Crossing Borders: the Search for Dignity of Palestine

 

Crossing Borders: The Search For Dignity In Palestine

Christa Bruhn

Little Creek Press, May 20, 2023, 506 pp

$28.95, Paperback, $9.99 Ebook, $42.95 hardcover

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About the Book
In her debut memoir Crossing Borders: The Search for Dignity in Palestine, Christa’s journey of curiosity beginning in Jerusalem and Gaza while studying abroad in her father’s homeland of Germany at the tail end of the Cold War. Christa’s experiences open up a world of joy and heartache that transforms into a lifetime pursuit to make a difference in a land two peoples call home. Through Christa’s unique perspective as an American and mother of three Palestinians, we become familiar with both current and historic challenges Palestinians face living in the shadow of the State of Israel. Christa poses thought-provoking questions that are a test to us all as we collectively grapple with how to come together in a place that is increasingly divided in the mind and on the ground.

My review

Bruhn’s lengthy memoir covering some three decades of passionate relationship with the country of Palestine is thought-provoking. A German proverb she quotes about picking your hero and picking your villain aptly applies: rights and wrongs are not respected in the Question of Palestine.

Told first person travel memoir, educational experience, and marriage, Bruhn is suited to share her view of the intimacies of life of modern Palestine. Straddling the fence are her three children born in the States but holding Palestinian credentials. Each lengthy stay in Palestine throughout the years to observe, learn, gather information for her advanced degree, or plant roots is a challenge to make a difference both in the lives of the Palestinians and those who monitor the “situation.”

With plenty of angst and blame and constant “what if” sprinkled in with the obvious love and joy and recipes and culture in general, the story is not a casual read. I often wondered how the author would view life if she had gotten caught up in a different aspect the national heritage of the geographical region. Muslim, Jewish, Christian has become a national political identity, not a profession of belief, especially to this generation. One thing for sure is that there has been a lot of undignified actions performed on behalf of religion. Hopefully Bruhn’s story and plea for understanding and respect can help bring dignity back to the table.

Recommended for those who want to learn more about Palestine from an inside view.

About the Author

Christa Bruhn is an American author, photographer, and culinary artist with a lifelong passion for peace and justice. She is the daughter of a German immigrant raised under Nazi Germany and the mother of three Palestinian Americans. She holds degrees in International Studies (BA), Middle Eastern & North African Studies (MA), and Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis (PhD). She has published academic work on Palestine, peace education, and diversity and led and participated in roundtables on the future of Palestine and Israel. She splits her time between her home in Madison, Wisconsin and Jalameh, Palestine.

Tiny Tin House

 

Tiny Tin House

L Maristatter
July, 2022, Niffy Cat Press, 355 pp.
Dystopian Christian Fiction
 
$7.99 ebook
$17.99 Paperback
$34.99 Hardcover

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About the Book
In the Christian States of America, where religion rules, one woman discovers the only rules are about survival.

Although she’s legally an adult, eighteen-year-old Meryn Flint must live at home until her stepfather, Ray, finds her a husband. That’s the law.

But when Ray kills her mother and Meryn must flee for her own safety, she quickly discovers there’s no safe place in the CSA for a woman on the run. Unless she’s willing to marry her former boyfriend—a man who’s already demonstrated his capacity for violence—she’ll be forced to live on the street. And that’s a dangerous option for a woman alone.

As time runs out, Meryn is offered a third path: build herself a tiny house, a safe place to call home. Even though it’s a violation of her Family Duty as well as every moral law on the books, Meryn seizes the chance.

But even a tiny tin house might not be enough to save her . . .

 My Review

Tiny Tin House is an elegantly told story of an unfortunately possible future if power hungry delusional charismatic faith leaders descend into the “Christian” version of Sharia law. I shiver...

The future L Maristatter portrays took only a few generations to develop. After the world is devastated, the US breaks up into little governances. The one our heroine, Meryn, dwells in uses a terribly disturbing anti-Biblical approach to legalized misogyny. One murder witnessed by a child should be more than enough, but when Meryn sees the continued hypocrisy of the state in which she lives, the murder of her mother, and the offhand response by the cops, or Guardian Angels, “Don’t worry, you can marry again,” to her stepfather, she finally realizes she must flee for her life. To top if off, dear old stepdad sells her to a man obsessed with her, willing to go to any lengths to get her.

The Christian States are broken beyond repair; even gardening and greenhouses are outlawed. Caste rules what people are allowed to do with their lives, much like slavery; and Biblical-based law and culture is horribly misinterpreted and enforced.

Friends living on the edge are Meryn’s safety net. But how can she drag them into the quagmire of her life and certain death if they’re exposed?

Real faith in the Christ who loves us all and the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us is the foundation of this engaging and horrifying alternate life. I kept turning pages to find out what would happen next.

I agreed to provide an unbiased review for the author, and highly recommend this to anyone who like inspirational, edgy fiction, and dystopian lit.

 About the Author

L Maristatter holds a BA in journalism and an MA in communication. Her short story, “Crying in the Sun,” was published in The Saturday Evening Post online, and the Songbirds Southwest web journal published her poem, “Child.

Maristatter is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, The Author’s Guild, and Realm Makers. She lives in the snowy Midwest, where she tries to stay warm, reads terrific fiction, and eats way too much chocolate. She’s on Facebook and Twitter regularly, and TikTok and Instagram when she’s feeling brave.