An Improbable Friendship: The Remarkable Lives of Israeli Ruth Dayan and Palestinian Raymonda Tawil and Their Forty-Year Peace Mission

The 1940s are dominated in the global memory by one major event: World War II. Yet during that same period, another struggle was coming to a head. David (coauthor, Once upon a Country) recounts the history of two families on opposite sides of the Israel/Palestine conflict and illustrates that while emotions run high, unbreakable bonds of friendship and love can be formed. Ruth Dayan was a young woman married to a fierce Jewish fighter; Raymonda Tawil was the daughter of a wealthy Arab dignitary. Both women's lives were changed when revolution came to their homes, and with the tantalizing pacing of a thriller and the unaffected emotion of a memoir, David draws out the family history and eventual friendship of the women whose loyalties fall on opposite sides of the conflict. The result illuminates the realities of being a human being in a struggle between cultures. This heartfelt book captures the turmoil of the Ruth's and Raymonda's interactions with their families, their nations, and with each other—but it also shows their strength, vitality, and capacity for love.