Donn Hutchison

American Sneakers in Palestine Donn Hutchison

Mohammad and Sarah are both offered jobs to work for the UN which prompts the family to return to Palestine. Mohammad believes it's "just what the kids need." The older children are enrolled in the Ramallah Friends School and reluctantly become a part of a minority - the English-Speaking. Though Palestinian, they speak an accented Arabic, have an American mother, and were raised in the States. They wish they hadn't been forced to move. There are subtle changes as Mohammad finds himself slipping into the accepted definition of an Arab male; Sarah wonders if Mohammad should have married a Palestinian, and their daughter Yasmeen, chafes under the imposed restrictions; she looks too American and is encouraged to cover her hair. There are adjustments, and compromises; there are secrets to be kept, and truths to embroider; through it all, there is love and family and the belief that everything is part of a Divine plan, and God makes no mistakes.