Notes and Links to Sarah Aziza’s Work

Sarah Aziza (she/هي ) is a Palestinian American writer, translator, and artist with roots in ‘Ibdis and Deir al-Balah, Gaza. She is the author of The Hollow Half. Winner of the Palestine Book Awards, The Hollow Half is a genre-bending work of memoir, lyricism, and oral history exploring the intertwined legacies of diaspora, colonialism, and the American dream. It is available wherever books are sold.

Sarah’s award-winning journalism, poetry, essays, and experimental nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Best American Essays, The Baffler, Harper’s Magazine, Mizna, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Nation, among other publications. The recipient of fellowships from Fulbright, MacDowell, the Asian American Writers Workshop, Tin House Writers’ Workshop, and numerous grants from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, she has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, South Africa, Palestine, and the United States.

Sarah Aziza’s Website

Review of The Hollow Half from Kirkus Reviews

Sarah on Democracy Now Discussing Her Memoir

At about 2:30, Sarah talks about her language and reading life growing up

At about 5:10, Sarah expands upon readings that inspired and challenged her

At about 13:00, Pete and Sarah discuss ideas of writing as “political,” inspired by Marwan Makhoul, and Sarah cites a gripping poem by Noor Hindi

At about 15:20,

At about 17:30, Sarah responds to Pete asking about the book’s title and ideas of generational trauma and Sarah’s Americanness

At about 20:30, Sarah talks about his father “pouring his hope” into her and sheltered and open pain

At about 22:20, Pete uses a Hasan Minhaj routine and Sarah expands on ideas of first generation and immigrant parents’ relationships

At about 23:20, Sarah reflects on ideas of love’s multiple meanings and connects these myriad ideas to much of the book and calls the book “an offering…in a time of suffering”

At about 28:00, The two discuss the vagaries of Arabic and translation and its challenges and beauty

At about 33:20, Pete recounts the book’s opening, and Sarah expands on her grandmother’s life and struggles and joys and how Sarah is connected to her grandmother-”Sittoo”

At about 37:25, The two meditate on the “small victories” of Sarah’s grandmother

At about 39:05, Sarah explains how she sees her recovery/”recovered” and her present and past with anorexia

At about 41:45, Sarah responds to Pete asking about an emblematic scene from the memoir where an IpHone asks to verify her identity

At about 43:05, Sarah discusses the idea of “better than what?” especially as a child

At about 45:15, Sarah talks about her family’s connections to ‘Ibdis, Gaza, and the fact that so much stolen and ethnically-cleansed land in Palestine is open/unused

At about 48:15, Sarah talks about her time recovering from prolonged anorexia

At about 50:45, Pete notes the specific and universal in the book, as he and Sarah discuss the impulse to bury oneself in work

At about 53:10, Sarah expands on reasoning for writing the book and in particular “put[ting] into place” her family history and finding a place to publish a story like hers that she feels is rarely published

At about 55:20, Sarah talks about her grandmother’s time living with Sarah and her family

At about 57:30, Sarah responds to Pete’s questions about the anorexia ward and how she saw and sees the employees there

At about 1:00:45, Sarah talks about the ways in which photos opened up ideas and research and thoughts of her grandmother and her history

At about 1:03:20, Pete talks about ideas of misogyny that is specific to non-white women

At about 1:03:50, Sarah reflects on and outlines two pivotal and damaging experiences in which white neighbors showed surprise and revulsion

At about 1:06:45, The two discuss Sarah’s parents and their foundation and Foundation

At about 1:08:45, Sarah responds to Pete’s questions about research for the book

At about 1:11:00, Sarah expands on connections between the personal and the geopolitical in her work and research

At about 1:11:30, Sarah recounts the story of some early involvement with pro-Palestine efforts and emotional and physical assaults

At about 1:13:00, Sarah talks about being in Middle East and ideas of “humanizing” and “a political awakening” in the US and Middle East

At about 1:17:10, Sarah talks about connections between resistance and love

At about 1:20:25, Pete cites Ernest Hemingway in citing Sarah’s family connections to Gaza

At about 1:22:00, Sarah talks about the idea of “yes” and a meaningful part of the book and interpretations of being “half…” Palestinian, etc.

At about 1:27:10, Sarah talks about parallels between her partner’s love for her and her choice to love Palestine on a daily basis

At about 1:28:00, Pete asks Sarah about ways forward, and how we get people to not “look away,” and she talks about inspiration

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Please tune in for Episode 340 with Donna Minkowitz, a writer of fantasy, memoir, and journalism lauded by Lilith Magazine for her “fierce imagination and compelling prose.” Her first book, Ferocious Romance, won a Lambda Literary Award for Best Book On Religion/Spirituality. She is also the author of the novel DONNAVILLE, published in 2024.

She and Pete will be revisiting her memoir Growing Up Golem, a finalist for both a Lambda Literary Award and Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award.

The episode airs on May 5.

Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.

You can also donate at chuffed.org, World Central Kitchen, and so many more, and/or you can contact writer friend Ursula Villarreal-Moura directly or through Pete, as she has direct links with friends in Gaza.