Mornings in Jenin

Mornings in Jenin is a historical novel that spans the years between 1941 and 2003 and is focused on the Israeli invasion and occupation of Palestine. The author, Susan Abulhawa, is the child of Palestinian refugees and was brought up in several countries, including the United States. She writes the novel from the points of view of several members of a Palestinian family who lose their land, home, and loved ones. The novel relates the suffering of individual family members but represents the Palestinian people as a whole and demonstrates their resilience and the strength they gain from their history and culture. The importance of family and the unbreakable ties that hold them together through decades of suffering is a major aspect of the book, which also explores intercultural conflict and its long-term effects, as well as love and loss.

The book was first published in the United States in 2006 under the title The Scar of David. It has since sold more than 1 million copies and has been translated into over 20 languages.

This guide refers to the Bloomsbury edition of the text, published in 2010.

Content Warning: The source text depicts graphic depictions of wartime violence.

Plot Summary