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The Lemon Tree
- Narrated by: Sandy Tolan
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
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The Lemon Tree
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Summary
The tale of a simple act of faith between two young people - one Israeli, one Palestinian - that symbolizes the hope for peace in the Middle East. In 1967, not long after the Six-Day War, three young Arab men ventured into the town of Ramle, in what is now Jewish Israel. They were cousins, on a pilgrimage to see their childhood homes; their families had been driven out of Palestine nearly 20 years earlier. One cousin had a door slammed in his face, and another found his old house had been converted into a school. But the third, Bashir Al-Khairi, was met at the door by a young woman called Dalia, who invited them in. This act of faith in the face of many years of animosity is the starting point for a true story of a remarkable relationship between two families, one Arab, one Jewish, amid the fraught modern history of the region. In his childhood home, in the lemon tree his father planted in the backyard, Bashir sees dispossession and occupation; Dalia, who arrived as an infant in 1948 with her family from Bulgaria, sees hope for a people devastated by the Holocaust. As both are swept up in the fates of their people, and Bashir is jailed for his alleged part in a supermarket bombing, the friends do not speak for years. They finally reconcile and convert the house in Ramle into a day-care centre for Arab children of Israel, and a center for dialogue between Arabs and Jews. Now the dialogue they started seems more threatened than ever; the lemon tree died in 1998, and Bashir was jailed again, without charge. The Lemon Tree grew out of a 43-minute radio documentary that Sandy Tolan produced for Fresh Air. With this audiobook, he pursues the story into the homes and histories of the two families at its center, and up to the present day. Their stories form a personal microcosm of the last 70 years of Israeli-Palestinian history. In a region that seems ever more divided, The Lemon Tree is a reminder of all that is at stake, and of all that is still possible.
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What listeners say about The Lemon Tree
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dan
- 15-11-23
So good!
Don’t normally leave reviews but felt the need to. I’d been looking to educate myself more on the conflict and wanted that education to be as neutral and unbiased as possible. I found it very interesting and informative, not only that but there was such a touching story to go with it. Highly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. G. Moynihan
- 28-12-23
A highly informative and hopeful story
For anyone wanting to understand the depth of feeling and emotions underlying the Israel and Palestine relationship this book has it all. This is both an emotional and informative story as well as potentially hopeful. Both Bashir and Dahlia are deeply committed to their respective families and heritage, that’s what makes this story informative, it really explains why the depth of emotion and feelings are as deep as they are. It’s potentially hopeful in that despite this deeply rooted feeling each respects the other’s position. As long as there are people like Bashir and Dahlia there is hope. Don’t let the Military dictate the narrative.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- mark marengo
- 07-10-18
wonderful book
gives a step by step overview of the Palestinian tragedy, and the apartheid regime that is Israel.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Saskia
- 28-10-15
Powerfully moving
I was inexplicably reluctant to read this, perhaps just because so many journalists have misrepresented so much before. However, the book is incredibly well researched and rich in detail and humanity without ever feeling sensationalistic. The book illuminates dignity, friendship, identity, history, loss, love, pain and faith. It represents the forces of entitlement and right, as well as pragmatism. A remarkable story in its own right, but one whose telling is intelligently and sensitively done, reserving judgement but providing the information for the listener to draw conclusions.
The audiobook production is also very good. High quality and well delivered.
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3 people found this helpful