In Excuse Me, Is This Yours?, Tuvia Tenenbom returns with his trademark blend of biting humor, blatant irreverence, and piercing curiosity in a bold work of literary journalism.
What begins as a simple invitation to share a pizza with a charming Jerusalem journalist turns into a wild, unforgettable odyssey through the hills and wadis of Biblical Israel, a land known by many names: the West Bank, Judea and Samaria, the Occupied Territories, or simply, “that place.”
As in his previous works, Tenenbom delights in being the outsider-insider: a proud Jew roaming the world in search of friend and foe alike, armed with a suitcase full of questions and, of course, contraband Indonesian cigarettes. The book’s tone is raw, hilarious, and deeply moving. Tenenbom’s affection for his subjects is real. So is his heartbreak over what has become of reasoned discourse, both in the Holy Land and beyond.
Some readers may bristle at the book’s political incorrectness and its refusal to offer tidy conclusions. But that is precisely its strength. Excuse Me, Is This Yours? rejects intellectual laziness. It is a book that dares to offend because it dares to care.
At a time when public discourse is increasingly polarized and predictable, this book stands apart. Urgent, fearless, and sharply observed, it confirms Tuvia Tenenbom as one of the most distinctive and daring voices in contemporary nonfiction.