When the Sky Fell Down (Paperback)

Paperback. Editor's Note The second major cataclysm occurred in June 1967. Hamad, then a young teenager, witnessed the Arab defeat in the Six-Day War. He recounts the terror of hiding in filth-ridden caves to escape bombardment and the crushing humiliation of the subsequent military occupation. The war shattered the illusions of Arab victory propagated by the radio and introduced a new reality of curfews, checkpoints, and economic dependency. A pivotal moment occurred shortly after the war when Hamad, defying a curfew to peek at the invading forces, realized the Israeli soldiers were not the caricatured monsters of his imagination but human beings. This era also marked his first brush with security forces; at fourteen, he was interrogated regarding a stone barricade on a village road, an event that instilled a deep caution regarding political activism. Education became Hamad's refuge, though the path was fraught with failure and shame. He describes the brutality of the traditional school system, where physical punishment was the norm. He was held back a grade in primary school, a humiliation that haunted him. However, a decisive moment occurred when his older brother, Hamad, forced his hands onto a plow, pressing down until the boy screamed in pain. His brother's ultimatum-"Go to your books and never again ask to learn plowing"-steered Hamad away from manual labor and toward intellectual pursuits. His academic journey was transformed during his secondary education in Deir Istiya. There, he encountered influential mentors, most notably the philosopher and poet Abdel Latif Aql, who awakened his critical thinking, and the unconventional English teacher Muhammad Al-Qudah. Despite a historic weakness in English, Hamad managed to pass his Tawjihi exams in 1973. After graduating from high school, Hamad's dreams of attending the University of Jordan were dashed when he was rejected from his desired faculty. Faced with no alternatives and social pressure, he entered the Israeli labor market as a construction worker. He describes this period as a form of "slavery," working grueling hours in Herzliya while building homes for the wealthy. The physical exhaustion and humiliation of this work nearly broke his spirit. Salvation came in 1974 with a newspaper announcement regarding the opening of Bethlehem University, the first local university in the West Bank. Clutching this opportunity as a lifeline, Hamad enrolled in the first cohort, determined to study English Literature-a bold choice given his background. [.]Refusing to surrender, Hamad devised extreme strategies to bridge the gap. He audited advanced classes, sought private tutoring from American monks like Brother Anthony, and obsessively used the dictionary. He adopted the philosophy that "to learn something, you must teach it," even attempting to tutor village children to reinforce his own knowledge. His persistence paid off, and he not only survived but excelled, eventually specializing in English Literature. The memoir concludes with Hamad leaving Bethlehem for Kuwait, joining the Palestinian diaspora in search of work. When the Sky Fell Down is ultimately a testament to the human capacity to endure. It argues that while the "sky" may fall repeatedly-through death, war, and poverty-the human spirit can rise from the rubble, transforming suffering into the fuel for survival and intellectual achievement. [.] Dr. Fayeq OweisEditor This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.…