NOVEMBER 1974: Ali, reeking of tear gas, darts down an alley, listening for the thud of combat boots behind him. Living amidst the overcrowding, poverty, and political violence of the Kalandia Refugee Camp, Ali risks imprisonment or worse every time he throws a rock at the military occupation forces. Layth, the oldest of the four boys and titular head of the family, expects Ali to get a university degree. Their widowed mother keeps peace in the tiny house despite the violence outside. Experiencing tragedy and trauma, joy and fulfillment, they find hope and support within the family as they struggle for survival under extraordinarily difficult conditions.

Born a Refugee: A Novel of One Palestinian Family

Literature & Fiction

Hallaj, Dixiane

Genre Fiction

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

                                                      It is late 2001, one of the most violent periods in the lives of the Palestinian refugees.  Muhammad is pushed beyond his limits by the relentless and oppressive military occupation.  The protective, supportive, bonds of the family cannot compensate for the overwhelming demands and responsibilities.  Politics is no longer optional.  Kareema, his young niece, seeks refuge in his house from the disastrous consequences of her political activity.  Members of the next generation of the family from Born a Refugee find themselves caught in a maelstrom.  "In REFUGEE WITHOUT REFUGE, author Dixiane Hallaj's enthusiasm for the subject shines through.  Her in-depth research and experiences with refugee Palestinian families breathe life into the story.  The minute attention to factual detail ensures that the reader can easily envision what life was like for the Palestinian refugees and gives a ring of truth to the characterization.  Hallaj's authorial voice is easy to read and interesting to the reader.  Her skill with language shows in the manner in which she uses words in slightly unusual, yet effective ways.  The map and family tree are a nice touch.  Fans of novels in unusual settings will enjoy REFUGEE WITHOUT REFUGE and learning about life for these displaced families."---[Judge's Comments] - Judge 19th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Refugee Without Refuge: A Novel of One Palestinian Family

Literary

Createspace Independent Pub

Born in1894, youngest daughter of a wealthy Peruvian landowner, Lola was seduced at an early age, disowned and forced to leave her father’s plantation. Twice widowed with three children by age 21, Lola braved a British blockade and German U-boats off the coast of South America in her quest for security and happiness. Lola lived a life of drama and hardship from the Andes to San Francisco, but she never gave up and she never stopped loving. Fear of impending death often impels people to divulge secrets they have guarded for many years. Thus it was that Lola, sick and frightened, confided the story of her youth to her daughter, my mother, who at age 95, passed the story on to me as I sat by her hospital bed for two days. The story had many gaps, all of which I filled with fiction.

It's Just Lola

Born in1894, youngest daughter of a wealthy Peruvian landowner, Lola was seduced at an early age, disowned and forced to leave her father’s plantation. Twice widowed with three children by age 21, Lola braved a British blockade and German U-boats off the coast of South America in her quest for security and happiness. Lola lived a life of drama and hardship from the Andes to San Francisco, but she never gave up and she never stopped loving. Fear of impending death often impels people to divulge secrets they have guarded for many years. Thus it was that Lola, sick and frightened, confided the story of her youth to her daughter, who at age 95, passed the story on to her daughter, the author as she sat by her hospital bed for two days. The story had many gaps, all of which the author filled with fiction.

S & H Publishing, Inc.

BORN A REFUGEE tells the story of four brothers and their widowed mother living in the claustrophobic environment of their two room house in the Kalandia Refugee Camp near Jerusalem. Mahmoud, the oldest brother, was forced to assume responsbility for the family as a young teen when their father was killed. His view that hard work and financial success constitute the best route for the family is scorned by his younger brother who sees ridding the area of the occupation as the only path to betterment. The views and paths of the two brothers through courtship nd marriage are as different as their politics. Dealing with violence and personal tragedy bring the realization that it does not have to be a choice between the two paths, but that both are indispensible.

Life in a Palestinian refugee camp is filled with poverty, and hopeless frustration at the best of times—and 2001 is far from the best of times. Muhammad, already scarred by violence and tragedy, is plunged into depression when the frequent curfews make it impossible for him to find work. He can no longer face the thought of crossing the military checkpoint, but all available jobs are on the other side. His inability to provide for his family drives him to despair. He decides to spend the only coin remaining to him—his life.

Checkpoint Kalandia

S & H Publishing, Incorporated

A good life, like a good story, comes with a bit of strife, and if we're fortunate, ends in harmony. Herein are 20 stories by 20 different authors. Most of the authors are seasoned professionals, although a few fought with their inner doubts to finally submit a debut work. The stories are a mix of genres from literary to memoir to sci fi and fantasy. The common thread is Strife and Harmony--what causes one and brings the other.

Strife and Harmony

Contemporary

Young and impulsive, Dixiane dove heart-first into a cross cultural marriage four months after meeting the man who was to become her life's companion, Muhammad Hallaj. In the fairy tale version, they would have ridden off into the sunset and lived happily ever after. However, life seldom adheres to the fairy tale script.They had always planned to live in the Middle East, but their first reservations were cancelled by the June War of 1967. They rearranged their lives to be able to provide financial support for Muhammad's family should the need arise. In 1970 they tried again. Escalating unrest in Jordan did not derail their plans a second time. They mailed their extensive collection of books, packed personal belongings and set off with their two sons-walking right into a civil war called Black September.Breakfast in Palestine recounts Dixiane's introduction to her new Palestinian family, and how she coped with a new language, new culture, new social demands, and her love affair with the new and often unfamiliar foods-all while living through a war complete with tanks and heavy artillery.

Breakfast in Palestine

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Palestine rose from a predominantly illiterate  society to a highly literate one in little more  than a single generation--while caught in the midst  of the most violent and intractable political  conflict in the world today.  The women of the  refugee camps, facing dual handicaps of  strife and stubborn cultural influences, do not  always succeed in their search for education.   Living under conditions of appalling overcrowding,  poverty, oppression and the constant presence of  violence, they continue to seek learning for  themselves and their children.  This book, based on  interviews with many of the women in the refugee  camps of the West Bank, crosses generations as it  inquires into the spiral of illiteracy and relates  it to the events of recent history in the region.   It also describes the women?s views on the impact  illiteracy has on their lives and the lives of their  children. The book opens a window into the world of  the Palestinian refugee that will interest and  inform anyone interested in Palestine, education,  adult literacy, and students of conflict and its  effects on civilian populations.

Caught by Culture and Conflict: Illiteracy Among Palestinian Refugee Women

Education & Teaching

Higher & Continuing Education

VDM Verlag

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hallaj, Dixiane. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Hallaj, Dixiane

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hallaj, Dixiane. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Born a Refugee: A Novel of One Palestinian Family

Refugee Without Refuge: A Novel of One Palestinian Family

It's Just Lola

It's Just Lola

Born a Refugee: A Novel of One Palestinian Family

Checkpoint Kalandia

Strife and Harmony

Breakfast in Palestine

Caught by Culture and Conflict: Illiteracy Among Palestinian Refugee Women