THE BOOK FAIR

Riveting, fast-paced and well written, Souad, the victim of an attempted honor killing in the West Bank during the late 1970’s, penned her memoir, “Burned Alive”, some twenty years later, from an undisclosed location in Europe.  Souad believes she was born in 1957 or 1958, but cannot be sure, as records of females births were not kept in her village.

A family member, determined to reclaim the honor of their family and their village, attempted the honor crime in which Souad nearly died.  As Souad awaited death in the hospital, suffering from severe burns, she met a woman determined to help her.  The Swiss founded organization, SURGIR, familiar with cases such as Souad’s rescued her.  In 2003, at the time of writing her memoir, some twenty-five years after the honor crime, Souad assumed her age at forty-five years old.  Souad describes in vivid detail, the treatment of females in her village; for her safety, she refuses to name the village.

The book was translated to English by Judith Armbruster in 2004.