Every Moment Is a Life: Gaza in the Time of Genocide

by Huzama Habayeb, Palestine Writes (Primary Contributor)

Compiled by bestselling author susan abulhawa, an Arabic-English bilingual anthology of essays from eighteen young Palestinian writers trying to survive the genocide in Gaza.

In early 2024, writer and activist susan abulhawa managed to enter Gaza twice using her medical credentials. There, at the Culture and Free Thought Association, susan held a series of workshops for young people who had been displaced to tent encampments. The lives of all participants were marked by unrelenting Israeli violence and extraordinary loss—of home, family, safety, education, electricity, and all the structures of life. They’d fled from place to place as Israel’s colonial violence swirled around them, complete with food and water insecurity and constant threat. Still, despite the bitterness of life in tents and the dangers of travel, they came together to share in the refuge of writing and community.

Samya recounts a tender moment with an old man mending shoes in the street, while her cousin Saja hides books in her closet, hoping they and her home will still be there when she returns. Ghassan is haunted by the baby he rescued from the rubble, who for a time became his son. Fatima risks it all retrieve her clothes from a danger zone buzzing with drones and warplanes. Maram’s loving aunt is gone, and chaos inhabits Amr’s mind. Samah, Lubna, Rizq, and Nebal take us by the hand through raining death, trails of tears, classroom shelters, and shared clothes in crowded tents.

Every Moment Is a Life delivers rare, unfiltered portraits of life in the holocaust of our time, platforming the emerging voices struggling to survive in Gaza today. These essays are raw and real, capturing human moments—buying bread, going to the bathroom, sharing a meal, drinking coffee—all set against the backdrop of history’s first livestreamed genocide. With courage, anger, love, agony, and—impossibly—hope, these achingly tender voices from Gaza will stay with us, captured in these pages, forever.

*All proceeds go to the contributors and to Palestine Writes Literature Festival to be redistributed as aid in Gaza

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Audiobook

224 pages, Paperback

Published February 10, 2026

Reviews

[emma]

free palestine

[Sarah Schulman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Abulhawa, a world-class writer and exemplary literary citizen, has broken through the walls of censorship to bring the voices of Gaza to the English speaking world. In these deeply personal stories, Palestinians tell us what it is like to live through the mass murder and wanton destruction imposed by Israel on Gaza. The writings are detailed, specific in their renderings of the daily cataclysm. From sleeping with strangers, the frailty of tents, the sounds of killing, the fear and then reality of endless loss, from the indignity of over-crowded latrines, to panic of dreams, these writers bravely document their memories, desires, transitions from comfort to deprivation, the importance of a cup of coffee, of a memento of a previous life, of the recollection of a hope. A frontline teacher, Abulhawa makes describing the impossible, doable, and the world is made more intelligent by this massive accomplishment.

[anna]

abulhawa talks in the intro about how she told those young writers to focus on details, on precise feelings, on what their own senses could record. and i wish she didn't, because that just ensured those stories slice through your heart so much harder. it's unbearable. after over two years of watching a live-stream of a genocide, a simple written story can still make you wanna scream.

[Zana · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This was a very quick, yet powerful and heartbreaking read. Some of these essays read like diary or journal entries, some read like short stories, yet all of them are reflections and observations on the writers' past and present lives in Gaza.

This anthology is a notable addition to the body of work by Palestinian writers that are already out there. I didn't realize that the second half of this anthology contains the Arabic translation, so this book is actually a lot shorter than it looks.

I really admire how susan abulhawa champions these Palestinians in Gaza to express themselves in writing in the midst of a genocide. (And risks her life by doing so!) Talk about the power of art! I hope that the act of creation and expression through words were cathartic and healing for all of these writers.

If you're a fan of creative nonfiction, definitely check this out. There are some talented young writers included here.

Here's a list of my favorite essays:

"Coffee by Old Blue" by Muhammad Mu'ammar
"Everyday" by Reema Abu Mousa
"A Trail of Soap" by Diana Islayh
"My Room" by Saja Laham
"The Decision" by Khadija Abu-Lebdeh
"Delirium" by Amrou Al-Najar
"Umbilical Cord" by Maysa Salama

I'll add my favorite quotes from each essay when the book is published.

Thank you to Atria/One Signal Publishers and NetGalley for this arc.

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There won't be any review as all the words in the world and beyond can't describe the horrors and humiliations the Palestinian people have gone through since 1948.
I thought I understood, while watching, sharing and advocating for the Gazaouis, but no, nothing prepared me for when they started telling their daily struggles.
So, read the book, and you'll see the cruelty, brutality, barbarism and savagery of the zionist oppressor, may he rest eternally in the lowest point of hell.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you rate a book like this? Short but harrowing stories from people in the midst of a genocide, they somehow came together to write about their lives while experiencing death and starvation and endless fear at every moment. My heart aches for them, and I’m in awe of their strength.

Order a copy, proceeds go to the contributors in Gaza and to Palestine Writes Literature Festival.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC

[Sofie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Able to enter Gaza a few times because of her medical credentials, Susan Abulhawa held a series of writing workshops in early 2024 with Palestinians who had been displaced to tent encampments because of the ongoing g*nocide. This book is a compilation of the stories those individuals wrote about their experiences with i*raeli colonial violence, and the refuge they shared together in writing and sharing their stories in these workshops.

“Palestinians in Gaza should be given every platform to narrate this extraordinary moment in history, the terrible details of which only they can truly know” - Susan Abulhawa.

As i*rael’s relentless g*nocide against Palestinians continues, we must do everything we can to centre their voices, stories, and more. This anthology serves as a way to amplify Palestinian voices and stories, especially when social media and western news sources do everything they can to shadowban and censor Palestinians and those trying to spread awareness.

The stories compiled in this collection are filled with loss, d*ath, grief, violence, colonialism, hope, love, family, and so much more. They are heartbreaking to read, and with each story I wondered whether the writer was still alive. Because according to Dr. Gideon Polya and Professor Richard Hil (see link in bio for article) the d*ath toll in Gaza between October 7th, 2023, and April 2025, is at least 680 000 Palestinians. Please think about that for a moment, not just the numbers but the idea of reading an anthology and wondering and hoping that the writers are still alive. And then, once you’ve realized the significance of that, tell everyone you know about this, because the d*ath toll continues to rise as i*rael attempts to m*rder an entire population for land, greed, racism, the list goes on.

Each story in this compilation is honest and raw. Ghassan Salam wrote about the care he gave to an unknown baby whose family d*ed, and the connection they fostered with them. Salam named the baby Ma’rouf, which means both “known,” and “a kindness.” Saja Laham reflected on their bedroom, a place of comfort and solitude, that they had to leave behind when they were displaced. And Maram Hammou wrote a heartbreaking story of when they found out their aunt had d*ed when their house was b*mbed by the occupation. These are just three of the many stories included in this anthology.

I’m very grateful to have read these stories, ones that will stay with me forever. Each detail and word felt important, and each story evoked so many emotions for me. This book encourages readers to think more critically about the effects of g*nocide and colonial violence. Palestinians are not numbers in injured and d*ath tolls we see in the news everyday; rather, they are humans, individuals who had/have lives, families, loved ones, aspirations, goals, dreams, etc. It’s unfortunately easy to forget something like this when we’re so far removed from it, when we have privilege, and this book serves as a stark reminder that we mustn’t forget this, that we have to continue to remember our shared humanity.

Every Moment Is a Life is a necessary book for everyone to read. Talk about it, SCREAM about it, because liberation is the only thing that matters.

Thank you One Signal Publishers for the ARC!

[Zach Strassburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short book of narratives by young Palestinians about their experiences during the war in Gaza. I struggled with the editor’s framing of the book—the very first page refers to October 7th as an “indigenous resistance operation” rather than the insane massacre I know. But I don’t agree with the mass bombing of Gaza, and I was grateful to read these narratives about people’s experiences as refugees and struggling through it all. The repeated mentions of coffee were striking—when you have lost almost everything, what makes someone feel they can keep going? Apparently, coffee.
The short narratives are almost all very well written. I was disappointed to realize that the English part of the ebook ends at about 40% of the total pages—the rest is in Arabic.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an extremely powerful book with powerful, firsthand accounts of the genocide in Gaza. Every story moved me deeply and made me cry several times. These writers writing and creating art in the midst of drones and bombs and displacements. I’m holding each one in my heart.

It’s also a short read, but every story will hold your attention! Definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to read about Palestinians real time experience in Gaza and with the IOF. Some of my favorite pieces were Coffee by Old Blue by Muhammad Mu’ammar, Ma’Rouf by Ghassan Salam, and For Gaza to Leave Us Something by Neal Al-Najjar.

Everyone add this to your tbr! It comes out Feb 10th!

CW: war, genocide, violence, bombings, death, injury/injury detail, grief

[Bella and the Bookstack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so Atria Books for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a deeply emotional collection of stories. The writings brought me to tears many times. Each story was detailed and very compelling. They exhibited a range of emotions from grief to love to hope.

It is hard to put into words the importance of this book. It is one that everyone should read.

[Richard Derus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5* of five for existing when so many want it not to

The Publisher Says: Compiled by bestselling author susan abulhawa, an Arabic-English bilingual anthology of essays from eighteen young Palestinian writers trying to survive the genocide in Gaza.

In early 2024, writer and activist susan abulhawa managed to enter Gaza twice through the Rafah crossing. There, at the Culture and Free Thought Association, susan held a series of workshops for young people who had been displaced to tent encampments. The lives of all participants were marked by unrelenting Israeli violence and extraordinary loss—of home, family, safety, education, electricity, and all the structures of life. They’d fled from place to place as Israel’s colonial violence swirled around them, complete with food and water insecurity and constant threat. Still, despite the bitterness of life in tents and the dangers of travel, they came together to share in the refuge of writing and community.

Samya recounts a tender moment with an old man mending shoes in the street, while her cousin Saja hides books in her closet, hoping they and her home will still be there when she returns. Ghassan is haunted by the baby he rescued from the rubble, who for a time became his son. Fatima risks it all retrieve her clothes from a danger zone buzzing with drones and warplanes. Maram’s loving aunt is gone, and chaos inhabits Amr’s mind. Samah, Lubna, Rizq, and Nebal take us by the hand through raining death, trails of tears, classroom shelters, and shared clothes in crowded tents.

Every Moment Is a Life delivers rare, unfiltered portraits of life under genocide, platforming the emerging voices struggling to survive in Gaza today. These essays are raw and real, capturing human moments—buying bread, going to the bathroom, sharing a meal, drinking coffee—all set against the backdrop of history’s first livestreamed ethnic cleansing. With courage, anger, love, agony, and—impossibly—hope, these achingly tender voices from Gaza will stay with us, captured in these pages, forever.

*All proceeds go to the contributors in Gaza and to Palestine Writes Literature Festival

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: The strongly anti-Israel...not anti-semitic, none of this is directed at Jews only at the State of Israel as a political actor...indictment of the genocide in Gaza is going to make a lot of y'all really mad that anyone dares criticize Israel.

There is zero difference between that criticism and the MAGA scum who insist it's un-American to criticize ICE for its brutality.

That is a hill I will plant my flag on. If criticism is not allowed freedom is not present.

The stories, personal ones, told in these essays are deeply affecting. It is the memory-book of a people beinng erased by power structures that simply do not want to accept their existence. I, and I think many of y'all, believe that is immoral. If you don't, then accept that it is explicitly illegal. If that fails to convince you this activity should stop, the course should be reversed, and improvements made in the lives of Palestinians, I think you should be held up to shame and not allowed to forget your complicity in the same crime that gave birth to Israel in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Enough said.

[Mainlinebooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Abulhawa’s Every Moment Is a Life is a searing, uncompromising testament to human suffering and endurance in Gaza in the wake of the Israeli incursion following the October 7 massacre in Israel. Slim in volume yet immense in emotional and moral weight, this collection of essays bears witness to lives shattered by violence, displacement, and relentless loss. It is not a book one reads casually or quickly; rather, it demands pauses, silences, and a willingness to sit with profound discomfort.
Abulhawa curates and presents the voices of Gaza’s survivors with a restraint that heightens their power. These are not abstract political arguments or distant statistics, but intimate accounts of indignities endured, families torn apart, and the daily terror of existence under siege. The language—rendered with care in both English and Arabic—retains a raw immediacy that makes the reader feel less like an observer and more like a witness. The pain expressed in these pages is unvarnished and deeply human, so much so that reading more than a few essays at a time can feel overwhelming.
What makes Every Moment Is a Life especially devastating is its insistence on the individuality of suffering. Each essay affirms that every life lost, every childhood interrupted, every moment stolen by violence carries its own irreplaceable weight. In doing so, the book resists the numbing effect of large-scale tragedy and restores moral clarity: these are not faceless casualties, but people whose inner lives, memories, and hopes matter.
At its core, this work forces readers to confront the enduring truth of humanity’s capacity for cruelty—man’s inhumanity to man—while also illuminating the fragile persistence of dignity amid devastation. There are glimmers of resilience and love threaded through the darkness, but they do not soften the horror; instead, they underscore what is at stake. Abulhawa does not offer easy answers or consolations. The hope that emerges is tentative and hard-won: a hope that bearing witness might itself be an act of resistance, and that acknowledgment may one day give way to justice.
Every Moment Is a Life is a painful, necessary book. It asks much of its readers—empathy, courage, and moral attention—but what it offers in return is profound: a reminder that to look away is to participate in erasure, and that to read, to listen, and to remember is to affirm life itself, even in the darkest of times.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Atria/One Signal Publishers for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

The circumstances that led to an anthology like this existing are inhumane. As a result, editors susan abulhawa and Huzama Habayeb have given us a precious gift.

In the early months of Israel’s latest genocidal war against Palestinians, writer and activist susan abulhawa was able to enter Gaza and deliver several writing workshops to a range of Palestinians, empowering them to express whatever they wanted about what they were feeling and going through. The result is a diverse, raw, and powerful collection of short creative nonfiction essays that give voice to ordinary Palestinians whose experiences are often absent from traditional Western media.

Because some of the contributors have never written before, the quality of the stories told varies, but what’s consistent is the emotion behind them all. They write about moments in their lives that are small in scope, but that increase in magnitude of horror when you realize that this is all happening in the midst of an active genocide.

Leaving a childhood bedroom with all your possessions behind seems like such an ordinary thing, until it hits you that this is no ordinary goodbye, because this could be for forever.

A widow who struggles to part with the wooden bed she shared with her now-deceased beloved; this could be just the typical struggle of someone letting go of their deceased loved ones’ belongings, except that in her situation it’s because her family are asking her to sacrifice her bed to use as kindling to fight off the crippling cold, because there’s no other fuel left.

Two stories stand out the most for me. In “A Trail of Soap,” Diana Islayh’s description of her clutching a handful of dripping dish soap as she debates over how badly she needs to go stand in line for the absolutely filthy sole public toilets remaining in her neighborhood had me abandoning my meal. And in Fatma Asfour’s “Fashionista,” a defiant young Rosa, sheltering in an overcrowded school, risks her life to go back home to retrieve some of her beloved clothes, shoes, and accessories so that she can feel herself again.

EVERY MOMENT IS A LIFE forces you to live through horrific moments and emotions with Palestinians. If anyone can read this and not be moved to tears and empathy, you should probably cut them out of your life. Free Palestine forever.

[Anika (Encyclopedia BritAnika) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series of essays written by Palestinians in Gaza, curated by the author Susan Abulhawa. The essays are short - around 3 pages each- but the vignettes of a life in genocide are so stark and powerful. I found myself highlighting passages of each because I wanted to remember these experiences. The essay of a woman giving birth and packing what hand me downs she could find - no diapers, wrong season clothes (summer in winter) that won’t keep her newborn warm - was heartbreaking as a mother who remembers the joy and excitement of bringing a baby home. I’ve often wondered what happens to all the small children whose entire families are killed, who are too small to even know their name. One essay is by a man who finds such a toddler and cares for him as his own son, only to part with him to an aunt who heard the baby had been found, and then as he sat in terror thinking of his adopted son’s safety away from him. It ends as heartbreakingly as you think.

This collection is short and I think important. These are real people living through a genocide our tax dollars have paid for. We should know what they are living through.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy. Every Moment is a Life comes out Feb 10, 2026.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

¨They will live.
They will dream.
They will love.
They will write.
This is their time --- free Palestinians, born for life and for love¨

A beautiful, raw collection of stories that deserve to be told.

To know that Susan Abulhawa entered Gaza during a genocide to help young people write their stories leaves me speechless. You can read how important this was to Susan, not only in the intro, but in how these stories were put together for us. Some of the stories read like diary entries and that makes it so much more intimate. These young writers let us into their lives, experiences, and thoughts. It is heartbreakingly intimate.

I never know how to truly rate or review books like this. These writers deserve to have their stories read and shared. No one should have to share their worst moments, but that these writers are willing does not go unnoticed. This was another reminder to keep talking about Palestine and to continue to be an advocate for them.

I don't often urge people to purchase a book, but all proceeds to go the contributors in Gaza and to Palestine Writes Literature Festival so please consider doing so.

Thank you to Atria books and Netgalley for the eARC.

[Cozy Sabie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful Anthology, filled with collections of stories from Palestinians that have been experiencing Genocide and sharing their experience. It is stories that will break your heart. It shows how different people are experiencing the same Genocide, how varied their experiences are. It shows Palestinians resilience against the oppression and how some of them are holding on to the things that they love, like Coffee.

In the very beginning, Susan Abulhawa writes an introduction of each of the writers, what she encountered of their will and what made them write their story. I enjoyed reading the introduction to every author before starting their story in English and Arabic.

This Anthology is bilingual, with both Arabic and the translated version in English included and I enjoyed reading both of them, comparing the language and the way it was translated. It was interesting to see the choices of the words, how the message conveyed can be achieved in so many different ways.

Thank you to Susan Abulhawa and the entire team that made this anthology possible. Thank you for carrying the words and stories of Palestinians in the ground, for sharing their words with us and thank you for letting me read an eArc through Netgalley.

[Lulu]

"Every Moment Is a Life" is a devastating and deeply human collection of non-fiction essays that is hard and emotional to read, and also impossible to forget. This anthology from eighteen young Palestinian writers trying to survive the genocide in Gaza focuses on ordinary moments like food, family, memory, fear, and routine, which makes the real, heartbreaking violence surrounding them feel visceral. These are not distant accounts or abstract reflections. They are immediate, personal, and grounded in daily survival. What makes this anthology so powerful is how clear and unfiltered the voices are. Each piece stands on its own, yet together they form a collective record of loss, endurance, and care under extreme conditions. There is grief on every page, but also attention, dignity, and connection. This is not a comfortable book, and it shouldn't be. It asks the reader to listen closely and to sit with stories that demand to be witnessed.

Note: *All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the contributors and to Palestine Writes Literature Festival to be redistributed as aid in Gaza.

[Kera’s Always Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am grateful to all of the contributors of this incredible, heartbreaking, devastating collection of essays. There is so much beauty in these words in a time of so much sorrow and suffering. These little slices of life made me weep, with one particular story coming to mind from a mother named Maysa Salama, called Umbilical Cord, where she depicts walking to a checkpoint, separated from her deaf husband just days after giving birth. She carries her newborn, having no afterbirth care herself, with her three year old tied to her wrist for fear of separation. The utter desperation of having to go on when there is nothing.

Collections like this, words from the mouths of people truly and completely affected by this genocide need to be heard. A quote that has stuck with me from the story Delirium by Amrou Al Najar: “How can the earth carry this much grief? This much sadness, crushing and cursed heaviness?”

I couldn’t recommend this collection of essays more. Forever, free Palestine.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow, some way, a group of Palestinians gathered in the midst of genocide to learn how to write the stories of their real lives.

Each chapter is a story, representing whatever each author wished for us to know. I can't do justice to the content here. I think this is one you just pick up and read yourself. You won't regret it. Also, keep reading past the last story to learn about and see each author.

"One charred fragment escaped the blaze ... It bore just two words, untouched by the fire: 'the living.'"

Note that half of the book is an English translation and the other half is the original Arabic.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Atria/One Signal Publishers | Simon & Schuster for the advance copy.

[Iz · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can one even give rating or review to the experiences of those actively living and existing during a genocide?

This anthology is a reminder that regardless of social media or general media displays, there will be (im)perfect victims, yet nevertheless all stories of Gaza should be shared and heard. The authors who contributed to this anthology hold steadfast to their truths with every page and every word; readers will have no choice but to listen and witness.

Though I was given an ARC, all proceeds from the book go directly to the contributors in Gaza and to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, so I will be purchasing a copy once it is published

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Atria Books/Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC of Every Moment is a Life: Gaza in the time of genocide.

Absolutely essential reading. This incredible collection of essays and short stories will likely be one of the most challenging and heartbreaking things I have ever read, but I am grateful to have done so. The simple fact that this book exists, and can (and will) be read around the world, is a miracle. Shame on the world for allowing this genocide.

I think the story about Ma'Rouf will stick with me forever.

Free Palestine.

[Hannah | Reading Under Covers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It seems perverse and indecent that the color of roses and love should be red."

This collection of essays was beautifully devastating.

It's hard to even find the words to describe a collection of work from writers living through a genocide and who have experienced an incredible amount of loss in such a short amount of time, but these writers all bring a heart-wrenching perspective to what it means to be dehumanized, but not losing their sense of humanity.

[Kaitlyn]

I'm in awe of every single one of the writers in this collection and of Susan Abulhawa who was able to host writing workshops in order to showcase the true importance and power of storytelling admist a genocide. Nothing is more important than giving people the tools that enable and empower them to tell their own stories. This is the greatest act of resistance. An absolute must-read.

The story "Ma'Rouf" by Ghassan Salam quite literally took my breath away.

[Jules]

Received ARC on NetGalley

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredibly moving and heartbreaking set of essays about the situation in Gaza. each of them is heartwrenching and I feel like they fundamentally changed me on some level. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to know what it’s like to live in Palestine? Shut off the news and read this book

[Buddy Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels wrong giving a number rating to this book. Purchase it from your local bookstore. All the proceeds go directly to the writers featured.

Free Palestine/10

[Ji-Won · Rating 5 out of 5]

this should be required reading for everyone