
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama
A Palestine Story
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Narrated by:
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Peter Ganim
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By:
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Nathan Thrall
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION
A gripping, intimate story of one heartbreaking day in Palestine that reveals lives, loves, enmities, and histories in violent collision
Milad is five years old and excited for his school trip to a theme park on the outskirts of Jerusalem, but tragedy awaits: his bus is involved in a horrific accident. His father, Abed, rushes to the chaotic site, only to find Milad has already been taken away. Abed sets off on a journey to learn Milad's fate, navigating a maze of physical, emotional, and bureaucratic obstacles he must face as a Palestinian.
Interwoven with Abed's odyssey are the stories of Jewish and Palestinian characters whose lives and pasts unexpectedly converge: a kindergarten teacher and a mechanic who rescue children from the burning bus; an Israeli army commander and a Palestinian official who confront the aftermath at the scene of the crash; a settler paramedic; ultra-Orthodox emergency service workers; and two mothers who each hope to claim one severely injured boy.
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama is a deeply immersive, stunningly detailed portrait of life in Israel and Palestine, and an illumination of the reality of one of the most contested places on earth.
©2024 Nathan Thrall (P)2024 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
'Brims over with just the sort of compassion and understanding that is needed at a time like this…when facts have become weapons in this seemingly endless conflict, this is a book that speaks with deep and authentic truth of ordinary lives trapped in the jaws of history.' Observer
'A penetrating, wide-ranging, heart-wrenching exploration of life in Palestine under Israeli occupation. I know of no other writing on Israel & Palestine that reaches this depth of perception & understanding.' (David Shulman)
'A deeply immersive portrait of daily life in Israel and the West Bank.' The Best Books to Understand the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Financial Times
What listeners say about A Day in the Life of Abed Salama
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- Charlie Maguire
- 08-19-24
heartbreaking
what a difficult and sadly depressing event. the absolute oppression which the Palestinians have to endure at the hands of the Israeli Zionists is horrific.
I believe that a day will come when Palestine will be free from the river to the sea.
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