Nancy Stohlman

"Rachel: a Light in Palestine" Nancy Stohlman

The novel tells the story of a young woman's quest to bring hope and healing to Palestinians. The desire to help the subjugated people of Palestine prompts Rachel to trade the peace of her hometown, Olympia, Washington, for the war-torn city of Rafah, Gaza, Palestine. Upon her arrival, Rachel is welcomed by the ominous sounds of bombs and bullets and the hopeful faces of women and children. They love Rachel and the rest of the "Internationals" like a blessing from above. During Rachel's stay in Rafah, she witnesses Israeli attempts to annihilate Palestinians, the people who have become close to her heart. From the very beginning, Rachel has always dreamed of solidarity and harmony, praying that humans would discover peace and serenity. As days go by, Palestine is torn apart by its enemies. In the midst of the war against poor people, Rachel asserts her legacy of service, sacrifice, optimism and compassion for the people in dire need of help. Overall, it is a story of beautiful feelings and longings for a better life. Her desire to see a different reality, her compromised voice with the poor, with the abused, with the hungry as young as a 10-year old girl. As a college student she immerses into the harrowing reality of the Genocidal Israeli Occupation of Palestine, ruined by the awful deeds of Bush, Blair and Sharon suffering in her own flesh what is still raging on today.