Giving Up Is Not an Option: Memoirs of a Palestinian American

In his memoirs, Professor Hani Q. Khoury narrates the highlights of the complexities of his life and the events which have nurtured it. He was sentenced to an electric wheelchair at the age of 18 due to a progressive physical disorder. His story, like many others, is filled with challenges, setbacks, dreams, and, most importantly, hope. The juxtaposition of two very different cultural settings, Israeli-occupied Palestine, and the United States of America, will provide the reader with a deeper understanding of the meaning and implications of liberty and self-determination, both individually and collectively. He tells the story of his departure from the long-disputed land in Palestine to a new world that has become for him a place of new beginnings and friendships, unforeseen challenges, and personal and professional accomplishments. Accompanied by his parents, he began his journey to freedom on August 12, 1983 when the plane from Amman, Jordan landed at JFK International Airport in New York City. His new life began that day in a country that is known for its freedoms and the rule of law. In this new world and with the help of new and advanced technologies, he was able to leave the past for a new and promising future. In his newly adopted country, Hani was able to obtain his higher education, form a family, gain employment as a professor of mathematics at the university level, and become a productive member of society. In this landscape of dreams that we call America, and previously in his homeland in Palestine, he has met many wonderful people from different faiths and backgrounds. Their unparalleled humanity and support have made it possible for him to live out the truth that "when and where there is a will, there is a way."