Book Description
As an American, Cathy Sultan feels enormous responsibility for being part of a political system that proclaims itself the bastion of freedom. Determined to do something, she precociously flew to Israel-Palestine to see for herself what all the suicide bombing and village bulldozing was about. Partly due to her involvement with the National Peace Foundation, Sultan set up a network of contacts, on both sides of the political/religious divide, and dialogued with them about their beliefs and hopes for the future of this extraordinary region. This unique book, skillfully written by the indomitable housewife with bum knees who braved checkpoints, gunfire, barbed wire and Merkur tanks, is broken into several parts containing maps, history, narrative and dialogue. The magnificent and painstakingly accurate interviews will stun readers about the realities of what people actually have to endure and present a historical perspective of the conflict's growth to its present standoff. Through Sultan's bold account, readers discover that, in fact, it is only a vocal, influential and politically powerful few who advocate exclusivity, conflict and continued injustice. The vast majority of Israelis and Palestinians stand for equality, human rights and peaceful existence. Cathy Sultan is also author of A Beirut Heart: One Woman's War - a memoir about her experience as a wife and mother living day-to-day for eight years of the bloody Lebanese Civil War.