We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I
Catalina’s Review:
This powerful memoir tells the story of the author’s father, who, after losing his home in 1948, dedicates his life to fighting for Palestinians’ right of return. Through his eyes, we see how Palestinians were deceived by the UN, the British Colonial Office and the Arab countries. He evolves from believing that the international community would restore justice to fighting against the settler colonial government. Initially ashamed of his father’s relentless activism, the author grows to understand and embrace it. This book is both a historical account and a poignant exploration of a father-son relationship.
Aziz Shehadeh was many things: lawyer, activist, and political detainee, he was also the father of bestselling author and activist Raja. In this new and searingly personal memoir, Raja Shehadeh unpicks the snags and complexities of their relationship.
A vocal and fearless opponent, Aziz resists under the British mandatory period, then under Jordan, and, finally, under Israel. As a young man, Raja fails to recognise his father's courage and, in turn, his father does not appreciate Raja's own efforts in campaigning for Palestinian human rights. When Aziz is murdered in 1985, it changes Raja irrevocably.
This is not only the story of the battle against the various oppressors of the Palestinians, but a moving portrait of a particular father and son relationship.
