Fast Times in Palestine - Pamela Olson

Fast Times in Palestine is a coming-of-age memoir about a young Stanford graduate from Oklahoma who stumbled unexpectedly into Palestine on a post-college backpacking trip, became a journalist, and served as the foreign press coordinator for a Palestinian presidential candidate.

The book doesn't pontificate about the realities of life under occupation but rather displays them in a gripping narrative full of love, beauty, suspense, cruelty, star-crossed love, and dark humor that has the potential to reach and move broad audiences. It was named one of the top ten travel books of the year by Publishers Weekly.

Author Bio

Pamela Olson grew up in small town Oklahoma and studied physics and political science at Stanford University. She lived in Ramallah for two years, during which she served as head writer and editor for the Palestine Monitor and as foreign press coordinator for Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi's 2005 presidential campaign.

Reviews

"Harrowing, funny, vivid, entertaining and deeply humane, Fast Times in Palestine opens a rare window onto Palestinian life. It’s impossible not to be moved on nearly every page."
— Sandy Tolan, author of The Lemon Tree

"I realize that without knowing it, I have long waited for this book, although I could not have imagined its lyric magic in advance of reading."
— Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories

"Pamela Olson leads the reader on an exciting, funny, at times heart-wrenching journey, carefully deciphering complex political and historical issues."
— Ramzy Baroud, author of My Father was a Freedom Fighter

"What makes her story so compelling is that she tells it in an honest and straightforward way, not by relying on hot rhetoric. For anyone who wants to learn the truth about life under Israeli occupation, this book is a superb starting point."
— John Mearsheimer, co-author of The Israel Lobby