They Called Me A Lioness Palestinian Memoir (April Book Club)

Join us for April Book Club with Librarians and Archivists with Palestine and United Jewish People's Order! 10% discount on They Called Me a Lioness in store and online with code ASBOOKCLUB. More details to come!

Librarians and Archivists with Palestine is proud to announce They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri as the 2025 title for our “One Book, Many Communities” international reading campaign. Published in 2022, the memoir has received widespread acclaim with Kirkus Reviews describing it as “passionately argued, profoundly empathetic, and deeply informed examination of her country’s occupation.”

Tamimi became known worldwide after a clip of her slapping an Israeli soldier went viral, but her struggle against apartheid and occupation began long before that. In They Called Me a Lioness, Tamimi and Takruri reveal the events that led to Tamimi’s courageous defiance and its aftermath. Through this narrative we see how Tamimi’s family, village, and fellow prisoners inspired and supported her through imprisonment, continued struggle against oppression, and the tribulations of her newfound fame. Additionally, Tamimi and Takruri outline important points in history from the Nakba in 1948 to the present day in an accessible way that makes the book an excellent primer on the struggle for Palestinian self-determination.

The “One Book, Many Communities” campaign draws inspiration from the “one book, one town” idea that encourages local communities to come together and discuss a common text. Librarians and Archivists with Palestine aims to introduce readers to the richness of Palestinian literature and create broader awareness and understanding of Palestinian history and the struggle for liberation.