First published 2025
Plestia Alaqad transforms from recent university graduate with journalism dreams into a globally recognized voice documenting Gaza's reality. Her diary captures the weeks following October 7, 2023, when bombardments and Israeli strikes forever changed her homeland. Alaqad chronicles her movement between neighborhoods and hospitals, recording the destruction of homes and the relentless bombing campaigns. She documents the courage and kindness of Palestinians around her while trying to memorize faces so their existence will be remembered. Moving through the rubble-filled landscape, she wonders if her own journal might someday be found among the debris. This North American edition includes exclusive photographs and an afterword. The diary entries reveal both the devastation of war and the unbreakable spirit of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Alaqad's firsthand account offers readers intimate access to Palestinian experiences during this pivotal moment, celebrating Gaza's resilience while bearing witness to its suffering.
Genres: autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century, journalism, current-affairs, diary
Vibes: emotionally-raw, harrowing, intimate, resilient, thought-provoking, witness-bearing
Tropes: diary-format, first-person-narrative, survival-story, witness-testimony
Setting: Gaza, Palestine, North America
Period: October 7, 2023, 21st century
224 pages · Paperback · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, war