Nothing To Lose But Your Life: An 18-Hour Journey With Murad

Suad Amiry

Paperback

9789992142059

Suad Amiry, middle-aged Palestinian architect by day, turns investigative journalist by night, disguising herself as a man and crossing the border with the workers who smuggle themselves into Israel in desperate search of work. These men risk their lives daily, waking in the middle of the night to slip past security checkpoints and soldiers armed with machine guns, nonchalantly mentioning to Amiry that they might be beat up, arrested, or shot at any moment. Amiry, brave enough to accompany them, recounts their stories and experiences as they bump along in an old Ford truck, slink through olive groves, and crouch in ditches, breathlessly waiting to be caught or killed. Amiry's experiences highlight the danger these people endure in pursuit of a living wage, which sometimes comes at the cost of their lives. This book puts a personal face to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine as Amiry first visits the home of Murad and Mohammed, keen to walk in their shoes in order to accurately write about their lives. Nothing to Lose but Your Life is an intimate glimpse into the lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and a first-hand account of the hazards of breaking the law in a country that refuses to admit its neighbors. While Amiry does not hesitate to point out the injustices her people face, she refrains from spewing the vitriol that only perpetuates the animosity between sides, and what results is an honest, raw narrative that will stay with readers long after they finish this little gem of a book.