American edition of UnveiledSome women dream of marrying a prince, and in this memoir, a Lebanese-American from Long Island nearly does exactly that. After she comes to her senses, however, she instead winds up with a Palestinian politico under Arafat.

Author Deborah Kanafani shares a story that would be-among other things-any parent's nightmare, for Unveiled is a captivating page-turner that in some parts reads like a spy thriller replete with stories of intrigue, espionage, glamour, and romance. Dramatically played out against a backdrop of Middle Eastern conflicts, invasions, occupations, and uprisings, Kanafani's life story rolls out in a chronological order that elicits feelings of camaraderie in a plot gone wrong.

She is the former wife of Marwan Kanafani (Yasir Arafat's senior advisor, spokesman and high profile diplomat) and mother of their two children. Post-divorce, Marwan took all measures to cut off his ex-wife totally from their children's lives. By any means possible, she ends up moving to Ramallah in the West Bank, where her ex-husband had relocated with their children. According to Shari'ah (Islamic civil and criminal, and oftentimes arbitrary, law) Mr. Kanafani was entitled to full custody and control. Surprisingly, Kanafani doesn't play the victim in this situation nor demonize her ex-husband. She comes across as admirably nonjudgmental and displays the compassion of a natural born peacemaker.

With her VIP access into the intricacies of the Arab world, she wends her way through the Middle East, befriending among others Queen Dina of Jordan, Arafat's wife, Suha; and powerbroker Raymonda Tawil, with whom she develops a long-standing friendship. Kanafani turns out an incisive interpretation of a culture that's largely misunderstood and misrepresented in the West. Her journey brings to light-as well as brings home-the significance of international relations, Middle East politics, and especially the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. She articulates an insider's view of events on the ground in real time-from the 1993 Oslo Accords to the Camp David Summit of summer 2000 to the Second Intifada. With clarity, she explains these events, complete with all necessary history, so that even one with no prior knowledge can easily understand. And for those who know only the viewpoint most commonly put forth in corporate media, she unveils another side: the humanity of the Arab people.

The author with her daughter and ArafatIn a conversational tone, Kanafani explains some key ideological differences between Arafat's Fatah party and that of Hamas. For decades in Western media, the latter-known for its militant activities and religious zeal-overshadowed the ventures of Arafat's secularist party, thus merging Palestinians one and all into a dehumanized depiction of rage, aggression, and violence.

Finding herself in Palestine with no means of support, she lands a position as director of international productions with Palestinian TV. Her weekly, hour-long program featured women's and children's rights issues and health education. This work provided her contact with the UN, Amnesty International, and various other non-governmental organizations, and helped to cut further inroads into a shrouded society. During this period, the author says, "I tried to see beyond my own situation and befriended local women." One such friend, a worker with UNIFEM and a nun-run orphanage that protects girls in danger of honor killings, inducts Kanafani into working with other such protection groups.

Kanafani's search to reclaim her children takes her into the homes and hearts of remarkable women whose voices she is later able to pass on in consequential ways. Through television, film and the written word, Kanafani helps make meaning of seemingly endless difficulties.

In a meeting with Queen Dina, first wife to Jordan's King Hussein, the queen relates a story of her own forced, heartbreaking separation from her daughter.

"I thanked God for my blessings instead and prayed for a resolution instead of focusing on the negative side."

Like the queen, Kanafani consciously decides to focus on her opportunities rather than her restrictions; and this, ultimately, is how she reunites with her beloved daughter and son.

She relays a conversation with Robi Damelin, an Israeli woman who lost her son to the conflict and had since become involved in the Parents Circle-an organization that brings together Palestinian and Israeli parents who've lost children in warfare. Kanafani asks Damelin how one lets go of their anger, to which she replies, "Forgiveness. If you can truly experience it, it is magical."

Inasmuch as the differences of American society versus Palestinian or Israeli societies are illustrated, Unveiled's subliminal messaging is that we human beings are more alike than we are not. As Kanafani recovers her own sense of self and inner peace, she exemplifies the most extraordinary of life's lessons and qualities of character that override any opposition.

During the Second Intifada, Kanafani heroically coordinates her children's expedition back to the U.S. where she continues her work in peace and conflict resolution through media such as Women in Film and Video, Oxygen Media, filmmaking of her own, by sitting on the boards of several Israeli-Palestinian peace organizations, and staying active in a number of other conflict resolution efforts.

Kanafani's book is a chronicle of her experiences in the Arab world, as well as an examination of the human condition, and an example of triumph over hardships.

Mischa Geracoulis is a writer in Los Angeles and is Associate Editor at Levantine Review.