All of the houses, stone or others, that Israeli bulldozers and-no less Israeli-bombs have and will destroy, rescue from the Israeli national ethos of return to the homeland the naked essence of our state. And this is how I meant to continue the sentence and write: that essence is the erasure of the other's existence for the sake of our own existence. We make the Palestinian disappear so that we Jews can prosper. But I have changed my mind and am writing: the real essence of our state is an ongoing attempt to erase the existence of the other for the sake of our own existence. An attempt to make the Palestinian disappear so that we Jews can prosper. The houses no longer stand. But the majority of their dwellers and carriers of their memory -down to the second and third and fourth generations- are alive and kicking, alive and resilient. In exile or in refugee camps a walking distance from their demolished homes, in rented apartments, in Palestinian enclaves in the West Bank and in villages inside Israel, whose land has been stolen from them. Displaced, but very much alive, they never cease to belong to The Home. The Israeli attempt at erasure succeeded only in part, hap-pily. But the partiality of that "success" does not halt the conveyor belt moving the state's essence in its repeated act of destruction and attempts to depopulate. Every additional demolition, every takeover of land is another knife plunged, and the unceasing continuity since 1948 only grows heavier. And with every knife, another question mark is raised about the "home-ness" of home and the reasons that I have to remain in it.

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To be honest, the short stories by POC writers in this anthology are much stronger in execution. The plots are compelling, and with simple ideas, they carry the stories with excellent writing. I recognized some of the authors and had high expectations, having enjoyed most of their novels. The topics range from war and political persecution to immigrant insecurity and ideological divides. While some non-POC writers also contributed well, some stories seemed to focus on 'first world problems' - superficial for the most part. However, Kerri Arsenault's "Vacationland" stands out for its haunting portrayal of the impact of a paper mill factory on a rural community, highlighting the contradiction of dependence on it for income despite the health risks from its toxic materials. I was unsure about the inclusion of two Israeli authors in the collection, given current events. One story seemed to dehumanize Palestinians which seems to be what Israel has been doing with the complicit of Western Media, while another discussed their connection to land although when they first came to Palestine decades ago as a guests, which raised conflicting feelings and ideas.  Most of the poems featured in the collection were the translations of famous poets but unfortunately i am not familiar with them simply because the literary world itself has been  Western-centric. Overall, "Home" is a powerful collection where writers explore varied interpretations of what 'home' means—tangible, in memories, in people, or in a fleeting, uncertain existence. I put some of the titles that i think people should read from this collection :

1. Germany and Its Exiles By Herta Müller.

2. All the Home You've Got By Edwidge Danticat.

3. A Land Without Borders By Nir Baram

4. Pages of Fruit By Leila Aboulela

5. Vacationland By Kerri Arsenault

6. Fishermen Always Eat Fish Eyes By Xiaolu Guo 

7. The Committed By Viet Thanh Nguyen

8. Stone Houses By Amira Hass.

9. Hope and Home By Rabih Alameddine
10. The curse by Emily Raboteau