http://blogs.kcls.org/booktalk/2011/0...

Earlier this year, I caught part of a radio interview with Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish on KUOW. The glimpse into Dr. Abuelaish's devastating, but ultimately hopeful story compelled me to request a copy of his recent autobiography, I Shall Not Hate. For me, the best books are those that probe the depths of human experience. I've encountered a large number of such works written by Israelis and Palestinians, that often, as is the case in Dr. Abuelaish's memoir, transcend the divide between these respective peoples and offer hope for coexistence and friendship.

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish was raised in the Jabalia Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. Despite his family's impoverishment, he excelled in school and became a distinguished doctor and infertility specialist. His medical expertise along with his personal commitment to treat all human beings as equals earned him great respect among both Israelis and Palestinians. He commuted weekly to his position at an Israeli hospital, unable to make the return home nightly to his family in Gaza because of the time and difficulty of crossing the border. A father of 8, he and his wife, Nadia, instilled the same values of education and human equality in their 6 daughters and 2 sons. Several of his daughters attended peace camps in which they made lifelong friends with Israeli counterparts. Then, tragedy. An Israeli air strike hit the Abuelaish home in January, 2009, killing 3 of his adolescent daughters and a niece. 

What makes this book--indeed, this man--remarkable, is his response to such life shattering devastation. Rather than resorting to anger and revenge, Dr. Abuelaish finds comfort in the hope for his living children, in the memories of the daughters he lost, and his belief that education and promotion of understanding between peoples is the only path to peace.