A Day in the Life of Abed Salama cover art

A Day in the Life of Abed Salama

A Palestine Story

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A Day in the Life of Abed Salama

By: Nathan Thrall
Narrated by: Peter Ganim
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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 Audio Israel & Palestine Middle East Politics & Government World

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
All stars
Most relevant  
Books like this make us pause and think. I am grateful for Nathan’s objective description of how lives of Palestinian people are daily affected by oppression, absurdity,indifference and neglect coming from Israeli governments over the years. The resemblance with Solzhenicyn’s book and his descriptions of life in gulag cannot be denied. I assume that is why the author chose the name for this book. It is very sad this sort of control over other nation is allowed to go on which in turn leads to conflicts, aggression and senseless loss of lives.
I listened to the book keenly from the beginning to the end being absorbed by the complexities of one’s life in todays Palestine and I wish everyone a better future. Milad’s memory will go on forever through this book and hopefully help his family heal somewhat and lessen the pain of losing a child.

One day..

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