A Rift in Time: Travels with My Ottoman Uncle

In this vivid family memoir first published in the U.K. in 2010, Palestinian human rights activist Shehadeh (We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I) retraces an early 20th-century journey taken by his great-great-uncle Najib Nassar. An outspoken critic of the Ottoman empire’s involvement in WWI, Nassar went into hiding for fear of retaliation from the government, traveling through the Levant. Following Nassar’s footsteps, Shehadeh describes how his own journey is hampered by restrictive borders that have since been created following the establishment of the state of Israel and its subsequent territorial expansion via war and settlement. He paints vibrant character portraits of those he meets along the way, drawing parallels with Nassar’s equivalent run-ins, and reflecting on how he, like Nassar, expects to be arrested by the powers that be due to his criticism of the state. Shehadeh’s narrative creates vibrant imagery out of simply told stories; he writes captivatingly about his and Nassar’s mutual interest in farming and water, and how it relates to their relationship with the land. Shehadeh makes keen, cutting observations regarding how that relationship is challenged by the checkpoints, zoning regulations, and roadblocks he encounters on his journey, which “conspire to make Palestinians feel that this land is no longer theirs.” It’s a transporting travelogue with a sharp political edge. (Sept.)