News in the Wind Summary and Analysis

Elias Chacour grew up in the village of Biram, a small agricultural community in Palestine, in the 1940's. For generations, his family had owned fig and grape orchards and enjoyed a simple life with the Melkite Christian church at the center of their existence. Palestine itself had been under British rule since the 1930's, and it was generally hoped, by resident and peacefully co-existing Jews, Christians, and Moslems, that an independent state would soon be formed. Palestine had been largely unaffected by World War II, and residents truly believed that they were intact and ready for self-rule.

Sitting high in his favorite tree on a warm afternoon in 1947, Elias realized that something important was happening. His brother had told him that father was purchasing a lamb for an important visitor, and Elders in the town...