Professor Brian K. Barber talks to us about his book, NoWay But Forward: Life Stories of Three Families in the Gaza Strip.

Brian first travelled to Palestine as a researcher in the1990s. Over the following three decades, he developed close relationships withfamilies in Gaza, gaining a rare insight into their everyday lives, ambitionsand struggles. His book follows three families through the defining moments oftheir lives - from education, employment and marriage to siege, repeateddisplacement and devastating loss.

Brian explains why the book is not primarily an account ofthe politics of Palestine and Israel, but an attempt to fulfil the one requestmade of him by the families who welcomed him: “Tell our story.”

The conversation explores the danger of viewing Palestinianchildren solely through the language of trauma and why Brian prefers todescribe Palestinians as “resourceful” rather than “resilient.” He discussesthe central importance of family, education, religion and a shareddetermination to defend human dignity.

The final section of No Way But Forward records ayear of WhatsApp messages sent to Brian by the three fathers following 7October 2023. These firsthand accounts document displacement, starvation,injury, bereavement and the indignities of life in makeshift tents, while alsorevealing the families’ continuing commitment to their children’s education andfutures.

About Brian K. Barber

Brian K. Barber is Professor Emeritus at the University ofTennessee and lives in Washington, DC. His work examines how different contexts,from parenting and family life to political systems and violent conflict, affectindividual and social development.

He is the editor of Intrusive Parenting: HowPsychological Control Affects Children and Adolescents and Adolescentsand War: How Youth Deal with Political Conflict. His most recent book is NoWay But Forward: Life Stories of Three Families in the Gaza Strip.

The book is available in print and as an e-book, withtranslations in Italian and German and a French edition forthcoming.

Please listen, share and help these families’ stories reacha wider audience.