cover image A Land Twice Promised: An Israeli Woman's Quest for Peace

A Land Twice Promised: An Israeli Woman's Quest for Peace

Noa Baum. Familias, $17.95 trade paper (264p) ISBN 978-1-942934-49-3

In this touching and honest memoir, Baum shares the story of how her search for peace informed her life. Born in Israel in the shadow of the Holocaust, Baum grew up with the fear of another Jewish destruction looming large. The fear was enhanced by stories retold by her dramatic mother and by childhood experiences that included wars and the constant threat of attack and destruction. When she was a college student, the increasing death toll and the virulence of extremists instilled in her a strong desire for peace. After she moved to California, she joined a network of storytellers and realized the power of a well-told story. As she crafted a one-woman play about her friendship with a Palestinian woman and subsequently performed the show for many diverse audiences around the globe, Baum saw firsthand the long-reaching effect of her judgment-free and dual-perspective routine, as people who had never listened to the "other's" viewpoint opened their hearts to hers. Although not everyone will agree with her leftist political perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Baum's genuine desire to make a difference may well inspire others to do the same. (June)