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  • They Called Me a Lioness

  • A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom
  • By: Ahed Tamimi, Dena Takruri
  • Narrated by: Dena Takruri
  • Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (14 ratings)

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They Called Me a Lioness

By: Ahed Tamimi, Dena Takruri
Narrated by: Dena Takruri
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Publisher's Summary

A Palestinian activist jailed at sixteen after a confrontation with Israeli soldiers illuminates the daily struggles of life under occupation in this moving, deeply personal memoir.

“I cannot even begin to convey the clarity, the intensity, the power, the photographic storytelling of
They Called Me a Lioness.”—Ibram X. Kendi, internationally bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Kirkus Reviews

“What would you do if you grew up seeing your home repeatedly raided? Your parents arrested? Your mother shot? Your uncle killed? Try, for just a moment, to imagine that this was your life. How would you want the world to react?”

Ahed Tamimi is a world-renowned Palestinian activist, born and raised in the small West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, which became a center of the resistance to Israeli occupation when an illegal, Jewish-only settlement blocked off its community spring. Tamimi came of age participating in nonviolent demonstrations against this action and the occupation at large. Her global renown reached an apex in December 2017, when, at sixteen years old, she was filmed slapping an Israeli soldier who refused to leave her front yard. The video went viral, and Tamimi was arrested.

But this is not just a story of activism or imprisonment. It is the human-scale story of an occupation that has riveted the world and shaped global politics, from a girl who grew up in the middle of it . Tamimi’s father was born in 1967, the year that Israel began its occupation of the West Bank and he grew up immersed in the resistance movement. One of Tamimi’s earliest memories is visiting him in prison, poking her toddler fingers through the fence to touch his hand. She herself would spend her seventeenth birthday behind bars. Living through this greatest test and heightened attacks on her village, Tamimi felt her resolve only deepen, in tension with her attempts to live the normal life of a daughter, sibling, friend, and student.

An essential addition to an important conversation, They Called Me a Lioness shows us what is at stake in this struggle and offers a fresh vision for resistance. With their unflinching, riveting storytelling, Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri shine a light on the humanity not just in occupied Palestine but also in the unsung lives of people struggling for freedom around the world.

©2022 Ahed Tamimi, Dena Takruri (P)2022 Random House Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic Reviews

“I cannot even begin to convey the clarity, the intensity, the power, the photographic storytelling of They Called Me a Lioness. Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri lay bare seemingly every terrifying aspect of Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians, and the relentless freedom fight of Palestinians and their Israeli allies. Read and bear witness.”—Ibram X. Kendi, internationally bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist

“A powerful, moving combination of a memoir of personal resistance with a panoramic overview of the history of Palestine that leaves the reader with a detailed understanding of the daily realities of life under Israeli military occupation.”—Omar Robert Hamilton, author of The City Always Wins

“With more courage than any child should ever have to possess, Ahed Tamimi showed the world more than once what it looks like when you refuse to consent to your own obliteration. In this gripping, painful, and inspiring book, she tells the parts of the story that the cameras always miss: the slow and grinding humiliations of the occupation; the heartache of losing loved ones to Israeli prisons and guns; the cruelties of imprisonment; the love, laughter, and strength in solidarity that are necessary to keep living, breathing, and fighting against enormous odds. For anyone planning to stay alive on this planet in these perilous times, They Called Me a Lioness is urgent and essential reading.”—Ben Ehrenreich, author of The Way to the Spring

What listeners say about They Called Me a Lioness

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a MUST. BRILLIANT

Probably the first book in a while i was grossly engaged end to end. a must listen and Dena narrating was absolutely perfect. i wish there will be a second post script to cover the 2023 attacks as she was just released from prison. would be good to understand what happened since.

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What a strong woman!

I knew very little about the Palestinian struggle before listening to this book.
You are such a strong young woman! Yours is a struggle that no child or teenager should have to face.
I really hope and pray for the end to the injustices faced liberation of your people soon.

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Truely inspired by Ahed’s bravery in the face of such oppression

Excellent listen/read truly insightful and informative on what actually happens on the ground everyday for Palestinians

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A role model to all young girls

What Ahed has been through in her life so far is immoral and to have the strength to continue to talk about liberation for her people with such grace and empathy is inspirational.
I wish nothing but the best for Ahed and her family and hope one day her people and country will be free from occupation and live in peace as they so rightly deserve on what is their land.

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Powerful story

Found this a powerful story of female Palestinian strength and resilience. I hope that one day all of Palestine is free!

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Inspiring.

Loved the book. Great narrator. A female Nelson Mandela in the making that is proud of her land and the resolve to fight for her freedom and the end of the occupation.

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