Teaching and Learning Student Amanda Najib Wins Palestine Book Award

“Growing up, I never saw kids’ books about Palestine; as a people, we’re constantly being erased from literature, the curriculum, the media, and more,” says Najib, who is also an adjunct professor for undergraduate and master’s students in elementary social studies methods. “The intersections of me as an educator, a Palestinian, a mother, and a scholar led me to want to write a book that spoke to the Palestinian experience while also showing the resilience of our spirit and how beautiful our culture is.”

While Lana Makes Purple Pizza is, on one hand, a lighthearted story about food and culture, it also touches on centuries of Palestinian displacement. Many of the ingredients in Msakhan, such as sumac and olive oil, are staples of Palestinian cuisine because they are deeply rooted in the land’s indigenous heritage.

“Because the Palestinian people are also indigenous to our land, our food is reflective of what grows there,” says Najib. “At the same time, our food has been culturally appropriated by Israel, and I wanted to talk about that without mixed messaging. I wanted the book to be a testament to all Palestinians; we are a joyful, colorful people, but we are still facing a genocide in our past and present.”

Najib’s academic research and scholarly writing focus on the experiences of Palestinian Americans within the U.S. education system. With her doctorate, she hopes to enter academia, where she will continue her work at the intersection of education, race, and politics, as well as opposing biases against Palestinians and their advocates.