We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I

Aziz Shehadeh was a lawyer, activist, and political detainee; he was also the father of bestselling author and activist Raja. In this searingly personal memoir, Raja Shehadeh unpicks the snags and complexities of their relationship.

A vocal and fearless opponent, Aziz resisted during the British Mandate, then under Jordan, and finally under Israel. As a young man, Raja failed to recognize his father's courage and, in turn, his father did not appreciate Raja's efforts in campaigning for Palestinian human rights. When Aziz was murdered in 1985, it changed Raja irrevocably.

This is not only the story of the battle against the various oppressors of the Palestinians, but a moving portrait of a father-and-son relationship.

A subtle psychological portrait of the author’s relationship with his father during the twentieth-century battle for Palestinian human rights.

Endorsements

National Book Award finalist