Book 34 for 2026: “Forgotten”, Raja Shehadeh and Penny Johnson

August 23, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

The subtitle is “Searching for Palestine’s Hidden Places and Lost Memorials”. Published in 2025, the book follows the authors’ travels from their home in Ramallah in the West Bank in search of ancient buildings, churches, grave memorials, etc. For those who find it difficult to picture the location of Israel, Gaza, West Bank, etc. there is a detailed map at the beginning of the book.

The memorials they find vary from that for three Egyptian soldiers who died in the 1967 war to buried famous poets. They discover the remains of the wall that surrounded the great Bronze Age city of Tell Balata and a sophisticated water system from a Bronze and Iron Age city. In many cases these places are hidden among modern Israeli buildings or appear to be a bunch of rubble at first. Usually, they manage to find these places with the help of older locals.They find the tombs of saints, a Greek Orthodox monastery that had to be rebuilt, the remains of a deserted mosque destroyed by Israelis–all that is left is the minaret, the ruins of many ancient Palestinian villages that over time have been destroyed by the Israelis. In some cases ruins from the BC era have been built over with malls and parks, including one that is now under the Palestine Television Tower.

One thing they noted that has nothing to do with buildings or ruins is how the Dead Sea is becoming smaller and smaller due to excessive irrigation for crops farmed by kibbutzes. The Jordan River feeds into the Dead Sea and its level has gone down for the same reason. Drought and irrigation has increased the need for water for crops. The authors question the longterm sustainability of these irrigation methods. As I read this I thought of all the irrigation in the West of the US, the low water flow of the Colorado River, and how the Western US is facing some of the same issues.

Is the Problem Young People Are Having Global?

August 22, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Earlier today I am sitting in a coffee shop in Claremont, California, drinking horchata and eating tiny donuts, a specialty of this shop. I look around and realize I must be at least 4 times older than the average age of most of the other customers–it is a college town. Three library books form a stack in front of me as I decide which one to open first. I pick up “Supersaurio” by Meryem El Mehdati, a young author who was born in Morocco but lives in the largest of the Canary Islands which is the setting of this, her first novel.

The main character is also named Meryem, just like the author. She is twenty five, a college graduate, unable to find the job of her dreams so she is stuck in an internship at the largest super market chain in the Canary Islands. She hates her boss, finds her job dreadfully boring, and wonders if life is worth it, if she would choose to be born if she had a choice. “I’m not at all what I thought I’d grown up to be. I was convinced I would…succeed. That I’d become a financially independent adult.” She’s not. “I for one don’t know where heaven is anymore, or hell.” I’ve gleaned all this in just the first seven pages as I sit here watching all these young people getting their drinks and others on their computers or chatting. The nearby Claremont Colleges are top colleges with high tuitions. I’ve heard the news, heard young people comment, their frustrations. Yesterday, on the news I heard a young woman from a good college in the Southeast with an electrical engineering degree and good grades say she had sent out over 400 applications and nothing. She’s wondering if AI is a factor. Then they interviewed some top professor who had no advice except for her to hang in there. Really. Is this supposed to make her feel better? On another bit of news I heard that 25% of those looking for employment have been looking for at least six months.

What stuck me is this: If I did not know the setting for this novel is in the Canary Islands, I would have thought it is in the US. It sounds exactly like what I hear on the news, from individual young people. What will the future hold for them and not just in the US, globally?

Book 31 for 2026: “The Lion Women of Tehran”, Marjan Kamali

July 31, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

This novel narrates the lives of two women who became best friends in elementary school in Tehran in the 1950s. One, Elaheh, who has lived in luxury until the death of her father forces her and her mother to move to a poor part of the city. Two, Homa, a rambunctious seven year old who lives nearby. Elaheh’s mother has no choice but to enroll her in the nearby public school where they meet and become best friends against the objection of Elaheh’s mother who thinks the people there are tacky and beneath her. Because Elaheh’s (Ellie) prefers to spend time at Homa’s house where there is an entire family–father, mother, children, who are warm and loving, her mother does various things to keep her from Homa’s family. It does not work and Homa’s mother teaches Ellie how to cook and they treat her as one of the own.

Their happy friendship is disrupted when Ellie’s mother marries her former husband’s brother and they move back to the wealthy part of town and Ellie is enrolled in one of the best schools in Tehran. Ellie works hard at her studies and becoming popular and succeeds. She is very embarrassed when Homa gets a scholarship to this school and shows up. Nevertheless, they reestablish their friendship and everything seems to go well until political turmoil occurs. They finish high school and enroll in the University of Tehran. Then betrayal and disaster ensues.

I could not stop reading because of the story. For those who know little of Iranian history in the last 100 years, through the events in the novel, the reader not only learns how difficult life can be in Iran but also a lot of recent Iranian history. It reveals the determination of Iranians to live the best they can regardless of the circumstances and how life can change instantly because of someone’s misguided words. After I finished this novel, I went to the library and requested Kamali’s other two novels.

Book 30 for 2026: “A Rift in Time”, Raja Shehadeh

July 28, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Written in 2010 this nonfiction work follows the author on a journey as he attempts to reenact the journey his great-great uncle made to escape the police of the Ottoman Empire as it was disintegrating in the early 1900s. Unlike now when the countries of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Israel have borders and you have to have permission to cross, then they were all part of the Ottoman Empire with no borders. The only countries at the time that were not part of the Ottoman Empire were Iran and a lot of the peninsula of what is now Saudi Arabia. The fact that all these new countries have borders made it difficult for the author to exactly follow his ancestor’s travels.

The author, a Palestinian Christian who is also a leading Palestinian lawyer, lived in the West Bank when he wrote this memoir. The uncle was a journalist in the late 1800s and died just before the existence of Israel occurred. As Shehadeh travels, he notes how the landscape has changed. Israeli authorities have destroyed most of the old Palestinian villages. Where their small farms, olive groves, etc. existed, the Israelis have created large, mechanized farms. He notes that these farms use a lot of irrigation and have caused the water table to go down and made changes to the Jordan River and Dead Sea.

While visiting the old places and people he can find that might know of his relative, he also discusses Palestinian history and the history of the creation of Israel. Britain wanted the help of Zionist Jews to help defeat the Ottoman Turks who had allied themselves with the Germans in WWI. To get their help they created the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which promised the Zionists that they would help them create a homeland of their own in what was then Palestine. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, what was Palestine and now Israel was ruled for decades by the British–the British Mandate (1920-1948). The author’s uncle predicted much of what occurred and actually wanted the Ottomans to continues ruling but differently, giving each group of people more self-governing power. Instead we now have countries many of whose borders were created by the British and French.

Book 23 for 2026: “The House of Islam: A Global History”, Ed Husain

June 4, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

While waiting for a requested book to arrive at the library, I found this one and decided to read it. Because of personal interest I already knew quite a lot of about different types of Islam and some of the history, but this book goes into great detail explaining the founding and history of different groups, e.g. Sunni including different groups within Sunni Islam, Sufi, Shia. Sunni groups vary greatly from more mainstream to the very strict fundamentalism of the Salafis/Wahhabis which is the group controlling Saudi Arabia. The Shia are predominantly in Iran, Iraq, some of Syria, and are minorities in most of the Gulf States as well as Saudi Arabia. Sufis can be found all over the Muslim world, and in the West people often equate them with the whirling dervishes.

A bit of history many in the West do not know is how Mohamed Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, joined with the ancestor of the current Saudi rulers to conquer and control all of Saudi Arabia in the 1700s. This extreme conservative part of Islam is still the rule and law in Saudi Arabia. It is such a potent force in the world today because Saudi Arabia has spent billions to export their preferred form of Islam across the world. Osama bin Laden belonged to this group of Muslims. They have built mosques and training schools all over the world. Some adherents feel it is their obligation to kill others who do not agree with them including other Muslims. al-Wahab’s book, Kitab al-Tawhid, The Book of Oneness, dominates the global market and promotes this strict form of Islam. It is from this form of Islam that ISIS and other groups have arisen. Most Sunni Muslims in the world do not adhere to this form of Islam. Many people do not realize that the majority of Muslims are not Arabs.

The author also explains the rise in jihadism with recommendations on how to deal with Islamic extremism. Part of this goes into the history of early Islam when for hundreds of years much of the progress in a lot of the world was via Muslim science, mathematics, literature, etc. Part Three details The Rise of the West and the Loss of Muslim Confidence which has led to anger and frustration and a strong sense of humiliation which has lead to much of the extremism occurring now and recently.

Although I do not agree with some of the author’s statements and claims because of what I know from Muslims I do know, I highly recommend this book. I think many people in the West have little to no knowledge regarding Muslims, the history, etc. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world currently and it behooves people to gain understanding.

Book 22 for 2026: “A Guardian and a Thief”, Megha Majumdar

May 28, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

In the not too distant future the city of Kolkata in India is besieged with floods and famine. Ma, her elderly father, and two year old daughter are preparing to emigrate to the US where her husband has a good professional job. This is one of the families in the story. The other is a poor family from the Sundarban struggling to stay alive while the oldest son, Boomba, has gone to Kolkata to try to earn enough to save his family.

In the two weeks time of this novel, Boomba, driven to desperation and holding a secret about Ma, breaks into Ma’s house and steals her purse which contains the passports for her, her father, and her child. Both her actions previous to his, her current actions, and Boomba’s lead both down paths they could never have previously dreamed with dire consequences for all.

Due to the flooding and famine, everyone in the city is desperate except for the one billionaire who has stayed. Their desperation leads some to behave in undesirable ways, but the main “lesson” of this novel illustrates how just one action by one person can lead to dire consequences for two entire families and possibly others as well–actions have consequences you can never begin to imagine. Be careful.

Book 14 for 2026: “Forgotten Landscapes: How Native Americans Created Pre-Columbian North America and What Can We Learn From It”, Stanley A. Rice

March 27, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

The title of this non-fiction book explains what this book is about. The author is emeritus professor of biological science at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and of Cherokee heritage. He cites all the historical findings and current research regarding how natives used fire to control forests and grasslands, the numerous large native cities found both in US and Latin America using lidar technology, and how the colonists were totally mistaken when they thought they had found a land that lacked the influence of humans regarding forestry, farming, orchard keeping, etc.

He notes that the way the indigenous people in the US farmed and maintained orchards was not like those of the Europeans so they thought no one was doing anything and they were incorrect. He also goes into a lot of the history about how European diseases especially brought about the demise (genocide) of millions of native peoples even often those who had not themselves seen Europeans. Many European diseases spread from domesticated animals to humans (he provides a long list) and natives had no immunity. He cites of only one Western Hemisphere disease (syphilis) that went from the Americas to Europe. He claims that there were so few native diseases in this hemisphere because there were no large animals to domesticate.

The way Native Americans farmed, maintained forests, established orchards, etc. was so different from the European way that Europeans thought no one was doing anything productive with the land. To the contrary, they were affecting the land greatly but in ways that were more sustainable. Currently, he notes in the US forest management people have begun to recognize Native American forestry expertise and use it in many places.

Book Eight for 2026: “What Life Was Like In The Land of The Prophet. Islamic World AD 570-1405

February 25, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Fascinated since childhood by the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, I accidentally discovered this book when I had to go to a new LA County library because the one near me is closed for renovations. The book describes in detail the life of Mohammed and the controversy that ensued after his death as to who should be in charge. This dispute ultimately caused the division into Sunni and Shia which continues today. It also covers other less well known groups such as Ismailis, a missionary sect of Shia Islam, and Sufiis, Muslim mystics.

I found the book extremely informative in describing how a small group of Arabs managed to conquer most of the land south of the Mediterranean and the lands to the east and eventually convert Central Asia and a substantial portion of West Africa. It also details the reign of many of the more famous caliphs, wars among various Muslim ruling families, and the building of Alhambra. While most of Europe was still feudal and in the Dark Ages, many Muslim cities such as Cairo and Damascus were centers of scientific research and learning as well as the arts and literature. Unlike what many continue to believe, Muslim women often held jobs and sometimes positions of considerable power and had legal guarantees to property and inheritance when women in Europe did not.

Book Five for 2026: “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This”, Omar El Akkad

February 10, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

“What are you willing to give up to alleviate someone else’s suffering?”

This book won the National Book Award for Non-fiction in 2025. I started reading it before book four but had to take a break. It is very serious and details a lot of dreadful recent and not so recent history. The author discusses in detail the gap between Western ideals and the reality the West enacts using examples from Gaza, his stint as a journalist in Afghanistan and other war torn places. He notes the betrayals of free speech, the betrayals of indigenous people, the betrayals of people of African descent. Some parts talk about reckoning and questions whether such will occur, who will remember, and will it matter and to whom.

El Akkad was born in Egypt, but grew up in Qatar and Canada as the family followed wherever his father was able to find work. He now lives in the US and states his current home is his 17th or 18th. His family had to move so much he remains uncertain.

This is a serious read for people who want to think about what has occurred in the last 20-30 years, what is occurring presently, and how all this will affect the future.

In Defense of Young People

January 6, 2026 / Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Recently, at a party I attended, someone claimed young people these days are lazy, don’t want to work, feel entitled. Sometimes I can keep my mouth shut, just listen, and disagree inside. Not this time. When I hear comments like this about young people, comments with which I vehemently disagree whether it is in person or on social media, I feel compelled to speak up.

During at least half the year, I spend one day a week at an inner city high school. Granted the students I work with are high achieving, students who are the opposite of lazy, some almost to the extreme. When I mentioned this, the person said, “Well this is because they are recent immigrants.” In most of these cases at this school, that is true. Then I explained that I had taught more than 20 years at two Title I high schools where nearly no one was a recent immigrant. Of course, like throughout history, there are some lazy young people. That, however, does not describe the majority. I’ve had homeless students who took the hardest dual credit classes and prevailed. I’ve had students who spent extra time at school because it was safer than being home. I’ve had students whose parents were in jail or drug addicts but still made it to school, did the required work, and graduated. I’ve had students struggling with mental health issues but no matter what managed to do the work required.

Reasons to be lazy abound. Reasons to feel hopeless about the future abound. Look at the present economy, look at the wage cap between the rich and poor, look at how many struggle to find a decent job. Young people are aware of all this, acutely aware. Yet most do the work required and press on no matter what.

I applaud them!