The Wire-Walker - Paperback

by James Janko (Author)

In the Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus, Palestine, sixteen-year-old Amal Tuqan finds her escape in tightrope walking. Living in an alley so narrow that " the walls hold their breath," she practices tirelessly on thin wires and slippery rebar. Her extraordinary talent leads her to Tel Aviv in the summer of 2019, where she joins The Flying Kids, a circus that brings together Israeli and Palestinian children. There, she forms a deep friendship with Tali Glazman, a Jewish Israeli juggler, and they discover they share a painful bond: both have lost their fathers to violence. As their friendship defies the deep-seated animosities that divide them, The Wire-Walker reveals more than just a tale of friendship; it is a raw and powerful commentary on the daily struggles faced by Amal and her community in the occupied West Bank. Set against the backdrop of 2019-2020, this poignant tale serves as a prequel to the struggles that have unfolded since, highlighting the enduring spirit of youth amidst conflict.

Author Biography

James Janko is the author of three award-winning novels. He learned to write on Alcatraz Island National Park where he worked alone as a nightwatchman for more than thirteen years (1979-1992). He read N. Scott Momaday, Maxine Hong Kingston, James Baldwin, Louise Erdrich, Walt Whitman, Garcí a Lorca, Grace Paley, Herman Melville, Annie Dillard, Michael Ondaatje, and many others. Over the years, word by word, Janko fell in love with language and learned to write.