Synopses & Reviews
Life in today's Israel is perpetually shadowed by "the situation," the catchword for the Second Intifada enveloping every aspect of life since its eruption in 2000. Motro, an American writer, lawyer, and prizewinning columnist who has lived in Israel for 20 years, captures its unfiltered reality in this memoir of her life in the Middle East.
The author's insulation from the lives of Palestinians was shattered by her personal connection to the very first child killed in the Second Intifada, shot before the world's eyes against a wall in Gaza while cradled in the arms of his wounded father. Stunned by the photo plastered across the front page, Motro realized that the father was a man she had known for years. Motro tells their personal story and the story of a peace that eluded the grasp of both famous and obscure Israelis. She chronicles courageous attempts to allow coexistence between the two nationalities and tests the values that first brought her to the country.
Motro's American perspective will resonate with U.S. readers. Maneuvering Between the Headlines speaks not only of the power of hatred, but to the ability of both Jews and Arabs to continue to reach out across the abyss.
Review
"The book shows the myriad ways that the struggle touches Israelis' lives including the lives of Arab-Israelis....Although this book will give the reader few insights into the root causes of the struggle or its historic development, it may suggest cause for hope." Orlando Sentinel
About the Author
Helen Schary Motro teaches at the University of Tel-Aviv Faculty of Law, and her commentary articles appear frequently in the major American and international press, including the New York Times, Newsweek, Christian Science Monitor, and International Herald Tribune. She lives in Tel Aviv, Israel.