A review by eowyns_helmet
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy by Nathan Thrall

5.0

One of the best books I read this year and certainly one of the best on Israel Palestine. I love the approach Thrall took, to use the real, complicated lives of people to unpack a single tragedy. At first glance, the bus accident at the center of the book looks completely apolitical. A reckless truck driver went too fast on the wrong side of the road on a rainy day and collided with a schoolbus filled with Palestinian kindergartners on a fun field trip in the West Bank. Relentlessly, Thrall shows how the Israeli occupation, Palestinian politics, international involvement, and a tightly knit and at the same time shattered culture contributed to the devastating events. Highly recommend.