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Gaza: The Story of a Genocide
Leading Palestinian writers confront Israel's brutal colonial legacy and ignite hope in the fight for a free Palestine.
“Genocide destroys cities and claims lives, but it also remakes the psyches of those it spares.”
This collection tells the story of the Gaza genocide through Palestinians’ eyes. Through personal testimonies, expert insights, poetry, and war reportage, leading Palestinian writers powerfully narrate their fight for survival since October 7. From Ahmed Al Naouq’s harrowing account of losing 21 family members to Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaign and Noor O. Alyacoubi’s personal testimony on starving in Gaza to Mariam Barghouti’s exploration of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and Lina Mounzer’s reporting on the destabilizing effects of Israel’s simultaneous bombing of Lebanon, The Story of a Genocide reveals the physical and emotional devastation that Israel’s pulverization has wrought on Palestinians in Gaza.
The book includes illustrations from Joe Sacco and Mona Chalabi, as well as contributions from Mosab Abu Toha, Yara Hawari, Tareq Baconi, Hiba Abu Nada, Ariel Koren, Laila Al-Arian, Mona Chalabi, Mary Turfah, Mariam Barghouti, Nina Lakhani, Noor Alyacoubi, Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan, Shareef Sarhan, Susan Abulhawa, Huda J. Fakhreddine, Eman Basher, Malaka Shweikh, Ahmed Alnaouq, Lina Mounzer, Omar Barghouti, Joe Sacco, Maryam Iqbal, Ahmed Masoud, and Yara Eid.
“Genocide destroys cities and claims lives, but it also remakes the psyches of those it spares.”
This collection tells the story of the Gaza genocide through Palestinians’ eyes. Through personal testimonies, expert insights, poetry, and war reportage, leading Palestinian writers powerfully narrate their fight for survival since October 7. From Ahmed Al Naouq’s harrowing account of losing 21 family members to Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaign and Noor O. Alyacoubi’s personal testimony on starving in Gaza to Mariam Barghouti’s exploration of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and Lina Mounzer’s reporting on the destabilizing effects of Israel’s simultaneous bombing of Lebanon, The Story of a Genocide reveals the physical and emotional devastation that Israel’s pulverization has wrought on Palestinians in Gaza.
The book includes illustrations from Joe Sacco and Mona Chalabi, as well as contributions from Mosab Abu Toha, Yara Hawari, Tareq Baconi, Hiba Abu Nada, Ariel Koren, Laila Al-Arian, Mona Chalabi, Mary Turfah, Mariam Barghouti, Nina Lakhani, Noor Alyacoubi, Dr Tanya Haj-Hassan, Shareef Sarhan, Susan Abulhawa, Huda J. Fakhreddine, Eman Basher, Malaka Shweikh, Ahmed Alnaouq, Lina Mounzer, Omar Barghouti, Joe Sacco, Maryam Iqbal, Ahmed Masoud, and Yara Eid.
304 pages, Paperback
Published October 7, 2025
56 people are currently reading
912 people want to read
About the author
Fatima Bhutto
16 books781 followersFatima Bhutto studied at Columbia University, and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Her work has appeared in The Daily Beast,
New Statesman, and other publications. She was a featured panelist at the 2010
Daily Beast Women in the World Summit, and has been featured on NPRs Morning Edition, CNN, and in the pages of Marie Claire. She currently lives in Karachi.
"
New Statesman, and other publications. She was a featured panelist at the 2010
Daily Beast Women in the World Summit, and has been featured on NPRs Morning Edition, CNN, and in the pages of Marie Claire. She currently lives in Karachi.
"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 21, 2025
Reading this book doesn’t feel like reading, it feels like witnessing. Even halfway through, it leaves a weight on your chest, the kind that doesn’t fade just because you close the page or your access expires. The voices in it aren’t characters or distant headlines; they’re people who speak from the middle of rubble, from hospital corridors, from phone screens as bombs fall in the background. You don’t get to distance yourself, their pain reaches out and sits with you.
What makes it so heavy is how ordinary life and unspeakable horror sit side by side. Someone speaks about their mother’s cooking, another about dreams for university, and then in the next line, that life is gone. It’s not just tragedy, it’s someone’s brother, someone’s child, someone’s last message sent at 3 a.m. And when you read enough of these stories, you start noticing something terrifying: how grief becomes a language, how loss becomes routine.
There’s also a kind of anger that builds up while reading. Not loud anger, but something quieter and sharper, the anger that comes from how the world can watch this happen and still debate whether it counts as suffering. You feel the injustice, the abandonment, the way their humanity is constantly questioned, while they’re still trying to hold onto it themselves.
And yet, in the middle of all this darkness, there are moments that almost break you more than the death does, moments of love. A father digging through rubble with his bare hands, a girl writing poetry by candlelight, someone saving a cat when they barely have food for themselves. It’s painful because it reminds you that these aren’t just victims, they are people who loved deeply, who laughed, who dreamed, and who still, somehow, hope.
Stopping halfway doesn’t mean the book leaves you. The stories don’t let go. They linger, in your conversations, in the silence before you fall asleep, in the guilt of how easily you get to move on. It makes you realise that to read is a privilege, but to remember is a responsibility.
There’s a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Speak
Speak, your lips are free.
Speak, it is your own tongue.
Speak, it is your own body.
Speak, your life is still yours.
See how in the blacksmith's shop
The flame burns wild, the iron glows red;
The locks open their jaws,
And every chain begins to break.
Speak, this brief hour is long enough
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak, 'cause the truth is not dead yet,
Speak, speak, whatever you must speak.
What makes it so heavy is how ordinary life and unspeakable horror sit side by side. Someone speaks about their mother’s cooking, another about dreams for university, and then in the next line, that life is gone. It’s not just tragedy, it’s someone’s brother, someone’s child, someone’s last message sent at 3 a.m. And when you read enough of these stories, you start noticing something terrifying: how grief becomes a language, how loss becomes routine.
There’s also a kind of anger that builds up while reading. Not loud anger, but something quieter and sharper, the anger that comes from how the world can watch this happen and still debate whether it counts as suffering. You feel the injustice, the abandonment, the way their humanity is constantly questioned, while they’re still trying to hold onto it themselves.
And yet, in the middle of all this darkness, there are moments that almost break you more than the death does, moments of love. A father digging through rubble with his bare hands, a girl writing poetry by candlelight, someone saving a cat when they barely have food for themselves. It’s painful because it reminds you that these aren’t just victims, they are people who loved deeply, who laughed, who dreamed, and who still, somehow, hope.
Stopping halfway doesn’t mean the book leaves you. The stories don’t let go. They linger, in your conversations, in the silence before you fall asleep, in the guilt of how easily you get to move on. It makes you realise that to read is a privilege, but to remember is a responsibility.
There’s a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Speak
Speak, your lips are free.
Speak, it is your own tongue.
Speak, it is your own body.
Speak, your life is still yours.
See how in the blacksmith's shop
The flame burns wild, the iron glows red;
The locks open their jaws,
And every chain begins to break.
Speak, this brief hour is long enough
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak, 'cause the truth is not dead yet,
Speak, speak, whatever you must speak.
November 22, 2025
"There is nothing that could prepare a teacher to attend the funeral of her students one after the other. There is nothing that could make you feel defeated than lecturing hope and peace to a group of young ladies and fill them with motivational talk about how they are the next promising change to this falling world and all the world gives them next day is a tent." - Eman Basher
If you know someone who's new to the cause, this is an excellent collection of essays and creative pieces to help them build their knowledge on Palestine.
I love that this is a holistic collection that tackles various subjects such as education in Gaza (via a firsthand account written by a Gazan educator), animal rights in Palestine and Israel, comparative history on genocides, BDS, poetry, creating art in Gaza, etc. There's something for everyone in this anthology, whether you're someone who prefers hard facts, or someone who prefers creative nonfiction. There's even some poetry to round out the collection.
"Palestinian poets are destined to account for a Nakba, remember a Nakba, and continue to predict Nakbas to come. And every time we think that they have exaggerated or gone overboard in their lament, their horror, and their despair of the world, time becomes more unhinged and the occupier more monstrous, proving the Palestinian prophecy true, time and again." - Huda J. Fakhreddine
I'm sure hardline Zionists and Israeli sympathizers will dismiss all of this as pure fiction; this book isn't written for them. But if you're looking for a starting point to educate yourself and others about Palestine's history and the current genocide, then I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book.
'Unless one has earned that right [to despair], one has to channel their grief and rage into more effective organizing, strategizing, coalescing, hoping, acting, building people power to end complicity in one’s sphere of relative influence, for Palestinian liberation and for ensuring that no racialized or vulnerable community is ever again put on the “menu” of imperial powers.' - Omar Barghouti
Thank you to Verso and NetGalley for this arc.
If you have the funds, please donate to some of my friends' fundraisers:
Help Dana and her family leave Gaza.
Help Ahmed and Yasmine survive winter in Gaza.
Help Sondos Mohammed get medical treatment for her father.
October 27, 2025
This collection of essays, stories, experiences, poetry and history covers all aspects of the genocide of Gaza. It’s a devastating and heartbreaking read and difficult to read lots of it at once.
August 19, 2025
an absolutely devastating account of the complete decimation of Palestinian bloodlines, infrastructure, culture, ecosystems, and land. but also a rousing, hopeful account of their unwavering courage, and what we can do to help. free Palestine forever 🇵🇸
June 24, 2025
I was given an ARC of this nonfiction collection of writers, stories, and perspectives and my review is of my own opinions. I’m so grateful to have received a copy as it has changed me forever. Not only for what I learned about Gaza— whether the POV of schools, the OB boycotting we can do to help stop the genocide, the first person accounts of being imprisoned unrightfully, the mass statistics of children killed, or the effect the bombing has on the environment and animal population there, but mostly the reminder that love and hope are what we need every day. The constant reminder of love and hope, and the beauty that resides in Gaza despite the war zone, is such a powerful reminder of what we see in our days: the love we share with others and the hope to see tomorrow with them. One chapter resonated with me a lot as the writer conveyed that those who survive are the “lucky ones” or the “privileged” but he doesn’t feel that way. Those who survive live with the pain and loss, which we also forget to focus on. I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s a tough read, but such a wide perspective on a nation of people and history that isn’t really understood by a lot of the world.
September 30, 2025
Gaza: The Story of a Genocide is a collection of essays, poetry, and art that provides harrowing testimonies of Israel’s assault, destruction, and murder of the Palestinian people, their culture, and way of life. This is a profoundly impactful body of work that moved me to tears multiple times and filled me with rage at the culpability and complicity of world powers. The collection reminds us of the importance of maintaining hope and continuing to fight, educate, and campaign for the rights and lives of Palestinians. What rings throughout this collection is the love that Palestinians have for their land, children, families, homes, and community. It is important, as Yara Eid states, that “the stories of intimacy, eternal love, and compassion” (Eid, 277) are preserved and documented. This is an essential and must-read for everyone. Free Palestine forever.
Thank you NetGalley and Verso Books (US) for this ARC.
Thank you NetGalley and Verso Books (US) for this ARC.
August 17, 2025
This is an extremely powerful, but devastating, read regarding the current genocide in Palestine. To say this is heartbreaking would be an understatement. The horrific violence and torture that the Israelis have committed, not just since October 7th, but also since 1948, is absolutely atrocious. It's full of firsthand accounts from survivors, art, poignant poems, and essays regarding the impact on the environment, the neighboring countries, and the people who have survived. The number of times I had to put this down to ugly cry was wild. I highly and passionately recommend everyone read this book.
July 30, 2025
“Gaza: The Story of a Genocide” is a raw and extraordinary collection of voices that the world desperately needs to hear from right now. Palestinians, and people directly affected by the Israeli violence and colonization, share poignant poems, historical narratives, scientific data, and anecdotes on the decades-long Israeli colonization and settler violence in Palestine. These testaments are especially crucial during this time where news about atrocities in Gaza are actively being distorted and suppressed.
Each piece is fierce, incredible, and a call-to-action. Topics range from ecocide, surviving prisons, the purposeful destruction of hospitals, the significance of BDS, and the importance of Palestinian art and creativity. Bhutto and Faleiro edited and created this compilation with such care, emphasizing just how current this devastation is, the continued hypocrisy and complicity of Western governments and corporations,and how the Zionist settler movement is effectively and strategically aiming to destroy every facet of Palestinian identity.
Among these pages is also a theme that is powerfully encapsulated in the afterword: “War is torture, displacement, hunger, death, blood, and fear. War is the opposite of love. But in Gaza, despite being faced with all these horrors for over a year, love surrounds it. Love is what keeps the tiny occupied land from being wiped off the face of the earth. It is choosing to remain even as the most powerful nations try to force you out with their arms and influence.”
Thank you to all the authors who contributed to this generation-defining work.
(Thank you NetGalley for this ARC)
Each piece is fierce, incredible, and a call-to-action. Topics range from ecocide, surviving prisons, the purposeful destruction of hospitals, the significance of BDS, and the importance of Palestinian art and creativity. Bhutto and Faleiro edited and created this compilation with such care, emphasizing just how current this devastation is, the continued hypocrisy and complicity of Western governments and corporations,and how the Zionist settler movement is effectively and strategically aiming to destroy every facet of Palestinian identity.
Among these pages is also a theme that is powerfully encapsulated in the afterword: “War is torture, displacement, hunger, death, blood, and fear. War is the opposite of love. But in Gaza, despite being faced with all these horrors for over a year, love surrounds it. Love is what keeps the tiny occupied land from being wiped off the face of the earth. It is choosing to remain even as the most powerful nations try to force you out with their arms and influence.”
Thank you to all the authors who contributed to this generation-defining work.
(Thank you NetGalley for this ARC)
November 24, 2025
Very necessary, expansive in scope, and probably the best book I’ve read about the genocide thus far. Also endlessly proud of my best friend for contributing🥺. My favorite chapters are hers, Mosab’s, and Eman’s. Some people were born to write and weave their hearts into every line.
June 27, 2025
I am simultaneously appreciative and horrified with how in-depth and exhaustive this non-fiction collection is in detailing all of the ways Gaza and Palestine as a whole have been impacted politically, emotionally, medically, financially, and ecologically since not only October 7th 2023, but 1948, too.
This collection includes a mix of academic and anecdotal writing, as well as some poetry and visual media, all focused on the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Each chapter was as informative and harrowing as the last, the pain and helplessness was palpable from many, if not all, of the authors who contributed to this collection. The chapter discussing the murder of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family was so painful and only reinforced, as Mary Turfah aptly labelled it, the pervasive sadism consistently displayed by the IDF. I felt physically sickened multiple times at the actions of the IDF and the Israeli government. The collection does not shy away from details or strong criticism, nor should it.
I am very greatful to have received an e-arc for this book and look forward to it releasing later on this year on October 7th. A distressing but necessary read for all.
This collection includes a mix of academic and anecdotal writing, as well as some poetry and visual media, all focused on the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Each chapter was as informative and harrowing as the last, the pain and helplessness was palpable from many, if not all, of the authors who contributed to this collection. The chapter discussing the murder of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family was so painful and only reinforced, as Mary Turfah aptly labelled it, the pervasive sadism consistently displayed by the IDF. I felt physically sickened multiple times at the actions of the IDF and the Israeli government. The collection does not shy away from details or strong criticism, nor should it.
I am very greatful to have received an e-arc for this book and look forward to it releasing later on this year on October 7th. A distressing but necessary read for all.
September 30, 2025
"The world's silence in the face of this genocide is horrifying. My question is not just how Gaza will recover—but how the rest of the world, which allowed this to happen, will ever recover. I don't know if we can."
A powerful initiative from editors Fatima Bhutto and Sonia Faleiro who put together a harrowing but comprehensive collection on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. From deeply personal testimonies, poems, essays, to more academic works, each contributor offers insightful information to help us better understand how this came to happen, why it was allowed to carry on for so long, what the consequences will be for all life forms in Palestine and beyond. Most importantly, it’s a reminder that the victims of this inhuman oppression aren’t just numbers. Each stolen future matters. It’s our duty to not look away. It’s our duty to remember.
Huge thanks to Verso via NetGalley for the ARC!
A powerful initiative from editors Fatima Bhutto and Sonia Faleiro who put together a harrowing but comprehensive collection on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. From deeply personal testimonies, poems, essays, to more academic works, each contributor offers insightful information to help us better understand how this came to happen, why it was allowed to carry on for so long, what the consequences will be for all life forms in Palestine and beyond. Most importantly, it’s a reminder that the victims of this inhuman oppression aren’t just numbers. Each stolen future matters. It’s our duty to not look away. It’s our duty to remember.
Huge thanks to Verso via NetGalley for the ARC!
November 3, 2025
I feel awkward reading things like this. Sometimes it feels like a literal ongoing genocide has been tidied up and trimmed down in order to be able to fit the horrific reality into something digestible for me at home. But "Gaza: The Story of a Genocide" does a really good job at making sure that nothing gets tidied or trimmed for the sake of people who are expecting to be able to sublate reality and store it away as pure Spirit. Every single piece in this collection is worthwhile, and they all give the reader an anchor from which to begin understanding the genocide while making it clear that the atrocity can never be fully known. The book balances reporting, theory and witnesses of horror so that you can see the dismal conditions to which Gaza has been reduced as well as its consequences for neoliberalism and the environment. It does a great job centering Palestinian voices from all sorts of backgrounds as well.
November 23, 2025
As stated in the afterward by Yara Eid, read this to preserve Palestinian stories, so they don't get lost in the news of rebuilding and faux peace plans. If you tune into the latest news or are a person of conscience who dedicated their entire social media feed to following Palestinian journalists during the latest genocidal assault, you'll see carnage and devastation- but the stories contained in this book are even more valuable. Plus, those stories are bookended by a primer on settler colonialism and the BDS and PACBI efforts.
November 4, 2025
تتشابك الحكايات , لكل قصته في أزمنة الخوف والموت المجاني
August 3, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
First things first, I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
For me, this was one of those reads that I know I will keep with me for the rest of my life. Hundreds of sentences—testimonies, anecdotes, memories— that took my breath away because of the huge emotional charge they convey.
This book taught me about a history I didn’t know, a present that seems that I was half informed and a possible future that will terrify more than one…
Ther is also love for their land, their animals, their loved ones, their children. There is hope among the caos and all that is visible in their writings, in their poems and illustrations.
Unfortunately, it took me longer than I would have liked to read this book and I think that is because, being a collection of different points of view and different topics, in certain parts the emotional balance (so to speak) and/or the pacing of the book felt heavy.
Thanks, again, to everyone involved in the creation and distribution of this book.
Free Palestine.
-
Me gustaria agradecer en primer lugar a NetGalley por haberme permitido leer el ARC.
Para mí, esta fue una de esas lecturas que sé que voy a conservar conmigo por el resto de mi vida. Cientos de oraciones —testimonios, anecdotas, recuerdos— que me quitaron el aliento por la gran carga emocional que transmiten.
Me enseñaron sobre una historia que desconocía, un presente del que parece que estaba informada a medias y de un posible futuro que aterrará a más de uno…
También hay amor hacia su tierra, a sus animales, a sus seres queridos, a las infancias. Hay esperanza entre el caos y todo eso es visible en sus letras, en sus poemas e ilustraciones.
Lamentablemente, me tomó más de lo que me hubiera gustado leer este libro y creo que se debe a que, al ser una colección de distintos puntos de vista y de diferentes temas, en ciertas partes el balance emocional (por decirlo de una forma) y/o el ritmo del libro se sentía pesado.
Gracias, de nuevo, a todas las personas involucradas para hacer posible este libro.
Palestina libre.
First things first, I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
For me, this was one of those reads that I know I will keep with me for the rest of my life. Hundreds of sentences—testimonies, anecdotes, memories— that took my breath away because of the huge emotional charge they convey.
This book taught me about a history I didn’t know, a present that seems that I was half informed and a possible future that will terrify more than one…
Ther is also love for their land, their animals, their loved ones, their children. There is hope among the caos and all that is visible in their writings, in their poems and illustrations.
Unfortunately, it took me longer than I would have liked to read this book and I think that is because, being a collection of different points of view and different topics, in certain parts the emotional balance (so to speak) and/or the pacing of the book felt heavy.
Thanks, again, to everyone involved in the creation and distribution of this book.
Free Palestine.
-
Me gustaria agradecer en primer lugar a NetGalley por haberme permitido leer el ARC.
Para mí, esta fue una de esas lecturas que sé que voy a conservar conmigo por el resto de mi vida. Cientos de oraciones —testimonios, anecdotas, recuerdos— que me quitaron el aliento por la gran carga emocional que transmiten.
Me enseñaron sobre una historia que desconocía, un presente del que parece que estaba informada a medias y de un posible futuro que aterrará a más de uno…
También hay amor hacia su tierra, a sus animales, a sus seres queridos, a las infancias. Hay esperanza entre el caos y todo eso es visible en sus letras, en sus poemas e ilustraciones.
Lamentablemente, me tomó más de lo que me hubiera gustado leer este libro y creo que se debe a que, al ser una colección de distintos puntos de vista y de diferentes temas, en ciertas partes el balance emocional (por decirlo de una forma) y/o el ritmo del libro se sentía pesado.
Gracias, de nuevo, a todas las personas involucradas para hacer posible este libro.
Palestina libre.
June 23, 2025
A powerful collection of Palestinian voices in essays, poetry, political cartoons, and various narratives to explain the current state of Palestine. Each contributor has an important message to bring forth to the many issues that Palestine continues to face at the hands of Israel. This expansive collection talks about the reality of the current genocide against Palestine; a starving population, ecological disaster, Israel’s attempts to erase culture, and further analysis of the current state of affairs.
These stories are raw and important to read from the voices of Palestine. The oppressor often writes history – but this is a collection of individuals who refuse to have their stories forgotten. Palestinians are making their voices heard – so read each narrative wholeheartedly!
Keep reading to understand the current affairs as the media attempts dehumanize the Palestinian nation. The barbarism in the western idea of defining borders is what lead the path to colonial conquests that try to eradicate cultures the West deem insignificant.
Thank you Net Galley and Verso books for an advanced digital copy.
Read more reviews and reccomendations on https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com
These stories are raw and important to read from the voices of Palestine. The oppressor often writes history – but this is a collection of individuals who refuse to have their stories forgotten. Palestinians are making their voices heard – so read each narrative wholeheartedly!
Keep reading to understand the current affairs as the media attempts dehumanize the Palestinian nation. The barbarism in the western idea of defining borders is what lead the path to colonial conquests that try to eradicate cultures the West deem insignificant.
Thank you Net Galley and Verso books for an advanced digital copy.
Read more reviews and reccomendations on https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com
July 28, 2025
Like most of us, we learn about what is happening in Palestine through the news or social media but this book offers a much deeper insight with Palestinians telling us their own personal stories. I found this deeply moving and upsetting, the horrors that persist, and, have done for decades, by Israel is inhumane. This is genocide and how anyone could even remotely justify the annihilation of the Palestinian people is deluded. It is there in black and white - there is absolutely no rhyme or reason for Israel's continued attacks, except greed.
The book also covers the environmental impact of Israel's endless bombardment - contaminated land and water sources, depletion and destruction of flora and fauna. Reconstruction, if it is ever allowed to take place, will take decades, the effects of this war on the environment is incredibly detrimental, so what does Israel plan to do with land that is not habitable? It goes against their entire aim of claiming it for their own use.
It has only bolstered my stance in standing against Israel and standing with Palestine.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Verso Books (US) for this ARC.
The book also covers the environmental impact of Israel's endless bombardment - contaminated land and water sources, depletion and destruction of flora and fauna. Reconstruction, if it is ever allowed to take place, will take decades, the effects of this war on the environment is incredibly detrimental, so what does Israel plan to do with land that is not habitable? It goes against their entire aim of claiming it for their own use.
It has only bolstered my stance in standing against Israel and standing with Palestine.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Verso Books (US) for this ARC.
January 10, 2026
Rather than confining itself to a single narrative, this book opens a powerful space of testimony through many voices—journalists, doctors, academics, artists, students, and Palestinians struggling to survive both in Gaza and in exile. What emerges is not merely a book, but a vital record of memory that situates the present catastrophe within a much longer history of displacement, occupation, and settler colonialism, while also making unmistakably clear how unprecedented the current moment is in its scale, speed, and visibility.
What makes this work so striking is its insistence on centering human lives rather than abstract statistics. Grieving parents, doctors working under impossible conditions, communities facing starvation and forced displacement, and writers documenting loss in real time—all ensure that every number is tied to a face, a name, a life. At the same time, the book courageously examines the wider consequences of the assault on Gaza, from environmental devastation and the destruction of public infrastructure to the silence and complicity of international governments and institutions. Perspectives ranging from student-led boycotts to the testimony of writers falsely imprisoned offer an almost comprehensive sense of what it means to live, survive, and hope in Gaza.
This is a difficult and emotionally demanding book, but precisely for that reason, it is necessary. Its power lies in its restraint: there is no exaggeration, only reality drawn directly from lived experience, research, and fact. By doing so, it confronts readers with truths that are too often ignored. It also exposes how silence and complicity deepen suffering, while still honoring the humanity, love, resilience, and dignity of the people of Gaza amid unimaginable darkness. Above all, the book stands as a reminder that Palestinians deserve to live freely, to dream, and to be seen fully as human.
This gem is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand Gaza beyond news headlines. It is invaluable for academics, educators, activists, and reading groups, as well as for all who wish to reflect on what it means to bear witness and take responsibility. This book breaks the heart, opens the eyes, and ultimately calls the reader to action—affirming that even in the darkest times, hope, solidarity, and humanity remain possible.
What makes this work so striking is its insistence on centering human lives rather than abstract statistics. Grieving parents, doctors working under impossible conditions, communities facing starvation and forced displacement, and writers documenting loss in real time—all ensure that every number is tied to a face, a name, a life. At the same time, the book courageously examines the wider consequences of the assault on Gaza, from environmental devastation and the destruction of public infrastructure to the silence and complicity of international governments and institutions. Perspectives ranging from student-led boycotts to the testimony of writers falsely imprisoned offer an almost comprehensive sense of what it means to live, survive, and hope in Gaza.
This is a difficult and emotionally demanding book, but precisely for that reason, it is necessary. Its power lies in its restraint: there is no exaggeration, only reality drawn directly from lived experience, research, and fact. By doing so, it confronts readers with truths that are too often ignored. It also exposes how silence and complicity deepen suffering, while still honoring the humanity, love, resilience, and dignity of the people of Gaza amid unimaginable darkness. Above all, the book stands as a reminder that Palestinians deserve to live freely, to dream, and to be seen fully as human.
This gem is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand Gaza beyond news headlines. It is invaluable for academics, educators, activists, and reading groups, as well as for all who wish to reflect on what it means to bear witness and take responsibility. This book breaks the heart, opens the eyes, and ultimately calls the reader to action—affirming that even in the darkest times, hope, solidarity, and humanity remain possible.
July 25, 2025
It’s the end of July 2025, and we’re witnessing a genocide that has murdered, displaced, maimed, and broken the Palestinian people. Since 2023, we’ve seen homes, hospitals, schools, places of worship, orchards, and whole neighborhoods raised to the ground, and the ongoing blockade of medical supplies and food. We’ve watched Israeli soldiers film themselves committing crimes against humanity, with seemingly psychopathic glee. Gaza is a living, breathing hell.
Gaza: The Story of a Genocide, edited by Fatima Bhutto and Sonia Faleiro, is a compilation of essays, poems, and art by a people suffering the violent repercussions of Hamas's murder of more than 1,000 Israelis in October 2023. It's also about 75 years of Israeli occupation. More than an appeal for mercy from a merciless world, Gaza is a prayer, a history, a testimony, and a warning. It’s a story that is ready to be told. May we have ears to hear.
Standout pieces include Yara Hawari’s On Settler Colonialism; Mary Turfah’s The Feeds of the IDF Depict What Zionism Can’t See; Mosab Abu Toha’s Unsafe Passage; and Eman Basher’s On Teaching in Gaza. Nina Lakhani’s piece on Ecocide in Palestine and Susan Abulhawa’s Final Earth detail how the bombardment has destroyed nature, livestock, olive groves, orchards and habitats—not to mention migration patterns.
We learn that, despite living in what amounts to open air prisons, Gazans are a highly educated people who value community, family life, gardening, tending orchards and livestock, and creating art, poetry, and music. Their hope in a better future, no matter the recent past and horrific present, shines through. The future for the Palestinian people—especially for thousands of orphans, many of whom are amputees—will be beyond challenging. The way the world responds to the aftermath of this atrocity is a test of where humanity is headed.
Thank you, NetGalley and Verso Books for the ARC. Gaza: The Story of a Genocide is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s incredibly well curated and edited, making it a pleasure to read. This collection will haunt you.
Gaza: The Story of a Genocide, edited by Fatima Bhutto and Sonia Faleiro, is a compilation of essays, poems, and art by a people suffering the violent repercussions of Hamas's murder of more than 1,000 Israelis in October 2023. It's also about 75 years of Israeli occupation. More than an appeal for mercy from a merciless world, Gaza is a prayer, a history, a testimony, and a warning. It’s a story that is ready to be told. May we have ears to hear.
Standout pieces include Yara Hawari’s On Settler Colonialism; Mary Turfah’s The Feeds of the IDF Depict What Zionism Can’t See; Mosab Abu Toha’s Unsafe Passage; and Eman Basher’s On Teaching in Gaza. Nina Lakhani’s piece on Ecocide in Palestine and Susan Abulhawa’s Final Earth detail how the bombardment has destroyed nature, livestock, olive groves, orchards and habitats—not to mention migration patterns.
We learn that, despite living in what amounts to open air prisons, Gazans are a highly educated people who value community, family life, gardening, tending orchards and livestock, and creating art, poetry, and music. Their hope in a better future, no matter the recent past and horrific present, shines through. The future for the Palestinian people—especially for thousands of orphans, many of whom are amputees—will be beyond challenging. The way the world responds to the aftermath of this atrocity is a test of where humanity is headed.
Thank you, NetGalley and Verso Books for the ARC. Gaza: The Story of a Genocide is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s incredibly well curated and edited, making it a pleasure to read. This collection will haunt you.
January 18, 2026
For those who have already been bearing witness to what has been happening in Palestine for many years, a lot of the information within this book would likely not be new, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth reading. I made many notes, highlights, and thoughts I would like to return to at a later point within this book. For me in particular, one of the sections that stood out and resonated with me was the one done by susan abulhawa. I think a key point brought up in her piece, and I believe that is not regularly recognized and spoken on enough, is how extreme, in this era of colonialism we exist in, the negative impact of separating ourselves as human beings from all other life and the Earth itself truly is. The kinds of harm that this separation brings to the Earth and to ourselves as humanity is a particular area I personally have been trying to investigate over the past year or so, and would like to investigate more. The way in which we as individual human beings have been so extensively alienated from our Earth and her life forms, in my view, causes degrees of spiritual, physical, and mental harm that we cannot yet understand. This alienation is continuously maintained and even exacerbated by the colonial mentality, by those who choose to live by a "might makes right" mentality, and the insatiable desire for ever more wealth and power by subjugating and oppressing others, no matter the cost to human life, no matter the cost to all life.
Overall, I loved the pacing and organization, with it going through various pieces, articles, and works of various people. Also, I find that this would be a good book (among many others) to share and talk about with others who want to learn more and are looking for a good place to start.
Overall, I loved the pacing and organization, with it going through various pieces, articles, and works of various people. Also, I find that this would be a good book (among many others) to share and talk about with others who want to learn more and are looking for a good place to start.
July 2, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for making an ARC available through Netgalley.
A crucial collection of material documenting not only the tragedy of the last 2 years, but also touching on the many decades leading up to it. From Susan Abulhawa's in-depth exploration of the impact on animals and the environment, to Mary Turfah's piece on the grotesque showboating of soldiers on social media, to Pulitzer Prize winning Mosab Abu Toha's harrowing account of his family's departure from their home - including his abduction, and the interspersion of powerful visuals and poetry, this is a varied and high impact collection which should find a place in every home.
An African proverb states: "Until the lion has his own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story."
In an age of such overwhelming propaganda among mainstream media and politicians, books like this are crucial in telling the other side of the story. And even though this book - like the many others before it - probably won't curtail the efforts of the warmongering leaders driving this madness on, it's still an important contribution to the material being produced in one of humanity's darkest periods, documenting what the mainstream media will never fairly portray.
A crucial collection of material documenting not only the tragedy of the last 2 years, but also touching on the many decades leading up to it. From Susan Abulhawa's in-depth exploration of the impact on animals and the environment, to Mary Turfah's piece on the grotesque showboating of soldiers on social media, to Pulitzer Prize winning Mosab Abu Toha's harrowing account of his family's departure from their home - including his abduction, and the interspersion of powerful visuals and poetry, this is a varied and high impact collection which should find a place in every home.
An African proverb states: "Until the lion has his own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story."
In an age of such overwhelming propaganda among mainstream media and politicians, books like this are crucial in telling the other side of the story. And even though this book - like the many others before it - probably won't curtail the efforts of the warmongering leaders driving this madness on, it's still an important contribution to the material being produced in one of humanity's darkest periods, documenting what the mainstream media will never fairly portray.
October 5, 2025
"Gaza: The Story of a Genocide" is a collection of personal testimonies, poetry, art, and frontline reportage of the genocide in Gaza - told by Palestinians.
What about if Anne Frank's diary entries were published while she was still alive? Would that have made a difference? Would the world have awakened to what was happening and done something different?
That's the concept behind this book, making it so powerful yet devastating and heartbreaking.
I read it in less than a day. No matter how hard it was to read about such atrocities, no matter how I was on the verge of tears (even in public places), I just couldn't put it down. I needed to learn more.
Yes, it's a heartbreaking book. Yes, it will make you feel angry. Yes, you'll feel tiny and hopeless. But that's what makes this a mandatory read.
I am grateful to Fatima Bhutto and Sonia Faleiro for taking on this project and putting these stories together.
Thank you, @NetGalley and Verso Books, for the chance to read this book before its release date in exchange for an honest review.
"Gaza: The Story of a Genocide" will be released on October 7th, 2025.
All royalties will be donated directly to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
What about if Anne Frank's diary entries were published while she was still alive? Would that have made a difference? Would the world have awakened to what was happening and done something different?
That's the concept behind this book, making it so powerful yet devastating and heartbreaking.
I read it in less than a day. No matter how hard it was to read about such atrocities, no matter how I was on the verge of tears (even in public places), I just couldn't put it down. I needed to learn more.
Yes, it's a heartbreaking book. Yes, it will make you feel angry. Yes, you'll feel tiny and hopeless. But that's what makes this a mandatory read.
I am grateful to Fatima Bhutto and Sonia Faleiro for taking on this project and putting these stories together.
Thank you, @NetGalley and Verso Books, for the chance to read this book before its release date in exchange for an honest review.
"Gaza: The Story of a Genocide" will be released on October 7th, 2025.
All royalties will be donated directly to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
February 5, 2026
Author is sympathetic to Hamas if not in outright direct support of this terrorist organisation. The book is a low resolution op ed, probably funded by some Qatari organisation.
It doesn’t stand up compared to books such as the fall of Yugoslavia by Misha Glenny (a similar type of story) nor ‘a concise history of Serbia’. I’m certain this book is a cash grab. It had nothing on books within its class about social conflicts.
This book tries to justify one particular side (attempting to make Hamas’s October 7 more tolerable to the reader) and to demonise the other
A real book about conflict and genocide (like one you might find about the breakup of Yugoslav and the 90’s conflicts) will simply try to tell you all of the how’s and why’s, and will tell you all the arguments of justification against this and that, but it won’t try to convince you one particular side.
Gaza book author started off with one premise: accuse Israel of genocide. everything written in the book could not conflict with this. So it’s not exactly an exploration of your how’s why’s and justifications of what went on in Gaza. It reads very much like propaganda, true or false as the propaganda might be being irrelevant from the review, its propaganda.
It doesn’t stand up compared to books such as the fall of Yugoslavia by Misha Glenny (a similar type of story) nor ‘a concise history of Serbia’. I’m certain this book is a cash grab. It had nothing on books within its class about social conflicts.
This book tries to justify one particular side (attempting to make Hamas’s October 7 more tolerable to the reader) and to demonise the other
A real book about conflict and genocide (like one you might find about the breakup of Yugoslav and the 90’s conflicts) will simply try to tell you all of the how’s and why’s, and will tell you all the arguments of justification against this and that, but it won’t try to convince you one particular side.
Gaza book author started off with one premise: accuse Israel of genocide. everything written in the book could not conflict with this. So it’s not exactly an exploration of your how’s why’s and justifications of what went on in Gaza. It reads very much like propaganda, true or false as the propaganda might be being irrelevant from the review, its propaganda.
October 6, 2025
This is an incredibly powerful collection of Palestinian voices, both of those stuck in an active genocide and those stick in diaspora and watching from afar. The only problem with this collection is the problem inherent to any book written about events still unfolding– every person is writing of events as of at least a year ago and the current picture is so much worse.
Gaza: The Story of A Genocide tells not only stories of those living, loving, and dying under the latest Israeli actions but also gives historical information going back to at least the Nakba and official establishment of Medinat Israel, the modern political state.
This is a book that it feels wrong to give a star rating to given everything but I still cannot recommend it enough to folks wanting to learn more about Palestinians, Palestine, and the apartheid state.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy!
Gaza: The Story of A Genocide tells not only stories of those living, loving, and dying under the latest Israeli actions but also gives historical information going back to at least the Nakba and official establishment of Medinat Israel, the modern political state.
This is a book that it feels wrong to give a star rating to given everything but I still cannot recommend it enough to folks wanting to learn more about Palestinians, Palestine, and the apartheid state.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy!
February 6, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Including more academic discussions on the genocide in Gaza and its repercussions both inside Palestine and more globally, as well as deeply emotional stories of survivors and people related to Gaza and Palestine in various ways, this collection works to raise awareness of the devastation that accompanies the ongoing genocide. It is deeply emotional and every chapter raises a new, important perspective, drawing the reader in and making them hear the voices of Gaza, voices that, despite the global movement for Palestine, are not necessarily always given space in the discourse, which this collection does its part in rectifying. An important read on Palestine and pro-Palestinian activism.
Including more academic discussions on the genocide in Gaza and its repercussions both inside Palestine and more globally, as well as deeply emotional stories of survivors and people related to Gaza and Palestine in various ways, this collection works to raise awareness of the devastation that accompanies the ongoing genocide. It is deeply emotional and every chapter raises a new, important perspective, drawing the reader in and making them hear the voices of Gaza, voices that, despite the global movement for Palestine, are not necessarily always given space in the discourse, which this collection does its part in rectifying. An important read on Palestine and pro-Palestinian activism.
October 9, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
‘What is unfolding in Palestine is not an isolated event but part of a broader, global history of violent, dispossessive tactics aimed at eliminating Indigenous peoples and solidifying settler control over land.’
‘Palestinian poets are destined to account for a Nakba, remember a Nakba, and continue to predict Nakbas to come.
And every time we think that they have exaggerated or gone overboard in their lament, their horror, and their despair of the world, time becomes more unhinged and the occupier more monstrous, proving the Palestinian prophecy true, time and again.’
‘Our commitment to humanity is on trial. And, right now, we are failing.’
‘What is unfolding in Palestine is not an isolated event but part of a broader, global history of violent, dispossessive tactics aimed at eliminating Indigenous peoples and solidifying settler control over land.’
‘Palestinian poets are destined to account for a Nakba, remember a Nakba, and continue to predict Nakbas to come.
And every time we think that they have exaggerated or gone overboard in their lament, their horror, and their despair of the world, time becomes more unhinged and the occupier more monstrous, proving the Palestinian prophecy true, time and again.’
‘Our commitment to humanity is on trial. And, right now, we are failing.’
July 31, 2025
First off I just need to say that I initially saw this book on Verso Books’ Instagram and made a mental note to myself to preorder this, THEN when I saw I could request an arc I leapt at the opportunity (thank you for approving my request!)
This was such a raw, heart shattering, haunting, beautiful collection of stories that presented so many different angles of the same subject: Israel’s genocide of Palestinian people.
Another addition to my personal required reading list and I will 100% be purchasing my own copy.
🇵🇸 🇵🇸 🇵🇸
This was such a raw, heart shattering, haunting, beautiful collection of stories that presented so many different angles of the same subject: Israel’s genocide of Palestinian people.
Another addition to my personal required reading list and I will 100% be purchasing my own copy.
🇵🇸 🇵🇸 🇵🇸
October 18, 2025
Gaza: The Story of a Genocide is a searing, essential, and deeply human collection that demands to be read. Through personal testimonies, poetry, art, and frontline reporting, this book gives voice to Palestinians living through unimaginable loss and enduring strength.
It’s not an easy read, nor should it be. The writing is urgent, raw, and full of truth that cuts straight to the heart. A vital testament of our time, and one that should be on everyone’s reading list.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
It’s not an easy read, nor should it be. The writing is urgent, raw, and full of truth that cuts straight to the heart. A vital testament of our time, and one that should be on everyone’s reading list.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
September 11, 2025
An astounding and horrifying collection of perspectives on the genocide occurring in Palestine. There were many moments when I had no choice but to put the book down and stop reading, for these realities are so cruel, so barbaric. But every time I picked it back up, knowing that to look away is complicity.
No one is free until we are all free.
No one is free until we are all free.
October 26, 2025
thank you to @versobooks and @netgalley for the review copy!
i mean what do i even need to say about this collection? of course you should read it. these are all extremely beautiful, vulnerable pieces of writing from those living through the genocide, through many different perspectives and areas of focus. and an overarching theme of resistance and courage
i mean what do i even need to say about this collection? of course you should read it. these are all extremely beautiful, vulnerable pieces of writing from those living through the genocide, through many different perspectives and areas of focus. and an overarching theme of resistance and courage
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