The Words of My Father

Love and Pain in Palestine

By: Yousef Bashir

Narrated by: Yousef Bashir

A Palestinian-American activist recalls his adolescence in Gaza during the Second Intifada, and how he made a strong commitment to peace in the face of devastating brutality in this moving, candid, and transformative memoir that reminds us of the importance of looking beyond prejudice, anger, and fear.

Yousef Bashir’s story begins in Gaza, on a verdant ten-acre farm beside an Israeli settlement and military base. When the soccer-mad Yousef was eleven, the Second Intifada exploded. First came the shooting, then the occupation. Ordered to leave their family home, Yousef’s father refused, even when the Israeli soldiers moved in, seizing the top two floors. For five long years, three generations of the Bashir family were virtual prisoners in their own home. Despite this, Yousef’s father—a respected Palestinian schoolteacher whose belief in coexisting peacefully with his Israeli neighbors was unshakeable—treated the soldiers as honored guests. His commitment to peace was absolute.

Though Yousef’s family attracted international media attention, and received letters of support from around the world, Yousef witnessed the destruction of his home, his neighborhood, and the happy life he had known with growing frustration and confusion. For the first time he wondered if his father’s belief in peace was justified and whether he was strong enough—or even wanted—to follow his example. At fifteen, that doubt was tested. Standing in his front yard with his father and three United Nations observers, he was shot in the spine by an Israeli soldier, leaving him in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down, for a year.

While an Israeli soldier shot him, it was Israeli doctors who saved Yousef and helped him eventually learn to walk again. In the wake of that experience, Yousef was forced to reckon with the words of his father. And like the generous, empathetic man who raised him, he too became an outspoken activist for peace.

Amid the tragedy of the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict, The Words of My Father is a powerful tale of moral awakening and a fraught, ferocious, and profound relationship between a son and his father. Bashir's story and the ideals of peace and empathy it upholds are a soothing balm for these dangerous and troubled times, and a reminder that love and compassion are a gift—and a choice.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

This book is oh way out in a way forward.

This is one of the most important books I listen to an audible. It is a book about forgiveness. That can be an impossible thing to do when you’re under occupation. When it is nearly even impossible to attend ones father’s funeral. This is a book that makes sense out of the situation that makes no sense. This book is a book about spiritual and physical healing for a problem that most of the world prefer not think about.

I enjoyed the book tremendously and I highly recommend it.

Beautiful message. Hopeful.

I want to know more about what I can do to help home this father's legacy and advocate for both peace and justice around the world. This story is inspiring, and I hope everyone will read it.

best most powerful sharing in the universe

Thank you so much Yousef for sharing your story. Thank you. Nothing could be more powerful. Thank you

Loved this book

I love hearing the story told by the Author. His strength and fortitude and compassion are very inspiring. As an American Israeli I found his father story so compelling. I wish they were more people like him and his son .
I wish Yousef The strength to continue his work and to follow his heart. I wish him long life and good health.I am very curious to know what has happened in the last few years.

A must read for anyone who believes in the power of love, forgiveness and peace.

I have enjoyed listening to Yousef Bashir, telling his story.
I have been moved on so many occasions and even cried a couple of times. I hope that everyone will read this book to learn about the many lives of thousands of young Palestinians who are living under the cruel Israeli occupation, in Gaza, Palestine.
It is told in such a way that I was transported into the life of Yousef.

Love always wins. ❤️