Discover the Best Books Written by Laila El-Haddad
Laila El-Haddad is an award-winning Palestinian author, social activist, policy analyst, and journalist. She frequently speaks on the situation in Gaza, the intersection of food and politics, her own personal journey as a Palestinian mother and journalist, as well as on contemporary Islam. She has written for numerous newspapers and magazines, including the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, The New Statesman, The Daily Star, and Le monde diplomatic.
She has appeared on many international broadcasting networks, including NPR, CNN, Aljazeera, and CCTV. She is the author of Gaza Mom: Palestine, Politics, Parenting, and Everything In Between and co-author of the critically acclaimed The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey, which was the recipient of the ‘Best Arab Cuisine Book’ award from Gourmand magazine, and a finalist at the 2013 MEMO Palestine Book Awards. She is also the co-editor of the anthology Gaza Unsilenced.
From 2003-2007, El-Haddad was the Gaza correspondent for the Al Jazeera English website and a regular contributor to the BBC World Service. During that time, she covered such events as the Gaza Disengagement and the 2006 Palestinian elections. She also co-directed two Gaza-based documentaries, including the award-winning Tunnel Trade.
Through her work as a writer and documentarian, she provides much-needed insight into the human experience of the region. In 2014, she was featured in CNN program Parts Unknown with celebrity chef and gastronome Anthony Bourdain, in the episode titled "Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza" as his guide in the Gaza Strip, marking the first time a mainstream American audience had seen Gaza in this ordinary, humorous and humane light.