Abstract

Spanning decades and encompassing war, mass exodus, epic migrations and the search for individual and collective identity, The Last Earth tells the story of modern Palestine through the memories of those who have lived it.

Ordinary Palestinians have rarely narrated their own history. In this groundbreaking book, acclaimed author Ramzy Baroud draws on dozens of interviews to produce vivid, intimate and beautifully written accounts of Palestinian lives - in villages, refugee camps, prisons and cities, in the lands of their ancestors and in exile. Baroud's empathetic and lyrical approach reveals new human dimensions of the Palestinian saga, telling it as it has never before been told.

Against dominant narratives, the last earth reclaims Palestine's past - and present - for all its people.
'This book is a very moving collection of personal stories ... a powerful metaphor for the steadfastness and determination of the Palestinian people to regain their land and lives'
Counterfire
'This is a dangerous book because by inviting us into an intimacy with the people of Palestine, it predicates compelling moral action to end the monstrous injustice; for this reason Baroud’s The Last Earth must be read and shared'
Mondoweiss
'In the finest tradition of people's history, these sensitive, painful and evocative pieces provide a human face to the painful saga of Palestinian torment and the remarkable courage and resilience of the victims'
Noam Chomsky
'Engaging, unforgettable, complex and unique. The Last Earth provides a unique way of tackling the problem of writing history. Reading it is like walking around a gallery of old master paintings, each telling its own harrowing and often beautiful story about the same episode in human history'
Baronesse Jenny Tonge
'The loss and forced relocation recorded by Baroud is overwhelming, but important to read and remember'
Arab News
'A powerful tool to revive and record the human history of al Nakba, a must read for all those who want to see the concealed human dimension of the Palestinian life and suffering'
Salman Abu Sitta, author of Mapping my Return and the Atlas of Palestine
'A masterpiece of history and a masterful feat of writing'
Counterpunch
'Gives us the privilege of listening to, savouring and indeed cherishing the rarely heard Palestinian stories saturated with the fears, joys, suffering, and triumphs of the human spirit ... must be read and shared'
Mondoweiss
'A Palestinian triumph of the pen over the sword'
Yoav Litvin - Truthout
'Exciting and enlightening ... a persuasive, literary argument for why Palestinians deserve to be free in their own country'
The Jordan Times