Highly engaging ... Fawal's novel is a warning to those who glibly advocate comprehensive solutions to complicated situations. It provides a portrait of lives destroyed for ostensibly noble purposes.
—Santa Fe Writers Project
As a work of historical fiction, this book is recommended reading. Fawal's narrative is articulate and compassionate. It serves as a sobering reminder that one nation's celebration has been made possible at the cost of another nation's devastation.
—The Middle East Journal
Fawal's novel is a tale of love and loss, of a young man's dreams and a nation's despair ... [It] tells of human, intellectual aspects of Palestinian culture.
—Alameda Accent
A masterful novel. Although not autobiographical, it depicts the real, excruciating tragedy of the Palestinian people by a close observer. A captivating story that promises a wide readership.
—Farhat Ziadeh, professor emeritus, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Washington
A novel of determination, courage, and ultimately, bearing witness to greed and ruthlessness as land, home, possessions, and dignity are stolen from himself and his people. A powerful, emotionally impacting novel offering a vivid glimpse of Arab life during the era.
—Midwest Book Review
For anyone who is interested in the roots of the Middle East crisis, Abe Fawal’s brilliant novel is a must-read.
—Ishmael Reed, poet and novelist
Once [readers] have read Ibrahim Fawal’s novel
On the Hills of God, they can never again say they did not know what happened to the Palestinians in 1948.
—Edebiyat Journal
The depth of feeling emanating from Ibrahim Fawal in this powerful work leaves the reader with so much to consider and react to after the last page is turned that one cannot escape the realization that this is truly a stunning creation.
—Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs
This historical novel is a most intimate and concrete portrayal of Palestinian uprootedness and suffering as a result of the 1947-48 events and the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state.
—Halim Barakat, Georgetown University
On the Hills of God moves us and removes us from ourselves, transports us to the darkness of occupation and the breath of heart. Stunning!
—Nathalie Handal, author of The Lives of Rain
Most important,
On the Hills of God stands as a testimony to the endurance of the human spirit, even when all hope is gone.
—Joe O'Donnell
In a novel that appeals to our common humanity, Fawal begs us to find within ourselves the capability to treat one another with a compassion transcending religious dogma and political cant.
—Bonnie Johnson, Booklist
As the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues, one would expect a natural curiosity among Americans to learn more about its origination and basis. Of the many accounts of the roots of the conflict, none may be as instantly engaging, on a personal level, as
On the Hills of God. This 450-page historical novel was written in 2006 by Ibrahim Fawal, a Christian Palestinian … The book ends with the fleeing of Ardallah’s populace and the separation of Yousif and Salwa in the crowds. It leaves the reader abruptly suspended in midair, wondering how this story of love and loss will be resolved. The good news is that author Ibrahim Fawal is currently working on a sequel.
—Patricia Keegan Holz, Washington International
On the Hills of God is a beautifully-written coming-of-age story about a young Palestinian about to graduate from high school just as the homeland he knows and loves falls apart and the world around him is permanently transformed.
—Institute for Middle East Understanding
Ibrahim Fawal’s novel
On the Hills of God deserves the widest possible distribution. It will change people’s thinking on the situation in Palestine.
—Eugene Rogan, fellow of St. Antony’s College, Oxford University
Fawal's novel is a tale of love and loss, of a young man's dream and a nation's despair.
—The Oakland Tribune
Regardless of political perspective, anyone who is fascinated by the ethnic and religious roots of the Middle East conflict will be intrigued, if not enthralled, by this work, an enlightening effort to give a voice to what Palestine was like from someone who was there.
—The Birmingham News
A heartbreaking story of young lovers forced to flee their native Palestine in the massive exodus that marked the creation of the state of Israel. A must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the origins of the enduring crisis that grips the Middle East.
—William C. Carter, author of Mercel Proust: A Life and Proust in Love
It is an engrossing tale, involving international power politics and the settling of old scores, and Fawal does a masterful job of weaving the historical background into the human story.
—Birmingham Weekly
Ibrahim Fawal has captured the human dimensions of the Palestinian tragedy. Everyone should read and learn from this book.
—Dr. Robin Ostle, fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford University
This passionate and deeply human narrative should capture anyone interested in the origins of the Middle East conflict, or in the power of a well-told story.
—Richard North Patterson, author of Degree of Guilt
At last, the Palestinian side of the story. This is one of the most enlightening books about the Middle East to have been written in the last half of the twentieth century. It is the Palestinian Exodus.
—Fred Bonnie, author of Food Fights and Thanh Ho Delivers