The Palestinian city of Jenin, in the West Bank, is in international headlines after several were killed and dozens injured in an Israel raid. The city is a significant symbol of Palestinian resistance — and it figures heavily in Christa Bruhn's new memoir, Crossing Borders: The Search for Dignity in Palestine. 

The memoir, ten years in the making and published this summer by Little Creek Press, follows Bruhn's journey of curiosity to Jerusalem and Gaza, first forged while studying abroad and later as a mother of three Palestinians. It documents the challenges Palestinians face living in the shadow of the State of Israel, and the deep connection Palestinians have to their homeland that inspires them to keep on living their lives in spite of those challenges.

Christa Bruhn is an author, photographer and culinary artist with a lifelong passion for peace and justice. She has a PhD from UW-Madison in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. She now splits her time between her home in Madison and extended family abroad. She joins host David Ahrens in conversation about her debut book, and what she's learned from her travels.