Here are 7 books that The Lemon Tree fans have personally recommended if you like The Lemon Tree. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Nexus

Dave McKean Author Of Tyger

From Dave's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Artist Musician Twitcher Foodie Silent film fan

Dave's 3 favorite reads in 2025

Dave McKean Why Dave loves this book

If anyone is still under any illusion that AI is some sort of saviour for mankind, read this book. Its comprehensive arguments draw on history, creativity, science, politics, every facet of human life, to offer, guidance, warnings, and red flags to look out for. We're already crashing through those red flags, this book is urgent.

By Yuval Noah Harari ,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked Nexus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Sapiens comes the groundbreaking story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world.

“Striking original . . . A historian whose arguments operate on the scale of millennia has managed to capture the zeitgeist perfectly.”—The Economist

“This deeply important book comes at a critical time as we all think through the implications of AI and automated content production. . . . Masterful and provocative.”—Mustafa Suleyman, author of The Coming Wave

For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite allour discoveries, inventions, and conquests,…


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Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Understanding Iran

Alexander Hay Author Of Planning Resilient Infrastructure Systems

From Alexander's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Alexander's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Alexander Hay Why Alexander loves this book

Persia has always fascinated me. When Cyrus the Great laid out the Persian Empire 3,000 years ago, many of the principles he applied are today recognized as resilience and adptation planning. Unsurprisingly, we had to learn so many of these lessons again and again. So much so, that today we think we have achieved great policy and planning insights only to discover that the ancients had been quite adept at them. Time again, whether infrastructure planning, emergency management, social capital, irrigation, agriculture, medicine or the sciences, the adept ancients turn out to include Persians. So how did such an extraordinary heritage and culture become so misunderstood by the West?
I had looked for a decent history that connected ancient Persia to modern Iran for some time. A friend recommended this book. Mr. Polk is the archetypal foreign policy wonk, and only he could have written this book. Often, as I…

By William R. Polk ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Understanding Iran as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

William R. Polk provides an informative, readable history of a country which is moving quickly toward becoming the dominant power and culture of the Middle East. A former member of the State Department's Policy Planning Council, Polk describes a country and a history misunderstood by many in the West. While Iranians chafe under the yolk of their current leaders, they also have bitter memories of generations of British, Russian and American espionage, invasion, and dominance. There are important lessons to be learned from the past, and Polk teases them out of a long and rich history and shows that it…


Book cover of They Called Me a Lioness

Nora Lester Murad Author Of Ida in the Middle

From my list on children’s books featuring Palestine.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I am Jewish, I didn’t know much about Israel until college. I studied in Cairo and Jerusalem and became very committed to Palestinian rights. I married a Palestinian Muslim, and we raised our daughters in the West Bank under Israeli occupation. Now, I spend most of my time talking with people about the need for justice, peace, security, and dignity for everyone and explaining why equality for Palestinians is not only a moral stance but one that is also good for Jews. The books I recommended help young people understand Palestinian experiences so they can resist the dehumanizing messages that are so common in the media.

Nora's book list on children’s books featuring Palestine

Nora Lester Murad Why Nora loves this book

I loved learning Ahed Tamimi’s story from her directly rather than from a news story. How often do teenagers get to learn about life in Palestine from a Palestinian age mate? Ahed was arrested when she was 16 for slapping a soldier, but her story started when she was born in the West Bank under Israeli occupation.

I found Ahed’s story informative and inspiring, and I can’t stop thinking about her!

By Ahed Tamimi , Dena Takruri ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked They Called Me a Lioness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Palestinian activist jailed at sixteen after a confrontation with Israeli soldiers illuminates the daily struggles of life under occupation in this moving, deeply personal memoir.

“I cannot even begin to convey the clarity, the intensity, the power, the photographic storytelling of They Called Me a Lioness.”—Ibram X. Kendi, internationally bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Kirkus Reviews

“What would you do if you grew up seeing your home repeatedly raided? Your parents arrested? Your mother shot? Your uncle killed? Try, for just a moment, to imagine that this was…


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Book cover of Trusting Her Duke

Trusting Her Duke by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.

Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…

Book cover of A Little Piece of Ground

Nora Lester Murad Author Of Ida in the Middle

From my list on children’s books featuring Palestine.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I am Jewish, I didn’t know much about Israel until college. I studied in Cairo and Jerusalem and became very committed to Palestinian rights. I married a Palestinian Muslim, and we raised our daughters in the West Bank under Israeli occupation. Now, I spend most of my time talking with people about the need for justice, peace, security, and dignity for everyone and explaining why equality for Palestinians is not only a moral stance but one that is also good for Jews. The books I recommended help young people understand Palestinian experiences so they can resist the dehumanizing messages that are so common in the media.

Nora's book list on children’s books featuring Palestine

Nora Lester Murad Why Nora loves this book

Reading this story really makes you feel what it’s like to live under Israeli occupation, and maybe that’s why this book is being banned. Twelve-year-old Karim and his family can’t leave their house during the army’s curfew, and Karim is tired of dealing with his siblings and parents when all he wants to do is play soccer.

When he’s allowed out, Karim befriends a boy from the refugee camp, and they build a soccer field in an old junkyard. But when Karim gets stuck there when the Israeli soldiers come back and impose another curfew, things get scary, and Karim has to grow up fast to stay safe.

By Elizabeth Laird , Sonia Nimr ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Little Piece of Ground as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

A heartfelt and honest story, and an introduction to the Palestinian struggle for readers between nine and eleven years-old, set on the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Written by Elizabeth Laird, in collaboration with Sonia Nimr, a Palestinian archaeologist, storyteller, writer and translator, who lives in Ramallah.

Twelve year-old Karim Aboudi lives with his family in Ramallah, on the West Bank of Palestine. After a terror attack takes place, they are trapped in their home, bound by a strict curfew enforced by the Israeli military.
.
Like any other child, Karim longs to play football with his mates - not to be…


Book cover of Children of the Stone City

Nora Lester Murad Author Of Ida in the Middle

From my list on children’s books featuring Palestine.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I am Jewish, I didn’t know much about Israel until college. I studied in Cairo and Jerusalem and became very committed to Palestinian rights. I married a Palestinian Muslim, and we raised our daughters in the West Bank under Israeli occupation. Now, I spend most of my time talking with people about the need for justice, peace, security, and dignity for everyone and explaining why equality for Palestinians is not only a moral stance but one that is also good for Jews. The books I recommended help young people understand Palestinian experiences so they can resist the dehumanizing messages that are so common in the media.

Nora's book list on children’s books featuring Palestine

Nora Lester Murad Why Nora loves this book

I love this book because Adam and Leila live in fictional Stone City, which is exactly like the real-life Old City of Jerusalem, Palestine. Their society is divided into the ruling class, called Permitteds, and the lower class, called Nons.

The kids enjoy their friends and school and music until their father dies suddenly, and they might lose their permit to stay in Stone City. Adam gets arrested when he and his friend Zak are falsely accused of attacking a group of Permitted teens.

Adam and Leila’s fast-paced struggle mirrors the struggle of Palestinian children in Jerusalem, and Adam and Leila’s bravery, creativity, and resolve make them heroes.

By Beverley Naidoo ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Children of the Stone City as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

A thrilling, resonant and inspiring novel about justice, privilege and the power of the young to strive for change.

Set in a world where Adam and Leila and their friend Zak live as Nons under the Permitted ruling class. Then, when Adam and Leila's father dies unexpectedly, their mother faces losing her permit to live in the Stone City with deportation to where she was born. Before music-loving Adam can implement his plan to save Mama, Zak is arrested for a bold prank that goes wrong, with far-reaching repercussions for them all . . .

The eagerly awaited new children's…


Book cover of The Lemon Tree

Nora Lester Murad Author Of Ida in the Middle

From my list on children’s books featuring Palestine.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I am Jewish, I didn’t know much about Israel until college. I studied in Cairo and Jerusalem and became very committed to Palestinian rights. I married a Palestinian Muslim, and we raised our daughters in the West Bank under Israeli occupation. Now, I spend most of my time talking with people about the need for justice, peace, security, and dignity for everyone and explaining why equality for Palestinians is not only a moral stance but one that is also good for Jews. The books I recommended help young people understand Palestinian experiences so they can resist the dehumanizing messages that are so common in the media.

Nora's book list on children’s books featuring Palestine

Nora Lester Murad Why Nora loves this book

I loved this book because it tells the entire history of the Palestinian-Israeli crisis through the real-life relationship between one Palestinian refugee and the Israeli woman who was born in the house he was expelled from. The young adult version, based on the adult book, is packed full of details, but all told with nuance from the perspectives of the people involved.

Written by a journalist, the book is easy to follow and interesting. Like in real life, some of the differences are resolved, but most aren’t, leaving the reader interested in learning more.

By Sandy Tolan ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Lemon Tree as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

In 1967, a twenty-five-year-old refugee named Bashir Khairi traveled from the Palestinian hill town of Ramallah to Ramla, Israel, with a goal: to see the beloved stone house with the lemon tree in its backyard that he and his family had been forced to leave nineteen years earlier. When he arrived, he was greeted by one of its new residents: Dalia Eshkenazi Landau, a nineteen-year-old Israeli college student whose family had fled Europe following the Holocaust. She had lived in that house since she was eleven months old.
On the stoop of this shared house, Dalia and Bashir began a…


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Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Thunderbird

Nora Lester Murad Author Of Ida in the Middle

From my list on children’s books featuring Palestine.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I am Jewish, I didn’t know much about Israel until college. I studied in Cairo and Jerusalem and became very committed to Palestinian rights. I married a Palestinian Muslim, and we raised our daughters in the West Bank under Israeli occupation. Now, I spend most of my time talking with people about the need for justice, peace, security, and dignity for everyone and explaining why equality for Palestinians is not only a moral stance but one that is also good for Jews. The books I recommended help young people understand Palestinian experiences so they can resist the dehumanizing messages that are so common in the media.

Nora's book list on children’s books featuring Palestine

Nora Lester Murad Why Nora loves this book

I love this book because it combines fantasy, history, culture, and superstition. It’s also a translation, which lets English readers read what their Palestinian agemates are reading.

The fast-paced story follows Noor, an orphaned girl from Ramallah in the West Bank, as she travels back and forth in time with mythical creatures, facing life-threatening obstacles, to solve a mystery that will save the world.

By Sonia Nimr , Marcia Lynx Qualey (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thunderbird as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Shortlisted for the 2023 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, Society of Authors

A Palestinian girl travels to the past in a magical quest to save the world.

The Thunderbird trilogy is a fast-paced time-traveling fantasy adventure centered on Noor, a young orphaned Palestinian girl who starts in the present and must go back in time to get four magical bird feathers and save the world. Aided by a djinn cat and girls who look identical to Noor and who each have one of the bird's powers, in this initial volume Noor begins her journey through different historical…


Book cover of Nexus
Book cover of Understanding Iran
Book cover of They Called Me a Lioness

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