This is one as it captivates the reader. It is a book that should be read, stories that should be remembered.”"The book offers a picture of ordinary Palestinians that is both expansive and vivid. . . .manages to address Palestinians' deep frustrations in creative ways."“Rarely has the Palestinian experience of occupation—its everyday frustrations, cruelties and injustices—been captured better than in these richly varied and very human stories told by Rich Wiles. Too often the voice of the Palestinians is denied or overlooked: this book seeks to correct that additional indignity by reminding the reader that behind Israel's Wall a people continues to demand the freedoms most of us take for granted.”“A moving insight into the individual experiences of life under occupation and imprisonment.  The book allows the people themselves to speak about their horrific experience and their remarkable struggle for survival and normality against all odds. A most valuable and humane contribution to a better understanding of the Palestinian plight in the face of an escalating Israeli brutality and inhumanity.”“Behind the Wallis a book of powerful stories, conveyed most eloquently by the author and told by ordinary people describing their extraordinary existence.  Rich Wiles’s captivating narrative transcends politics and rebuffs the very desensitizing nature of news related to Palestine and Israel. Instead,Behind the Walldelves into the heart of the conflict—the disaffected Palestinians—including the original refugees of 60 years ago and their descendents, who continue to struggle for rights and recognition. Their undying resilience will endure until rights are restored, justice is delivered, and freedom is attained. Until then, those refugees, feeding on memory and hope, will continue to exist behind the Wall. While they may be physically trapped, their stories don’t have to be. Rich Wiles’s book is a most admired effort at getting the story out. This book must be read, and forever remembered.”“Palestine is the most important issue for humanity because its justice is so long overdue, and its people have been so betrayed, yet it exemplifies a courage and endurance no oppressor can kill. In his superb collectionBehind the Wall, Rich Wiles captures these qualities in the struggles and faces of those who will not allow us to forget.”“Rich Wiles's work is exemplary. Clear-sighted and passionate, he provides the frame and the focus for the Palestinians to tell their own stories. These are stories that the world needs to hear.”