Laura Schor's biographical study of sophie Halaby is the first book on an Arab woman painter of the latter's generation. Her vigilant and painstaking research conducted over the years brings the pioneering artist from Jerusalem back to life. As the historian leads her reader through a minefield of explosive deprhs crammed with culprits and victims, she forges a way beyond reli- gious or nationalist blinders to reveal the sheer humanity of the artist. In the process, the reader learns what a creative woman experienced during a tragic period in her country's history and how she never ceased striving to capture in her painting what has been eternally beautiful in the city of her forefathers. By restricting her writing to the unfolding of history during the artist's lifetime, Schor grants her readers the space to find their own ways to appreciate how Jerusalem occupied a special place in the heart and mind of the artist.