Don’t Ask the Trees for Their Names

In this richly woven tapestry of stories, nine Arab women share their deeply personal journeys of migration to Australia, each reflecting on the legacies of their homelands and the complexities of forging new lives.

In their own voices, they explore the challenges of adaptation, the resilience born from adversity, moments of joy, and the enduring ties to their heritage. With unique perspectives, they examine Australian culture while confronting some of the world’s most pressing political injustices through the lens of lived experience.

A powerful testament to individuality and community, Don’t Ask the Trees for Their Names seeks to dismantle stereotypes in a world that too often simplifies identity. This compelling collection inspires us all to rise above the barriers of sexism and racism, offering an urgent and unapologetic chorus of truth.

Stories by Mariam Maatooq, Loubna Haikal, Mary Hanoun Khilla, Sivine Tabbouch, Hend Saab, Kilda Eid, Camilia Naim, Oula Ghannoum, and Nouha El-Khoury Francis.

Praise for Don’t Ask the Trees for Their Names

‘As warm as a hug and as unsettling as an earth tremor, this is a book that will open minds and break hearts, cause ripples and heal wounds – sometimes all on the same page – written for and by “every woman who has dared to start again”. Deeply wise, profoundly human, Don’t Ask the Trees for Their Names bears witness to the histories and diasporas that contribute to Australia as a place of complex cruelties, grief, trauma, resilience, creativity, intelligence and love: a place the brave and beautiful writers of this superb anthology call home.’

– Clare Wright, award-winning historian, author and broadcaster

‘Don’t Ask the Trees for Their Names is an exquisite tapestry of migration stories by nine remarkable Arab-Australian women who have seen it all and lived to tell the tale in their own words. It blends the sorrows of war and exile with the delights of discovery and self-reinvention; the raw immediacy of lived experience with the wisdom of hindsight. This collection is full of gems, and a timely reminder of how much this land owes to strangers who come bearing gifts from afar.’

– Abbas El-Zein, author of Bullet, Paper, Rock: A Memoir of Words and Wars

‘They say “it takes a village” to raise a child, to have a life. To be in the diaspora is to have the village ruptured. With these stories, these incredible women have created their own village, one we can all visit as needed to learn what we must.’

– Omar Sakr, author of The Nightmare Sequence