221x142mm, Hardback
ISBN: 978-1-917045-20-9 Price: £25.00 Available: November 2025 available for pre-order:
Odar |
ODAR
Between Armenia and Jerusalem - Love, Identity and the Courage to Belong Geraldine Ohannessian The unforgettable journey of a British woman into Armenian family life in occupied Palestine.
Geraldine Ohannessian’s The Odar is a captivating memoir that chronicles her extraordinary journey from London to Ramallah as a young Englishwoman marrying into an Armenian family in occupied Palestine. With wit, warmth, and unflinching honesty, Geraldine navigates the complexities of cultural identity, family dynamics, and life under Israeli occupation.
From the challenges of being an outsider — an 'odar' — to the joys and sorrows of building a life in a land fraught with conflict, her story is a testament to resilience, love, and the enduring power of human connection. |
About the Author Geraldine Ohannessian was born in Leeds, studied English and Drama in London after A levels and after a brief stint as a walk-on actress in Leeds Grand Theatre, started her teaching career, first in Switzerland and then London. After she moved to Palestine she continued to teach at Bir Zeit College. In 1972 she took a break while her children were small and then volunteered at the Quaker Schools in Ramallah and the Armenian school in Jerusalem. She continues to give private tuition to this day. She has been a committed member of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital fundraising Guild for fifty years and supports a school and orphanage in Busiiro in Uganda. Following thirty years living in Ramallah with her Armenian family, Geraldine moved to France to enjoy retirement. |
Contents:
Preface § A Change of Air § Serop: London § Serop’s Saga and a Cemetery § A Villa in Ramallah § The Wedding § Peckham § The Palestinian Semi-detached § Bir Zeit College - § The Day our Lives Changed § Shopping for War § And an Introduction to War: Yom Kippur § The ‘Ajnabeeyaat’ § Driving Uphill § Shopping and Cooking § Babies: Basics and Kindergarten § Living in the Good Times § Close Quarters Living § Expanding Horizons § Revolution: Holidays! § Holiday Postscript § Culture and Parties § Invasions and Settlers and Confrontations § Intifada! § One foot in London and One Foot in Palestine § The Gulf War th January § Persona Non Grata § Sort of a Peace Deal § Oslo Sellout § Bahran Takvor’s Story § Father’s Background History – searching for family § Digeen Vartouhi’s Story § A Smell of Freedom § An End to Optimism § Handing Over § The End of Our Era § Visit to Eastern Turkey/Western Armenia/Anatolia § June § Just a Postscript § Acknowledgements
Preface § A Change of Air § Serop: London § Serop’s Saga and a Cemetery § A Villa in Ramallah § The Wedding § Peckham § The Palestinian Semi-detached § Bir Zeit College - § The Day our Lives Changed § Shopping for War § And an Introduction to War: Yom Kippur § The ‘Ajnabeeyaat’ § Driving Uphill § Shopping and Cooking § Babies: Basics and Kindergarten § Living in the Good Times § Close Quarters Living § Expanding Horizons § Revolution: Holidays! § Holiday Postscript § Culture and Parties § Invasions and Settlers and Confrontations § Intifada! § One foot in London and One Foot in Palestine § The Gulf War th January § Persona Non Grata § Sort of a Peace Deal § Oslo Sellout § Bahran Takvor’s Story § Father’s Background History – searching for family § Digeen Vartouhi’s Story § A Smell of Freedom § An End to Optimism § Handing Over § The End of Our Era § Visit to Eastern Turkey/Western Armenia/Anatolia § June § Just a Postscript § Acknowledgements