by Ari Shavit
First published 2018
Renowned journalist Ari Shavit presents Israel caught between impossible realities. The nation exists as a Jewish-Western state surrounded by an Arab-Islamic world that has threatened its existence since founding, while simultaneously serving as an occupying force over the Palestinian people. Shavit documents how Israeli innovation and joy for life clash with a crumbling community, exhausting conflicts, hollow military victories, and declining international reputation. The collective hopeful beginning that followed Holocaust horrors, the shared construction of Eretz Israel, has given way to widespread disillusion and breakdown. Following his Zionist great-grandfather's path, Shavit tells Israel's deeply personal story across the past century and a half, chronicling survival successes alongside guilty tragedy and unmistakable decline.
Genres: history, 20th-century, non-fiction, 21st-century, middle-east, jewish
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, survival
Setting: Israel, Palestine
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
440 pages · Paperback · DEBATE
Content warnings: colonialism, racism