The Words of My Father: A Memoir

In his new memoir, a young Palestinian-American recalls his adolescence in Gaza during the Second Intifada, and how he made a strong commitment to peace in the face of devastating experiences. When Yousef Bashir was fifteen, an Israeli soldier shot him in the spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. But while it was an Israeli who shot him, many Israelis saved him—countless doctors who saved his life and worked tirelessly to help him walk again. Forced to reckon with this and with the abiding words of his father—the principled, empathetic man who raised him—Bashir became an outspoken activist for peace. Eventually, Bashir made his way to the United States where he earned a BA in International Affairs from Northeastern University and an MA in Co-existence and Conflict from Brandeis University.

Now living in Washington, DC, Yousef Bashir has worked on Capitol Hill and served as a member of the Palestinian Diplomatic Delegation to the U.S.

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