Mother of all

After a series of traumatic events rocks Yasra's family, their lives change completely. Yasra, a fifteen-year-old girl, finds herself faced with two choices: either accept her new life silently, or muster the courage to change her reality. But... what if change means confronting societal traditions and norms? What if she takes a bold step that some consider unconventional? And how could that step lead her to discover one of life's secrets?

Inspired by a true story in Gaza, this novel takes us on a journey of courage and hope, touching readers' hearts and inspiring them.

Parents and Teachers Guide

Sometimes in our lives we face some difficulties and painful situations that make us feel frustrated and hopeless.

In the story "Mother of All," fifteen-year-old Yusra was able to overcome her feelings of despair and helplessness and think of a way to get her and her family out of the ordeal they were going through.

After the tragic death of her older brother and a painful accident that left her fisherman father in a wheelchair, Yusra decides to take over her father's fishing boat and become the first and only female fisherman in Gaza.

Gaza's conservative society is shocked by what Yusra is doing and strongly criticizes her. However, her family's support only strengthens her resolve to go out to sea, where she faces the same difficulties and challenges as Gaza's fishermen.

Gazans are limited to a distance of just three nautical miles, and over time, this area becomes almost devoid of fish, while Israeli warships remain constantly ready to attack any fishing boat that exceeds this distance.

After a confrontation between Yusra and the Israeli Navy, a media outlet requests to interview her and shed light on her as the first female fisherman in Gaza, as well as on the events surrounding Gaza, including the blockade and the attack on the Freedom Flotilla. After a period of time, and due to the fishing ban imposed on the people of Gaza by the Israeli Navy, Yusra fills her void by becoming a member of a cultural center in Gaza, gaining access to the internet, and many other options become available to her.

Through Yusra's experience as a fisherwoman, she realizes deep down that she can be whatever she wants, that she can control her life and change her destiny even if she lives in Gaza, "the largest prison in the world."

This story is recommended as supplemental reading or a school resource because it addresses a number of topics of interest to teenagers.

It's a story about overcoming adversity, about courage, and about what it means to live in a war zone.

The story deals with the theme of friendship and what it feels like for a teenager living in a place like Gaza, where people have been under a stifling siege for years.

The story is inspired by the true story of a young Gazan girl, Madeleine Qallab, who becomes Gaza's first female fisherman at the age of fourteen.

Otherwise, all characters in the story's plot are fictional. All people mentioned in the story and its details are fictional.