Do you know that censorship and shadow-banning by major social media platforms limit the reach of most of the Palestinian content? Even content that has many views and is shared widely will be suppressed.

We can’t rely on social media platforms and their algorithms to give this content the energy it deserves. We always need grassroots-level engagement to be that energy and raise our voices to share stories of Palestine.

Sarah Musa, author of My Garden Over Gaza, is half Palestinian. Her father was born in Silwan a year after the Nakba in 1948. The youngest of six children, his family left their small home because of the growing aggression against the indigenous Palestinians by the occupation.

Sarah never got to see the little house her father grew up in. Nor has she visited Masjid Al-Aqsa, which was walking distance from their home. She prays to Allah to give her that honour someday. Despite that, Palestine is a big part of who she is. The stories her father shared with her kept the love of their homeland alive in her heart.

Her heart aches for those still suffering back home.

Sarah's book, My Garden over Gaza, grew from the heartache she felt witnessing the attack on Gaza in 2021. The Gaza strip is densely packed with a population of 1.6 million living on a small strip of land. With every attack, news would come with stories of children who had lost their lives, limbs, or families.

Sarah decided to do what she's best at: writing a book about a child in Gaza.

Through this book, Sarah hopes to show the frustration and pain, but also the deep resilience of the people of Gaza. This is a message that's often stifled by the media.

You can play a part in getting this message out in the open. Let the world know about this book by sharing this article, and by ordering the book here.