“A heart mender and a heartbreaker, Waseem is a deeply moving tale of how life and love persevere in the ruins. Taha is a marvel.” —Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao

“Waseem marks Lilas Taha as a writer to watch. You’ll laugh out loud, shake with rage, and battle back tears as Taha’s unforgettable protagonist fights for a better life in a Palestinian refugee camp. Like Huckleberry Finn and Scout Finch, Waseem is a character you never want to leave behind—he lives and breathes on these pages, and that’s a testament to Taha’s wonder of a novel.” —Ross Barkan, author of Glass Century

“Taha weaves the political and the personal into an enthralling, fast-moving story, showing how Palestinians’ life events and needs might be similar to everybody else’s, were it not for the fact of their dispossession.” —The Jordan Times

“A beautiful and moving tribute to the strength of the human spirit and the endearing power of love.” —Ann Weisgarber, author of The Glovemaker