Khaled and Jamila

“Khaled and Jamila is a deeply authentic story, an important addition to the canon of Palestinian American literature, and a delightful read. We root for this family as a collective and are wowed by the bravery they each exhibit in the name of love.” – Laila Halaby, author of The Weight of Ghosts“Anan Ameri’s Palestinian family saga, Khaled and Jamila, is both a vibrant and heart-wrenching look at the challenges of intercultural marriages, and at the same time, it’s a testimony to how marriages endure both with and despite lack of family support. A fast read that stays with you.” – Nora Lester Murad, educator and award-winning author of Ida in the Middle“Written by one of Arab America’s fiercest advocates and humanitarian leaders, this beautiful novel is a heart-wrenching family saga that travels across many decades and even more memories. A must read.” – Susan Muaddi Darraj, author of Behind You Is the Sea“After writing two memoirs Anan Ameri has given us a gift with her first novel. Khaled and Jamila revolves around the lives of Palestinians. The story begins in the West Bank during the fifties, a few years after the Nakba. This book explores family, religion, community, love, war and race. It’s a novel in which characters are defined by borders and boundaries that are personal as well as geographical. It’s about each new generation finding their own way.” – E. Ethelbert Miller, writer and literary activist, 2023 Grammy Finalist for Spoken Word and Poetry“Khaled and Jamila is a moving story of intergenerational heartache from Palestine to the US. Anan Ameri weaves together dramatic events connecting the personal to the political, highlighting the hypocrisies and crushing disappointments that course through families. A moving reflection on how we repeat the same mistakes across generations.” – Evelyn Alsultany, author of Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion“Spanning decades, Khaled and Jamila is a moving and ambitious novel about family loyalties and what one is willing to risk in the name of love. The story opens with Khaled, who leaves his hometown of Al-Bireh, a village in the West Bank of Palestine, in the late 1950s to study at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he falls in love with a fellow student named Elizabeth. The novel then follows multiple generations as they grapple with the political challenges of their time, all the while exploring the complexities of race and ethnicity.” – Ghassan Zeineddine, author of Dearborn“Anan Ameri’s novel, Khaled and Jamila, is the heartwarming story of a Palestinian-American family grappling with the challenges of cross-cultural marriage and intergenerational strife against the backdrop of Palestinian dispossession and the constant search for justice. Ameri takes us on a journey that explores the highs and lows of Khaled’s search for belonging and meaning in his adopted home, as well as his relationship with his daughter whose life choices put his values and convictions to the test. A great read!” – Diana Abouali, director, Arab American National Museum“Set during the pivotal early years of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Ameri’s novel portrays that era’s tectonic cultural shifts which remain so very relevant to our own time.” – Booklist

Dr. Anan Ameri is a writer, educator, activist and the award-winning author of The Scent of Jasmine (Interlink, 2017). She is the founding director of Dearborn’s celebrated Arab American National Museum (AANM). She has won a Palestine Book Award, was named the 2005 Michiganian of the Year by The Detroit News, was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, and was named the 2020 Arab American of the Year.

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