Al-Ramla, pre-1948

At the beginning of the book, Al-Ramla is described as an Arab town with about 11,000 people in it. It is between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean Sea, and it is named for the Arab word raml which means "sand." Though it is predominantly Arab, Bashir's sisters recall some Jewish people living in the town, owning businesses and going to school with them. Many farmers live in this area, growing crops such as citrus fruit, olives, bananas, lentils, sesame, barley, wheat, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, figs, grapes, and melons. Many people, like the Khairis, live in compounds that connect individual family homes together with walls so that women can travel between without covering themselves, since modesty is a very important part of Arab culture. The Khairi family traces their ancestry in this town back to the 16th Century, and before being driven from their home, they own the local cinema...