Fast Times in Palestine

Given what is going on today in Israel/Palestine, there is no more opportune time to read this book than now. The author spent the better part of two years living and working in the West Bank in the mid 2000s. The book is at once travelogue, coming of age story, and social and political commentary. She gets to know the Palestinian people in the sort of intimate way that few Westerners do. Cast away your preconceived notions and read this book. I guarantee you will never see the Palestinians in the same way again.

This wasn't what I was expecting. When I purchased it, I didn't read the description closely enough and thought I was getting a novel. When I sat down to read it and realized my mistake, I groaned. I decided to give it a chance anyway and I am so glad I did. I was hooked right away. It's a memoir that reads like a novel. I could vividly picture the land she was seeing and the people she was talking to....and the horrors she was experiencing. This was so eye opening. It put a face to the crimes of humanity that have been occurring over in the middle east. It's more than war and politics, it's PEOPLE. We are so sheltered here in the US and take so much for granted.I cannot fathom living in a place where the sound of gunfire in the background is so common, you don't even flinch anymore. Where you can't just drive across a state line to visit your loved ones. Where you are constantly in fear of losing someone you care about. Where you have to deal with such heavy oppression on a daily basis. Despite all of that, the people Pamela encountered sound so beautifully gracious and faithful. I can see why she felt compelled to return to them.It is clear that if she has "picked a side", she has chosen to side with the Palestinians. That said, she shows how Israeli's suffer as well. It isn't completely one sided....it's fairly balanced. It doesn't come across as propaganda, as some reviewers imply.Thank you for having the courage to share your experiences and for opening my eyes to the things that we DON'T read in the news or see on T.V. I look forward to more!

For years, I have followed the author's worldly travels through her website and have enjoyed her ability to bring you first person into what she was experiencing at the moment through her writing style. No matter where she was or what she was doing, it was always a good read and break. Needless to say, I've enjoyed immensely joining her in her travels shared through her writing and it's never been a dull moment.In the Middle East, I've always had a "build a wall" and let the rest of the world deal with their own problems viewpoint but this book has brought a new meaning to "building a wall" in my mind. The sharing of her experiences in dealing with a "wall" and through the eyes of those who have to deal with one daily has made me think twice.By bringing her experiences in Palestine and nearby areas to a central location via her book, I'm probably a better citizen of the world in understanding the day to day trials placed at those people's feet who have very little choice or options in the matter. Plus it's expanded my viewpoint of what the world is really like in this part of the world as a resident, not a tourist.It was about time for her to take the next step and I'm glad she's taken that step seriously with this book.

I chose this book knowing nothing about what to expect-- just wanted a contemporary read about the situation in Palestine. Being an American of Palestinian background I felt I needed to get up on things (and possibly be able to share my learning with others )and this book--from an American woman's perspective--held promise. I was absolutely hooked from the first page. Pam Olson has done an amazing job of not only drawing the reader in to the difficult and volatile life of any one in the West Bank, but almost more importantly drawing the reader in to her amazing travels, her perceptions of the middle east, her ability to meet and bond with new people. I traveled with her at every step, enjoying her subtle comments and humor, being there with her in crusty situations, learning first hand of a culture and people she had before been fairly ignorant about(like many Americans.) The real shift in the book from riveting travel narrative comes with her very real involvement with people she meets and her emotional ride as she became invested in those people and the beautiful places they live in. She is clearly changed inside out from her experiences. There were many upsetting parts of the book--and she revealed what these upsetting things did to her personally, in poignant prose. Many times I had to put the book down and chill--then get back to it. The sad fact is so much of a devastating nature goes on under this occupation, that its a shock for anyone to think that these things can continue with "approval" by the good old USA. I recommended the book to my book club, we read and discussed it, and all thanked me for opening their eyes. Thanks Pam Olson for opening MY eyes as well.

This is the intriguing and riveting story of a young American woman from Oklahoma and her two year adventure living, volunteering, and working in Palestine.She started on a backpacking trip during a time when she was questioning her beliefs and taking time from her university studies.She decided to travel in the mid east intending, for reasons of cost, to omit Palestine and Israel.Through chance meetings with and Israeli and a Palestinian on the Red Sea coast, she ended up in Palestine, where she introduced her Russian-Israeli to a Palestinian who spoke Russian, having been studying medicine in Russia.She writes very well and her description of the hospitality of the Palestinians she met and lived with, and of their life under occupation is fascinating and eye-opening. I've since bought copies for several of my friends... who are similarly impressed.

I have been studying the Israeli Palestinian conflict for years and have been to both Israel and Palestine in my pursuit of knowledge and understanding. Therefore I have seen the situation for myself which is of course very different to how our media presents it. I have to say without reservation that this is one of the best books I have read on the subject. Books on subjects like these can be quite dry or partisan; however this book does not fall into any of those traps.Pamela Olson somehow manages to convey exactly what is going on with quite detailed commentary on the historical and political landscape of the region without compromising the rhythm of the narrative. Most importantly of all she does this with grace and humility and with her humanity intact. This is no mean feat when one is living with those in an occupation and witnessing the daily brutality that ensues on both sides.I have urged my friends to read this book and urge you to do the same. With an open heart and an open mind. If you didn't know much about the conflict and why things are the way they are, you will by the end of this book. And if you did know hopefully this will galvanise you to become more involved.Maybe then one day in the not too distant future the Palestinians will finally have the justice which has been denied them for far too long.

Fast Times in Palestine is an honest and balanced account of a situation many North Americans would be shocked to find they know nothing about. It is a fascinating read, at times hilarious, at times heart-breaking but mostly it informs the reader of what is really going on in the land once known as Palestine. Pamela Olson corrects our misconceptions in recounting her day-to-day encounters with both Palestinians and Israelis. Her book is an antidote to the daily bombardment of manufactured "news" designed to shape our opinions about the peoples living in the region we broadly refer to as the Middle East.This book should be required reading for anyone in a position to direct policy and to make decisions vis-à-vis Israel and the surrounding nations.

The long running Palestinian/Israeli conflict has been with all of us for most of our lives yet few understand what is going on there. We see news reports with one point of view, which are then contradicted by another - it is confusing.Pamela Olson sets out - with no agenda - to travel outside her homeland, the United States. Her travels in Palestine and Israel, the people she meets, the places she visits, the events that take place, form the basis of this book.Her account is entertaining, lively and intelligent. Olson is a young 21st century American woman who strips away the dense, complex 60+ year-old-history and politics to tell what she saw, as she saw it.Not a politician nor an ivory towered intellectual, she has produced a refreshingly modern account of life in Palestine today with honesty - all too scarce a currency in the modern Middle East.

For those who are offended by this book, hang your head in shame. The books just talks facts about the reality of the situation.