It's called "Origins," by Amin Maloof. Maloof writes about the Arab
world, and especially his Lebanese forbears, who variously called
themselves Syrians and citizens of the Ottoman Empire.
Maloof points out that identity in the Arab world is ever-changing and
fluid, and that the ancestors of today's Palestinians called
themselves Syrians, while the ancestors of today's Israelis called
themselves Palestinians.
Maloof includes some delightful vignettes, such as the one about a
female family member who let down her hair before going to bed, and
then was abruptly ordered by her father to put her hair back up
because he was "marrying her off."
It probably makes a good beach read, if you have the time and the
inclination to go.
Lisa
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