Ladies of the Dance

The main events of Ladies of the Dance take place in Beit Nuba, a Palestinian town under Jordanian rule. The novel follows characters, both native and Western, who live their precarious lives against a backdrop of events that lead up to, and bridge the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Alya Habeeb, a Muslim-Christian teacher, and her lover, the popular radio personality Majed Alami, dance with international young people in the Semiramis Hotel courtyard, ignoring the approaching conflict. But her brother Omar is willing to risk it all to fight for freedom. As political tensions mount, the characters finally realize that they must learn the intricate steps of a war-dance that will leave their world forever changed.