{"product_id":"the-sleep-thief-by-ibtisam-azem","title":"The Sleep Thief by Ibtisam Azem","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom Booker-longlisted Ibtisam Azem, a haunting odyssey where rest must be stolen at high price, and 'Palestine' is a honeyed defiance on the tongue.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Sleep thief is what the interrogator called me. I'll never forget that. I would steal a few seconds of sleep so I could remain steadfast before them. The name stuck; I even dreamt about it, the same dream, night after night. I woke up not knowing what to do and drenched in sweat.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Sleep Thief \u003c\/i\u003efollows the life of Gharib (\"the Stranger\") Haifawi as he comes of age, is drawn into resistance, makes friends, meets lovers, pushes back against traditional values, longs to be free of the labels and expectations that burden him, rails against the commodification of suffering, and dreams of a Palestinian identity that will transcend sorrow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIbtisam Azem\u003c\/b\u003e is a Palestinian novelist and journalist. She has published two novels in Arabic: \u003ci\u003eSariq al-Nawm\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eThe Sleep Thief\u003c\/i\u003e, 2011) and \u003ci\u003eSifr al-Ikhtifaa\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eThe Book of Disappearance\u003c\/i\u003e, 2014). \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Disappearance\u003c\/i\u003e has been published in English, German, and Italian. She lives in New York.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSinan Antoon\u003c\/b\u003e is an Iraqi poet, novelist, scholar, and literary translator. He has published three poetry collections and five novels. His most recent work is \u003ci\u003ePostcards from the Underworld\u003c\/i\u003e. He is an associate professor of Arabic literature at New York University.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"And Other Stories","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52901667504413,"sku":"9781916751538","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0511\/5897\/files\/Screenshot2026-09-09at12.20.53pm.png?v=1788970886","url":"https:\/\/www.middleeastbooks.com\/products\/the-sleep-thief-by-ibtisam-azem","provider":"Middle East Books and More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}