“In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, we sit down with Palestinian author and former academic Ramsey Hanhan for a powerful conversation about Fugitive Dreams, Palestine Bleeds For You, censorship, the Nakba, faith, and the responsibility of witnessing. Ramsey reflects on being in Palestine on October 7, writing in real time as Gaza was being destroyed, and why Palestinian voices must continue to speak even when the world tries to silence them.”
Dr. Tabish Zaman interviews Ramsey Hanhan on the Builders of the Broken Bazaar Podcast
“In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman sits down with Ramsey Hanhan, a former physics professor with a PhD from the University of Michigan who left a 20-year career in academia to tell the story he could no longer remain silent about. Written while trapped in Ramallah after October 7th, his latest book, Palestine Bleeds for You, documents the reality of witnessing genocide while confronting the systemic silences that protect injustice.”
Tony Hanania, prize-winning author of Homesick, Unreal City, and the forthcoming Midnight At Noon
“Hanhan’s work is haunted by the demons which haunt all Palestinians, whether they are writers or not. These demons do not let an hour pass without whispering in a whisper that cannot be forgotten or disguised—for they are demons, after all, and so their voices cannot be erased once heard. And the demons whisper—how can you enjoy these moments when your brothers and sisters are meat in a grinder? How can you enjoy your lover when your land is being effaced and deformed? How can you enjoy playing with your children when your blood’s newborns are kindling in a pyre?”
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Marc Barham, art, film, and book critic
“This book is infused with the love of a man for his land, family, and his people, especially the children murdered by Israel and the West. The whole book by Ramsey is a memento mori and a recorded written remembrance of the Palestinian children slaughtered in Gaza. It is the theme of his work, and he has done as much as he can to keep their memory with us. This book is a testament to the shortened lives that never were. Yet in it their voices are heard.”
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Ashok Subramanian, Author of The Bachelor’s Wife and Other Stories
“The testimony of someone whose homeland, identity, memories, friendships, and hopes are intimately connected to the events he describes. And that is where the book begins to matter — not merely as a political document, but as a deeply personal human account. How much suffering can humanity witness before it decides that every civilian life matters equally?”
“PBFY is a gem from the heart of a conscientious and indefatigable author-activist. Its poetry is a sensitive and astute expression of grief and resistance to oppression. In equal measure, its essays offer insights from a Palestinian American’s perspective on the impact of American politics on Palestine, on Palestine’s refraction of our own politics within the broader narrative struggle for Truth, on foundational principles such as Freedom, Equality, and Free Speech, and on the spiritual legacy of the Holy Land.”
“An indictment of a global “civilization” that tolerates the systematic murder of children.Hanhan wonders how many lives would have been spared if the Palestinian voice had not been suppressed by the complicity of media conglomerates and the trick question, “Do you condemn Hamas?”Ramsey’s voice was muffled – like countless other Palestinian voices.“Palestinian Voices Must Be Heard,” the first essay he wrote upon his return to the United States, is included in this book, along with 49 selected essays and poems composed during the genocide. The pieces cover a breadth of topics “that ripple far beyond Gaza”
Rateb Y. Rabie, KCHS, Founder and President, Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, and Know Thy Heritage, Inc.
“Ramsey Hanhan writes with a rare blend of courage and tenderness, and in Palestine Bleeds for You, he offers more than a literary work—he offers an act of witness that is deeply human and morally urgent. He does not turn away from Gaza’s wounds but confronts them with honesty while illuminating a spirit that refuses to be erased, reminding us that Gaza is not a distant headline but “a heartbeat interrupted,” and that “to witness suffering and remain unchanged is to surrender part of our humanity.
His writing moves beyond pain, carrying resilience, return, and hope. By preserving what others erase, he turns storytelling into resistance and calls us to share responsibility. I highly recommend this book as a deeply moving collection of poetry and essays drawn from the heart of Ramsey, who—after a distinguished career as a physics professor—has dedicated his voice and pen to bearing witness, uplifting truth, and affirming the humanity and resilience of the Palestinian people.”
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Rebecca Ruth Gould, SOAS Distinguished Professor and author of Erasing Palestine
Famed Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sitta has described genocide as the destruction of “the past and the present in order to prevent the future from happening.” In this riveting collection, Palestinian writer Ramsey Hanhan documents the genocide of his people. His words resist genocide, inasmuch as they bring Palestinian culture to life, and preserve it for the future.
The moment you pick up Palestine Bleeds for You by Ramsey Hanhan and read his poem calligraphed across the cover, forming the shape of Palestine, you won’t be able to put the book down.
“I cannot talk about the house of my Grandfather in Lydd
That’s too controversial.
I can’t tell you about the death of my cousin who died in an airstrike,
Nor can I name the killer.”
That’s how the poem begins. Then you open the book. Ramsey’s passionate opening poem serves as a guide, pulling you into his stories, photos, and poems where he uses imagery to evoke resilience for future Palestinian liberation. And he doesn’t let you go until you reach the last page. Readers have said his poetry and essays are heartfelt and hopeful, bearing witness as a Christian and a Palestinian, to the destruction of his country and his hope of a better future after eight decades of Israeli occupation and Palestinian resistance.
