From Gaza, With Love - Paperback

Growing up in the Gaza Strip under Israeli occupation, Sammy never thought about life beyond the arid, desolate hellscape that he called home. After befriending a pair of United Nations workers, however, opportunities abroad open to him and he is whisked away to the United States, where he attends university on scholarship.

Exposed to a new culture, foreign customs, and an unfamiliar language, Sammy is forced to quickly learn how to fit in, an increasingly difficult challenge as he discovers that he is gay. Having been brought up in a society of shame, oppression, and humiliation, he struggles to understand why a Palestinian Muslim would be cursed with such an ostracizing and potentially life-threatening orientation.

As Sammy seeks to hide his evolving sexuality and refuses to come to terms with it, he meets John-a Jewish man from Chicago. How will their developing relationship survive when the rest of the world deems it unnatural and immoral?

Raw with emotion and heartfully written, From Gaza, With Love delves into the intricate political and religious differences that keep Israel and Palestine at war and the influence of culture on relationships, communication, and love.