John Ouellet

The Captive Dove John Ouellet

There is that part of our childhood which is bathed in mystery and suspense, tempered with the promise that all things will be revealed in time. For children of war there is no such promise. They are waiting still. In 1964, six-year old, Nasser and his fourteen-year old sister, Sureia are sent with their grandfather to a small village in the West Bank from their home in South Chicago. As second generation Americans, it's the intention of their parents to save them from the mean streets of the city by learning the ways of Islam from their aunt and uncle. Issues arise for Nasser from competition with his cousins, and while Sureia is immersing herself in the culture and in secretly learning Christianity, things around her are unwinding fast. Within a few months their grandfather departs after falling ill, and Sureia is sent home just before Christmas in the midst of her tailspin. The next two and a half years are harrowing for Nasser who is alone in a family disintegrating from within and in a land destined for war. On June 5th, 1967, Nasser finds himself lost in Ramallah at the start of The Six Day War with his mentally challenged cousin, Adli. The result of his struggles to find his way back home have shaped the rest of his life. The Captive Dove is based upon actual events in the lives and childhood of several extraordinary people whose spirit transcended the madness of the day.