Today's Read Contributor In The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders, released in April 2025, Sarah Aziza embarks on a deeply personal exploration of her family’s past, grappling with the complexities of identity, diaspora, and belonging. Aziza’s debut memoir navigates the tumultuous history of three generations of Palestinians displaced by conflict, illuminating the often painful and fragmented journey of her family through the lens of her own life.
At the heart of The Hollow Half is Aziza’s quest to understand her Palestinian heritage and the intergenerational trauma that has shaped her identity. The book is not just a memoir but a reflection on the physical and emotional toll of borders—both literal and metaphorical—that separate people from their homelands. Aziza delves into her family’s narrative, uncovering hidden truths and examining the impact of displacement. Through vivid storytelling, she paints a portrait of the resilience of her ancestors, whose lives were shaped by a history of forced migration, loss, and survival.
Aziza’s narrative is rich with emotion, as she unearths family secrets and confronts the legacy of pain and perseverance. Her story is one of struggle but also of strength, as she faces the challenge of reconciling her personal experiences with the broader history of her people. This memoir is a meditation on the complexities of belonging—how it is both a deeply personal and communal experience, shaped by history, geography, and the politics of borders.
Throughout the memoir, Aziza explores her own sense of displacement, reflecting on how her experiences in the United States have shaped her relationship with her Palestinian roots. The book weaves together themes of migration, identity, and belonging, offering an intimate look at how the legacies of one’s ancestors can both anchor and destabilize a person’s sense of self. Aziza’s journey is not just about uncovering the past but also about understanding how that past informs her present.
The Hollow Half speaks to the broader experience of the Palestinian diaspora, offering a poignant and personal narrative that resonates with anyone who has experienced the complexities of migration or grapples with the idea of home. Through Aziza’s lens, the reader is invited to examine not only the political borders that separate nations but also the invisible borders that define family, identity, and legacy. The memoir is a testament to the power of storytelling in healing and understanding the fractured identities that come with displacement.
This debut memoir solidifies Sarah Aziza as a compelling voice in contemporary literature, one that offers both a personal and collective reflection on the power of memory, history, and identity.
