‘One Book, Many Communities’ 2024 Read: Mosab Abu Toha’s ‘Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear’

By ArabLit Staff

Librarians and Archivists with Palestine — a network of self-defined librarians, archivists, and information workers in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination — have announced that the title selected for their 2024 international reading campaign, “One Book, Many Communities.” This year’s title is Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha, published by City Lights Books.

This is LAP’s seventh “One Book, Many Communities” read. The first, held in 2015, featured Susan Abulhawa’s Mornings in Jenin, and subsequent reads have focused on books by Suad Amiry, Ghassan Kanafani (translated by Barbara Harlow and Karen E. Riley), Ahlam Bsharat (translated by Nancy Roberts),  Ibtisam Azem (translated by Sinan Antoon), and Adania Shibli (translated by Elisabeth Jaquette).

Published in English in 2022, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear was winner of a 2022 Palestine Book Award, a 2023 American Book Award, a 2023 Derek Walcott Poetry Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry.

The “One Book, Many Communities” project draws inspiration from “one book, one town” projects, where people in local communities gather to read and discuss a common book. The LAP campaign is designed to “introduce readers to the richness of Palestinian literature, and create a broader awareness and understanding of Palestinian history and the struggle for self-determination.”

The group invites communities around the world host a book discussion or poetry reading event in-person or online. They note that, as COVID-19 is still with us, “please consider incorporating high-quality masks, ventilation, or even an outdoor venue for in-person events.” Their 2024 toolkit and resource guide offer tips on hosting an event.

They particularly suggest scheduling an event for April or May 2024. To reach out to LAP about your reading, use the email onebookcampaign@gmail.com The hashtag for the campaign is: #lap1book.

Also read:

The City and the Writer: In Gaza with Mosab Abu Toha (Words Without Borders)

Mosab Abu Toha’s Perilous Journey Out of Gaza (New Yorker)

A Conversation with Derek Walcott Prize-winning Poet Mosab Abu Toha (ArabLit)