Fast Times in Palestine: A Love Affair with a Homeless Homeland by Pamela Olson

A Gripping Travel Memoir that Challenges Western Ways of Thinking About the Middle East and Beyond.

Fast Times in Palestine: A Love Affair with a Homeless Homeland

(SAN FRANCISCO) - “Pamela Olson's insightful, sometimes shocking, but always deeply human account of the Palestinian reality should be read by anyone who wants to get beyond the myths and misconceptions surrounding the Palestinian struggle.” —Chris McGreal, The Guardian

Many Westerners’ knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is informed by headlines and foreign policy.

For much of her life, Pamela Olson was no exception— but when she traveled to Palestine in 2003, she found herself immersed in the realities of Palestinian life.

Despite having accomplished her dream of receiving a degree from Stanford University, Olson found herself disenchanted with the idea of an ordinary career.

After a friend from Lebanon surprised her with his description of his home country, she impulsively accepted an opportunity to travel to the Middle East. Fast Times in Palestine: A Love Affair with a Homeless Homeland (March 2013 / $16.00 / Seal Press) is Olson’s powerful, deeply moving account of life in the midst of the Holy Land—encompassing not only the political tension that disrupts the region, but its historical richness, its culture, and the day-to-day existence of its civilians.

From indecisive college graduate to international journalist, Olson also traces the personal transformation she underwent over the two-year span she spent in Occupied Territory.

From idyllic olive groves to Palestinian beer gardens, from Passover in Tel Aviv to Ramadan in a Hamas village, readers will find Olson’s narrative both suspenseful and discerning.

Her irresistible story offers a multi-faceted understanding of the Palestinian perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, filling a gap in the West’s popular understanding of the difficult relationship between the two nations.

Thoughtful, shocking, and galvanizing, Fast Times in Palestine is a gripping narrative that challenges our ways of thinking—not only about the Middle East, but about human nature, cultural identity, and our place in the world.

To learn more about the new book or to interview the author, please write to natalie.nicolson@perseusbooks.com