About the Author

Hilary Tarazi, an American born and raised, married a Palestinian physician from the Gaza Strip in 1990 after a whirlwind romance at the Harvard Kennedy School. The couple spent the next five years in Gaza, a time of momentous changes in Gaza, and for the couple as well.

Hilary shares stories from her years in Gaza within a single narrative of love and loss. She concludes with a description of her personal reactions and her extended family’s experience since October 7th, 2023, finding both tragedy and hope among the ruins.

Hilary earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Harvard University, where she studied political philosophy, government, and international development. Between degree programs, she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Central African Republic. Hilary is now retired from a career in planning and administration, including five years at the Veterans Administration Health System and sixteen years in health sciences planning at the University of California San Diego. This is her first book.