Beyond Time and Location - into Gush Katif
Hello,
My name is Shifra Shomron and I'm a teenage author and former resident-expellee of Neve Dekalim-Gush Katif, Israel. My book, "Grains Of Sand: The Fall Of Neve Dekalim" is the first novel written by a former Gush Katif resident-expellee, from a teenage perspective, in English and already in its second printing.
I began writing this book as a senior in the Neve Dekalim girls' high school and completed it a year later as a nineteen year old. My book is based on my personal experiences as a former Neve Dekalim-Gush Katif resident. It depicts the life of an Israeli family living in Gush Katif from pre-Intifada II until Disengagement. I have published my book with MAZO PUBLISHERS, copyright 2007, $16.95/ 69 NIS per copy, 188 pages, ISBN 978-9657344194. It's available at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, Mazo Publishers, select Jerusalem bookstores...
Visit my website www.geocities.com/nevedekalim
Please click here to view the promotional trailer presenting my debut novel.
Thank You,
Shifra Shomron
Title: Grains of Sand: The Fall of Neve Dekalim
By Shifra Shomron
Reviewed by Rena Levin, aged 19, from Kochav Yair, Israel.
June 16 2007
Even before I read Shifra Shomron’s book, I was very well acquainted with the facts of the Gush Katif expulsion. Like hundreds of thousands of other young people throughout Israel, I participated in dozens of demonstrations in an effort to try to stop this foolhardy decision.
Despite my familiarity with the subject matter, I found this book interesting and attention grabbing. The book was written in an organized and clear way, which I think is important for readers that are not native English speakers. The book helped me to identify with the Gush Katif residents as families as opposed to a separate impersonal group. The part of the book that I learned the most from was the part that described daily life in a terror war.
The scene where the girls in Efrat’s class first begin to suspect that their teacher Miriam was not coming to teach because she was murdered on the bus in a terror attack really hit home for me. How would I have felt if something like that happened to me in school? I remember reading about the incident and I remember we said psalms on that day in our school in Herzelia as well, but I never thought before how I would feel if it was my class and my teacher.
I recommend this book for people who want to understand how everyday people can live through events which should never happen.
Rena Levin
Meet the author, Shifra Shomron, as printed in her novel "Grains Of Sand: The Fall Of Neve Dekalim"
www.geocities.com/nevedekalim
How did you decide on the characters in your book?
I knew I wanted my characters to express and represent many of the different thoughts and emotions the people of Gush Katif had.
On the other hand, I didn't want too many characters- because it gets difficult to keep track of them and becomes confusing for
the author and the reader. I settled on four main characters – all of whom have strong personalities and share their thoughts and feelings.
What motivated you to write this book?
I felt an urge to set down on paper, blue ink on whites pages, what I was experiencing and what I saw going on around me.
I can't quite explain it – even to myself. I felt a great urge to write, and once I started to obey it the pen moved as if
of its own accord. Writing gave me a sense of satisfaction, of inner peace.
What do you hope to accomplish by telling this story?
I hope that my book will enable people to understand what we, the people of Gush Katif, went through. I hope to put a human face on what have been just facts,
numbers. And I hope that the person reading my book will, for a few hours, be transferred beyond time and beyond location - into my Gush Katif.
How long did it take you to write this book?
This first draft took me a year to write. I started the book in the month of Nissan 5765 (April 2005) while I was still a twelfth grader.
Once the book was written, it took me an additional month to type it up.
You were a senior in the Neve Dekalim religious girls' high school at the time you wrote this book. How hard was it to write a book and
concentrate on your studies with mortars and rockets targeting your community?
Curiously enough, it wasn't very difficult. I concentrated on my studies as a way of escaping the difficult situation of living under the
shadows of Arab terror and Disengagement. Writing my book took on a form of therapy. However, most of the book was written after the Disengagement.
I started planning the book and wrote the first chapters as a senior, but the book was accomplished the following year when I was doing National Service.
And did you also attend demonstrations?
Yes, I did. How could I not? I didn't attend every single demonstration though – for instance if I had an important test the following day.
You must be very disciplined. Were you a good student?
Yes, I was a very good student. Following my high school graduation I received a "letter of excellence" from the Ministry of Education.
Do you think people might dismiss your writing because of your age?
They might. I should hope though that they would give me a chance and at least open the book. Let me add that many people who
have read my articles have been very surprised to discover that I am a teenager.
You mention writing articles. Would you please elaborate?
During the past few years I have written and published numerous articles and several poems. I've also translated some articles.
You were raised in Israel yet you wrote this book in English. Why did you choose to write it in English and not Hebrew?
I was raised in Israel yet English is my mother tongue. Also, there is a far larger English readership for the book than a Hebrew
readership, and I am interested in as many people reading the book as possible.
Who did you first tell you were writing this book and why?
I first told my mother. She taught me to read when I was four years old and has been my English teacher throughout my elementary
and high-school years.
Was it hard to find a publisher for your book?
Both yes and no. While looking for a publisher I came in email contact with an author who has worked with Chaim Mazo and praised him highly.
I'm very pleased and excited to be with Mazo Publishers. Otherwise, there were several publishers interested in reading my manuscript yet weren't
interested in publishing it. I received some impersonal form letter rejections and also some very encouraging ones. For example, one publisher's
rejection letter gave me a list of possible people with contact information who might be able to help me in publishing my book.
Would you like to see your book made into a movie?
It depends. My book deals with a very sensitive subject and I don't think it is easily portrayed.
Besides writing, how do you spend your free time?
I love taking walks in nature with my family and our pet dogs. I also enjoy painting, reading a good book, and listening to Celtic music.
What makes a good book for you?
A good book for me is a book which tells a good story realistically and is well written.
Who are your favorite authors and why?
P.G. Wodehouse because his books really make me laugh and J.R.R. Tolkien because I've yet to read a fantasy book more realistically and richly told.
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