#ReadPalestine Week Starts Today, With Free Ebooks from ‘Publishers for Palestine’
NOVEMBER 29, 2023 — With more than 30 books in nine languages, publishers from around the world have come together to support an international #ReadPalestine week, starting today. During this week, participating publishers, librarians, and booksellers will be encouraging people around the world to read and engage fiction and poetry by Palestinian authors, as well as nonfiction about Palestinian history, politics, arts, culture, and life, and books about organizing, resistance, and solidarity for a Free Palestine.
To encourage the spread of #ReadPalestine, a global collective of publishers — of which ArabLit is one — have organized a Free Palestine Reading List. Participating publishers are offering one or more of their e-book titles for free download from November 29 to December 5; all titles will be available through the Publishers for Palestine website. There are currently more than thirty books on the list in nine languages, including a half-dozen award winners, with more coming in.
We also encourage readers to post on social media about their favorite Palestine books, to quote from their favorite authors, and to make learning more about Palestine an act of solidarity, using the hashtags #ReadPalestine, #LirelaPalestine, #اقرأ_فلسطين, and more. Participating indie bookstores and libraries are invited to join us by creating Read Palestine displays, social media posts, and other forms of creative solidarity. Posters and more are available at the Publishers for Palestine website.
Organizers for Publishers for Palestine emphasize that #ReadPalestine week means refusing to let Palestinian voices be silenced. Also, that learning about Palestinian history, politics, art, culture, and resistance can be an act of solidarity, but not an end in itself.