Mornings in Jenin

By: Susan Abulhawa

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A heart-wrenching, powerfully written novel: a Kite Runner for Palestine

‘One of the most thought-provoking books I've read ... written with passion and honesty, and poetry' Daily Mail

Mornings in Jenin is a devastating novel of love and loss, war and oppression, and heartbreak and hope, spanning five countries and four generations of one of the most intractable conflicts of our lifetime.

Palestine, 1948. Half a million Palestinians are forced from their homes. A mother clutches her six-month-old son as Israeli soldiers march through the village of Ein Hod. In a split second, her son is snatched from her arms and the fate of the Abulheja family is changed forever.

Forced into a refugee camp in Jenin and exiled from the ancient village that is their lifeblood, the family struggles to rebuild their world. Their stories unfold through the eyes of the youngest sibling, Amal, the daughter born in the camp who will eventually find herself alone in the United States; the eldest son who loses everything in the struggle for freedom; the stolen son who grows up as an Israeli, becoming an enemy soldier to his own brother.

‘The writer's pain - and the beauty of her prose - are very real' Telegraph

©2010 Susan Abulhawa (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Quite possibly the best book I have ever read!

The history and data points were so enlightening and my heart broke for the people and the overwhelming sadness and hardships they endured

Necessary

I loved the story and the narration, despite the tragedy and suffering there was so much love in and between the lines. But it broke my heart thousand times.

Absolutely Magnificent

I could not stop listening. I felt myself taken on a glorious and gut wrenching trip through love, connection, loyalty, and absolute devastation and despair. Thank you to the author for this beautiful book.

Beautiful prose and a story that must be heard

As the Palestinians are subject to a second Nakba, this story must be shared. A must-read. The prose is exquisitely beautiful and heartbreaking at times, and brought me to tears several times throughout the book.

A necessary read

I wish I had the words to express my gratefulness for this story was shared but as the story acknowledges English cannot adequately describe gratitude.

Enlightning and well written

This is an enlightening, and well written book. Emotionally difficult to read and yet exactly what I wanted. Thank you Susan

Heartbreaking Story

I am left without words. It’s so hard to capture what this book will do to your heart. Such an emotional, heart breaking story that needs to be told. Although this book is fictional, it does a flawless job painting a picture of Palestine and the struggles, heartbreak, grief and loss that the Palestinians face.

A captivating novel from beginning to end.

This is a beautifully written story of plight of four generations of a Palestinian family from 1941 - 2002. The prose was delectable and narrator’s voice perfect. I listened at 1.5 speed (so it was about 8 hours long). It was difficult to put down. Three days after finishing, I’m still thinking about it.
The character development was excellent. I was quickly and deeply attached to this family and interested to find out how their story would unfold. It had me hooked all the way to the end and never let me down.
The book is not only an enjoyable novel, but I would also like to note and highly recommend it to anyone seeking to better understand the context of modern day Palestine/Israel and the devastating current events of the genocide. An important read.

Very moving.

The beautifully written story informs us of the Palestinian perspective in this ongoing painful reality that is being played out in front of us still.

Fantastic book

My goodness that was a fantastic book, so close and vivid from past to now and where we stand in 2023 🍉 well witten and emotionally packed