A review by katnortonwriter
Kingdom of Olives and Ash: Writers Confront the Occupation by Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman

challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

It took me a while to read this book -- the format lends itself to being read here and there, rather than in one sitting. By definition, there are observations that are repeated many time across the essays, as well as specific takes or points of interest that are related to the author's personal focuses, such as sports and hip-hop. Like Joe Sacco's graphic novel, these essays provide an on-the-ground perspective from people who are there to bear witness, including essays by Palestinians, and several by Jews (some of whom are Israeli, some of who are not). The whole project was organized by an Israeli organization of former soldiers called Breaking The Silence, and several of the individual essayists bring nuance to the conversation without trying "both-sides" or justify the occupation. This is the most helpful and comprehensive book I have read on the topic so far.

A disclaimer: the focus is *not* on broad historical contexts, geopolitical nuances, etc. The focus is on the lived experience of people in and adjacent to occupied Palestine. One of the reasons this took me so long to finish was that I was reading other books at the same time.