Pamela Olson lived in Ramallah for two years, during which she served as head writer and editor for the Palestine Monitor and foreign press coordinator for Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi's 2005 presidential campaign. She's published stories and articles in CounterPunch, Electronic Intifada, Mondoweiss, Israel's Occupation Magazine, and The Stanford Magazine, and she also wrote an essay about disputed holy sites for the encyclopaedia of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. She lives in New York City.
"Pamela Olson's insightful, sometimes shocking, but always deeply
human account of the Palestinian reality should be read by anyone
who wants to get beyond the myths and misconceptions around the
Palestinian struggle. The effortless narrative is driven by
encounters with ordinary, and sometimes extraordinary, people
sometimes as confused as the rest of the world about their reality.
But Olson is clear in laying out the stark truth of dispossession,
oppression, and outright racism imposed on the Palestiniansinsights
all too lacking in news reports and political debate."
Chris McGreal, The Guardian
"A moving, inspiring account of life in Palestine that's enormously
informative yet reads like a novel!"
Rebecca Vilkomerson, Executive Director of Jewish Voice for
Peace
"It's love in the time of occupation as Pamela Olson . . . takes us
on the emotional roller-coaster of her very personal experience of
life in Ramallah. . . A charming book brimming with tension and
tragedy, but also with the humor, warmth, everyday foibles and
irrepressible hopes of a people determined to live free."
Tony Karon, senior editor of TIME Magazine
"Part adventure story, part searing reportage, part love story, and
wholly absorbing."
Dr. Kenneth Ring, co-author of Letters from Palestine
"Pamela Olson leads the reader on an exciting, funny, at times
heart-wrenching journey, carefully deciphering complex political
and historical issues. Olson is a talented writer, intelligent and
exceptional in her ability to convey both tragedy and hope,
remaining morally grounded and refreshingly honest."
Ramzy Baroud, author of My Father was a Freedom Fighter
"As an Israeli whose life was shaped by the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, I found Fast Times in Palestine moving and refreshing.
Pamela Olson comes to the Middle East with a blank slate and is
therefore able to hold up an undistorted mirror to the reality she
encounters."
Miko Peled, author of The General's Son
"Harrowing, funny, vivid, entertaining and deeply humane, Fast
Times in Palestine opens a rare window into Palestinian life. It s
impossible not to be moved on nearly every page by Pamela Olson s
account of the plight of a stateless people struggling to live with
dignity under a mind-boggling 48-year military occupation. Yet
Olson also shows us the warmth of a people who, despite their
circumstances, display a 'preternatural friendliness and curiosity'
in an 'enviable place to call home.' Read this book; it will change
everything about the way you see the struggle between Israelis and
Palestinians."
Sandy Tolan, author of The Lemon Tree
"This is a story by a very smart and fundamentally decent woman who
visits Palestine for the first time knowing little about what she
will encounter there. Of course, she learns quickly about the
horrors of the Israeli occupation and what it means for the local
Palestinians. Fast Times in Palestine is Pamela Olson's attempt to
describe the indignities and brutality of Palestinian daily life,
and try to make sense of it all. What makes her story so compelling
is that she tells it in an honest and straightforward way, not by
relying on hot rhetoric. For anyone who wants to learn the truth
about life under Israeli occupation, this book is a superb starting
point."
John J. Mearsheimer, author of Why Leaders Lie
the strength of the narrative lies in Olson s investigation of the
personal and mental effects of oppression and war on herself and
her newfound friendsWhere paradox is as common as breathing, Olson
discovers a kind of freedom amid the barbed wire. An empathetic,
intriguing memoir. Kirkus Reviews
"More than a travelogue or a polemic, the book is a coming-of-age
story, as Olson discovers her voice by directly confronting the
challenges of living in a state of institutionalized paradox...
Engaging and easy to read, this is a fascinating memoir."Publishers
Weekly
"An ultimately heartwarming story about an American who learned to
love a country and a people despite the trauma of the brutal,
decades-old conflict she witnesses occurring around her."Library
Journal
"
"A moving, inspiring account of life in Palestine that's enormously
informative yet reads like a novel!" --Rebecca Vilkomerson,
Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace
"It's love in the time of occupation as Pamela Olson . . . takes us
on the emotional roller-coaster of her very personal experience of
life in Ramallah. . . A charming book brimming with tension and
tragedy, but also with the humor, warmth, everyday foibles and
irrepressible hopes of a people determined to live free." --Tony
Karon, senior editor of "TIME Magazine"
"Part adventure story, part searing reportage, part love story, and
wholly absorbing." --Dr. Kenneth Ring, co-author of "Letters from
Palestine"
"Pamela Olson leads the reader on an exciting, funny, at times
heart-wrenching journey, carefully deciphering complex political
and historical issues. Olson is a talented writer, intelligent and
exceptional in her ability to convey both tragedy and hope,
remaining morally grounded and refreshingly honest." --Ramzy
Baroud, author of "My Father was a Freedom Fighter"
"As an Israeli whose life was shaped by the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, I found "Fast Times in Palestine" moving and refreshing.
Pamela Olson comes to the Middle East with a blank slate and is
therefore able to hold up an undistorted mirror to the reality she
encounters." --Miko Peled, author of "The General's Son"
"A moving, inspiring account of life in Palestine that's enormously
informative yet reads like a novel!"
-- Rebecca Vilkomerson, Executive Director, Jewish Voice for
Peace
"It's love in the time of occupation as Pamela Olson . . . takes us
on the emotional roller-coaster of her very personal experience of
life in Ramallah. . . A charming book brimming with tension and
tragedy, but also with the humor, warmth, everyday foibles and
irrepressible hopes of a people determined to live free."
-- Tony Karon, Senior Editor, "TIME Magazine"
"Part adventure story, part searing reportage, part love story, and
wholly absorbing."
-- Dr. Kenneth Ring, coauthor of "Letters from Palestine"
"Pamela Olson leads the reader on an exciting, funny, at times
heart-wrenching journey, carefully deciphering complex political
and historical issues. Olson is a talented writer, intelligent and
exceptional in her ability to convey both tragedy and hope,
remaining morally grounded and refreshingly honest."
-- Ramzy Baroud, Author, "My Father was a Freedom Fighter"
"As an Israeli whose life was shaped by the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, I found "Fast Times in Palestine" moving and refreshing.
Pamela Olson comes to the Middle East with a blank slate and is
therefore able to hold up an undistorted mirror to the reality she
encounters."
-- Miko Peled, Author, "The General's Son"
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