Before the Flood - by Ramzy Baroud (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The social, political, and historical context of the current Israeli-Palestinian War told through the stories of the author's family and village.

"Ramzy Baroud's sensitive, thoughtful, searching writing penetrates to the core of moral dilemmas."--Noam Chomsky

A profound exploration of Palestinian history and resilience through the personal stories of the author's family--the al-Badrasawis. Beginning with intimate details of village life in Beit Daras prior to the Nakba, Ramzy Baroud vividly portrays the rich cultural heritage, deeply rooted traditions, and daily struggles faced by ordinary people whose lives were radically disrupted by the violent upheavals and ongoing conflicts driven by British colonialism and Zionist aggression.

Baroud weaves together past and present, illuminating how historical forces shaped the collective consciousness and steadfast resilience of the Palestinian people. His storytelling reveals not only the harsh realities of occupation, displacement, and loss but also the extraordinary courage, faith, and solidarity that underpin a powerful and enduring spirit of resistance, encapsulated in what the author refers to as the Palestinian "longue durée." Ultimately, Baroud aims to humanize and reclaim Palestinian narratives from distorted portrayals, highlighting their perseverance and the universal quest for justice and liberation.

Review Quotes

​"Before the Flood is a heart-wrenching and searingly personal chronicle of a homeland and a people. More than a family memoir, it speaks to the soul of Palestine across generations. It dismantles Zionism's colonial fairytales and lays bare the moral core of our resistance, born, as it is, of profound love for our ancestors and the sacred dignity of home. A moving testament to the power of memory and life's stubborn impulse for freedom.​" --susan abulhawa, author of Against the Loveless World

​"As a historian of colonization, I found this brilliant work clarifying the history that has gone from colonization and land theft to outright attempted genocide. Deeply researched and highly readable, ​B​efore the Flood is a must read, leading to action and protest.​" --Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States

​"Ramzy Baroud aspires to nothing less than to tell the story of Palestine on Palestine's own terms. In Before the Flood, form and content realize perfect symmetry in revealing how the individual plight of all Palestinians is emblematic of a broader, collective condition--one of harrowing loss, yes, but also rootedness, joy, and the galvanizing constancy of steadfast defiance that will inevitably stamp out history's transient oppressors. A poetic genealogy of resistance that transmutes personal loss into communal edification, Before The Flood is a masterpiece of Palestinian revolutionary literature." --Omar Zahzah, author of Terms of Servitude

About the Author

RAMZY BAROUD is a Palestinian author, historian, and academic whose work focuses on Palestinian history, liberation, and people's history. His books include Searching Jenin, The Second Palestinian Intifada, My Father Was a Freedom Fighter, The Last Earth, and These Chains Will Be Broken. His book, Our Vision for Liberation, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, brings together voices shaping the Palestinian struggle today. Baroud holds a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter and has taught mass communication at Curtin University. He is a Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Zaim University. His academic contributions extend to numerous books and journals, and he has lectured at leading universities worldwide. His work has been translated into multiple languages, solidifying his role as a key voice in documenting Palestinian history and resistance.

ILAN PAPPÉ is an Israeli historian, socialist activist, and author of many books, including The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine; A History of Modern Palestine; The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge; and with Noam Chomsky, Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians.