Welcome to Litsy!

I didn't realize until I had finished this book that this was a nonfiction telling of a real tragic bus accident, and Abed is a Palestinian who opened himself up to Thrall, trusting him with his story. This is a great book to read for anyone who wonders about the area before October 2023. Thrall does and amazing job weaving Abed's story, the current (pre-October 2023 as this was published right before) and recent 30ish years of history.

Devastating, searing, deeply urgent reading. Written with a moral and political clarity that is utterly and absolutely necessary for this present moment. Structured in such a way as to break your heart because it brings the reader close to the texture of everyday life for Palestinians under occupation and leads up to the inevitable aftermath that, as is clear from the title, is a tragedy. I wish this wasn't our world.

This books takes the story of a horrific fatal school bus crash in the West Bank to illustrate the reality of life for Palestinians living in the area. It‘s a tragic, harrowing story that deeply respects the people it follows. Thrall is a Jewish-American living in Jerusalem, which for me lends more weight to the book. Essential reading.

Just absolutely heart wrenching 💔 I did learn a lot of detail about day to day life, I didn‘t come away with a lot of hope though.

A bus of Palestinian kindergartens flips, and what ensues is a tragedy. Thrall expertly recounts this event through the generations of families, history, locations, maps, and policies. Well written, informative and heart breaking, this was an excellent “How did we get here?” book. It doesn‘t explain everything, but it added layers to a deeply complex situation.