Hour Of Sunlight, The: One Palestinian'S Journey From Prison

Description:
This is the inspiring and moving story of a young Palestinian who rejected his militant past to become the leader of the peace movement. As a teenager, Sami al Jundi had one ambition: overthrowing Israeli occupation. With two friends he formed a militant cell and began building a bomb to use against the Israeli police. But their plans were derailed when the bomb exploded prematurely, killing one of his friends. Al Jundi was sentenced to 10 years in prison, though ironically, his time in jail was also the catalyst for an extraordinary personal transformation. In prison Sami was welcomed into a highly organized, democratic community of political prisoners who required that members of their cell tirelessly study the precepts of non-violent protest and revolution. Al Jundi left prison still determined to fight for his people's rights-but with a very different notion of how to undertake that struggle. He discovered the Palestinian Center for Non-Violence, and later co-founded the Middle East programme of Seeds of Peace which brings together Palestinian and Israeli youth for hundreds of face-to-face meetings. And he kept his faith in reconciliation alive through the most difficult times, remaining determined to bring up a new generation in the path of peace and non-violence. 'The Hour of Sunlight' describes al Jundi's extraordinary metamorphosis from would-be terrorist to unwavering ambassador for peace. Jen Marlowe, Sami's former colleague and author of 'Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival', reports from a perspective that is sorely missing from the mainstream media's portrayal of Palestinians. Marked by honesty, humour, pain and compassion for all Palestinians and Israelis, 'The Hour of Sunlight: One Palestinian's Journey from Prisoner to Peacemaker' gives voice to the often unheard Palestinian experience through the story of one man's impassioned struggle for Middle East peace.

Author Biography:
Sami Al Jundi is currently the PR Director for The Small Writer, an Arabic language children's magazine. He previously worked with the Israel-Palestine center for Research Information, organizing non-violent demonstrations for peace and justice on the 40-year anniversary of the 1967 war. He is the co-founder and former supervisor of the Seeds of Peace Center for Coexistence in Jerusulem. Jen Marlowe is the author of Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival Jen worked in conflict transformation with youth in Israel and Palestine, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Bosnia-Herzgovina, India and Pakistan.