Fast Times in Palestine -- Book Tour USA

"Harrowing, funny, vivid, entertaining and deeply humane, Fast Times in Palestine opens a rare window onto Palestinian life.  It’s impossible not to be moved on nearly every page."
        — Sandy Tolan, author of The Lemon Tree

"Authentic, funny, tragic and well-documented. Most of all, it was readable. Sometimes it's hard to swallow all the tradegies of the West Bank & Gaza. However, this book kept me turning pages on the Kindle."
        — Holly, Goodreads reader

One of the Top Ten Travel Books of 2013.
        — Publishers Weekly

How it all began...

I stumbled into Palestine on a post-college backpacking trip, intending to stay for a few days. To my surprise, I found myself both enchanted and shocked to my core. A few days turned into a month, then a year, and before I knew it I was working as a journalist in Ramallah, dating a Palestinian from a conservative Muslim village, and serving as the foreign press coordinator for a Palestinian presidential candidate.

These experiences changed everything I thought I knew about the Middle East, politics, and human nature. When I came home, I couldn't wait to share these stories and lessons with as many people as possible.

Five years later, my book is published -- and I'm taking this show on the road! (More info about the book can be found on my website.)

Book Tour USA

I'm putting together a coast-to-coast tour with 40 events in more than two dozen cities, including San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Boulder, Oklahoma City, New York, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia, Princeton, and Washington, DC.

Many venues offer honoraria, but considering the months of planning in addition to the expenses of the tour itself, it's not sustainable for me to continue touring and presenting without supplemental financial support.

Your help will allow me to complete this tour and begin thinking about the next one(s) including tours in the central United States, Canada, and hopefully Europe and the Middle East. Please feel free to suggest cities, states, and venues!

Here's a schedule of book tour events.

The Impact

Below are some reader comments and reviews by respected academics, authors, diplomats, and journalists to give you an idea of the impact this book might have if it can reach enough people.

                                             Reader Comments

I have been studying the Israeli/Palestinian conflict since 9/11 and already own many books on the subject. But this is the one I have been waiting for to share with family and friends.
    ~ Ann, Amazon

This book surprised me. At first I thought the author was some tree-hugging liberal loon, but throughout the book she showed a rational mind, and wrote an interesting story about life in Palestine. I'll credit this book for changing my stance on the entire Israel-Palestinian conflict.
    ~ Joshua, Goodreads

It is refreshing and eye opening to read so many positive stories about the people of Palestine. I realize now how little I knew about them, and am sorry to say that most of it was negative. Since reading this, I have been doing a lot of research and talking with friends and family about what I am learning about Palestine.
    ~ Lori, Amazon

An unexpected, unlikely love letter to Palestine. It will invite comparisons to Eat Pray Love, I imagine. But Fast Times in Palestine is funnier, more interesting, and more levelheaded.
    ~ E, Book blogger

I bought this book with the hope of learning about Palestinian culture... and what I got out of it was so much more. I believe it should be required reading in schools, and I'm encouraging everyone I know to read it.
    ~ Adara, Amazon

                                                    Reviews

 

"I have read much of the writing on this conflict, and no other book has conveyed such an authentic, penetrating, and enchanting sense of the Palestinian people and their long struggle for rights and security."
        — Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories

"It's love in the time of occupation as Pamela Olson takes us on the emotional roller-coaster of her very personal experience of life in Ramallah—and in doing so lays bare the human drama of a people determined to live free."
        — Tony Karon, TIME Magazine

"Pamela Olson leads the reader on an exciting, funny, at times heart-wrenching journey, carefully deciphering complex political and historical issues."
        — Ramzy Baroud, author of My Father was a Freedom Fighter

"[T]he strength of the narrative lies in Olson’s investigation of the personal and mental effects of oppression and war on herself and her newfound friends, 'the atmosphere of mute shock expressed only in sidelong glances… of knowing something few people knew, and of genuine connection and collective struggle.' Where paradox is as common as breathing, Olson discovers a kind of freedom amid the barbed wire. An empathetic, intriguing memoir."
        — Kirkus Reviews

"More than a travelogue or a polemic, the book is a coming-of-age story, as Olson discovers her voice by directly confronting the challenges of living in a state of institutionalized paradox... Engaging and easy to read, this is a fascinating memoir."
        — Publishers Weekly

Other Ways You Can Help

If you can't contribute at this time, you can still help by:

• Sharing this campaign with your social networks
• Viewing the book tour schedule and attending some of my events!
• Helping get the word out about these events in your city
• Buying or reviewing my book
• Friending or following me on Facebook or Twitter
• Being active in the campaign for equal rights for Palestinians!

Thank you so much, and see you on the road!