Discipline
by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up?

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(Paperback)

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Overview

Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 student from a local Islamic college is arrested for protesting a university’s ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer, Ashraf sees an opportunity to exploit his personal connection to the situation for professional redemption. Meanwhile Hannah, who is juggling the demands of new motherhood and family trauma, fights racism in the newsroom. As Israel’s bombardment of Gaza intensifies into the final weeks of Ramadan, Ashraf and Hannah must reckon with their choices, values and places in their communities. Will they be prepared to make sacrifices in the pursuit of what is right?

With a focus on two of today’s most contested fields, academia and the media, Discipline tallies the price we all pay when those with privilege choose to remain silent.

Details

Awards

Reviews

Media

Samah Sabawi

‘An unflinching dive into the fractures of our social fabric. From Sydney to Gaza to Aden, from protest lines to disastrous TV interviews, from political statements to police action, ideological and generational gaps are tested, loyalties eroded and students and religious gatherings are exploited by politicians for their own gain. With razor-sharp insight, this brilliant and captivating novel is a fierce cry for action – a demand to fight for justice in order to safeguard the humanity of generations to come.’

Melissa Lucashenko

‘Blistering and brilliant.’

Tony Birch

‘Randa Abdel-Fattah is a remarkable writer. With humility and care she asks that we do not turn away from the people of Gaza. Discipline is a novel that reminds us that each story is a shared story, demanding our attention. Discipline is an invitation to be in this world together. To do otherwise is to live a life of denial. I am indebted to Randa's generosity.’

Michael Mohammed Ahmad

‘While it may sometimes feel as though its characters are fighting a losing battle, the very existence of this book provides hope: all steps towards freedom and justice always begin with reading. For those who seek to sincerely understand the endless obstacles one must face in the body of an Arab, a Palestinian, a Muslim; Discipline is the place to begin.’

Discipline by Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah

Randa Abdel-Fattah

Randa Abdel-Fattah is an ARC Future Fellow at Macquarie University. Her research areas cover Islamophobia, race, Palestine, the war on terror, youth identities and social movement activism. Dr Abdel-Fattah is also a former lawyer and the award-winning author of twelve books for children and young adults, which have been translated into over thirteen languages. She has won and been shortlisted and longlisted for awards including the Australian Book Industry Award, the Australian Book of The Year Award, the Victorian and NSW premiers’ literary awards, the Stella Prize, the Children’s Book Council Award, Middle East Outreach Council USA and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Her bilingual English and Arabic picture story book 11 Words for Love, illustrated by Maxine Beneba Clarke, was shortlisted for the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Award.