The Wire-Walker - by James Janko (Paperback)

About the Book

"In the Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus, Palestine, sixteen-year-old Amal Tuqan finds her escape in tightrope walking. Living in an alley so narrow that " the walls hold their breath," she practices tirelessly on thin wires and slippery rebar. Her extraordinary talent leads her to Tel Aviv in the summer of 2019, where she joins The Flying Kids, a circus that brings together Israeli and Palestinian children. There, she forms a deep friendship with Tali Glazman, a Jewish Israeli juggler, and they discover they share a painful bond: both have lost their fathers to violence."--

Book Synopsis

Accolades for The Wire-Walker

Nautilus Gold Medal for Best Fiction of 2025 from a Large Press

the Indie Reader Discovery Award in Overall Fiction (2nd Place)

the Juniper Prize from the University of Massachusetts Press

finalist for the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence

finalist for the Montaigne Medal

Albuquerque Journal, the most widely read newspaper in New Mexico, chose The Wire-Walker as one of the best five books in 2025.

Independent Publisher Book Awards highlights 2025's Outstanding Books in fiction and non-fiction; among the thousands of books entered, The Wire-Walker is among the top eleven.

In the Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus, Palestine, sixteen-year-old Amal Tuqan finds her escape in tightrope walking. Living in an alley so narrow that "the walls hold their breath," she practices tirelessly on thin wires and slippery rebar. Her extraordinary talent leads her to Tel Aviv in the summer of 2019, where she joins The Flying Kids, a circus that brings together Israeli and Palestinian children.

There, she forms a deep friendship with Tali Glazman, a Jewish Israeli juggler, and they discover they share a painful bond: both have lost their fathers to violence. As their friendship defies the deep-seated animosities that divide them, The Wire-Walker reveals more than just a tale of friendship; it is a raw and powerful commentary on the daily struggles faced by Amal and her community in the occupied West Bank.

Set against the backdrop of 2019-2020, this poignant tale serves as a prequel to the struggles that have unfolded since, highlighting the enduring spirit of youth amidst conflict.

About the Author

James Janko is the author of three award-winning novels. He learned to write on Alcatraz Island National Park where he worked alone as a nightwatchman for more than thirteen years (1979-1992). He read N. Scott Momaday, Maxine Hong Kingston, James Baldwin, Louise Erdrich, Walt Whitman, García Lorca, Grace Paley, Herman Melville, Annie Dillard, Michael Ondaatje, and many others. Over the years, word by word, Janko fell in love with language and learned to write.