It’s always hard to review poetry collections, but I found it particularly difficult given the circumstances under which these poems were written. In a better world, these poems would have never been written.

Letters from Gaza calls us to bear witness to the testimonies of those experiencing the horrors of genocide. This collection of poems, monologues, and essays, offers readers a glimpse into life of Palestinians. These writings are an act of resistance and it is my hope that this book reaches everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Really emotional and I empathize with what's going on. All the letters tells a story and we must not stop talking about them.

This was a profoundly meaningful reflection on the direct, everyday consequences of war. Hearing directly from writers, artists, and activists in Gaza about how they are trying to process the horrors they experience was unlike anything I have ever read before. This has the potential to become a modern classic and will serve as a window into life in a warzone.

Letters from Gaza is a collection of writing from after October 2023 from writers in Gaza. They range from early 20s young people to older seasoned writers. Each writing ends with a bit about each writer and where they are now. The way I read each of those with absolute unease hopping they were alive. Some were not. Some can no longer be reached and we hope they are ok.

It feels like everyone has forgotten the people of Gaza but I will not. I will stand witness to their testimony. Free Palestine.

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the review copy. Letters from Gaza is available now.

This was a beautiful collection of short stories, essays, and poems the illustrate the horrible suffering of the people in Gaza. People’s testimony is one of the most powerful tools they have, and I believe this is a touching testimony to the pain of their experiences and the depth of their resiliency. This is such a painful part of history to witness, but witness it we must. It is hard to even conceptualize such loss, the loss of cities and culture, the loss of families and homes, and most notably the loss of life and humanity. It is hard to imagine how the people will overcome such staggering losses, and the world is so much darker for this suffering. Very important piece of literature that Illuminates such a dark part of history, and it is all of our responsibilities to pay attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This anthology is a collection of poems and short pieces from Palestinian writers living in Gaza. It is a bleak, challenging read that still somehow manages to have hope for a better future. I think that the poetry in this is the best of it. Heartfelt, devastating, terse in the best way. This book is also a testament to translation; the translators did a great job keeping the original sentiment and beauty in translation.

Thankyou NetGalley and Penguin Random House SEA for the book.
I wish this book didn't exist, there's nothing beautiful about grieving basic necessities.
They're all just simple people like you and me, stuck under oppression, their lives stripped apart from them.
There's nothing to romanticize about when one loses their loves ones, hopes and dreams to a gen0cide. This book is going to hurt, it took me weeks to finish this book, and then it felt very heavy in my heart. This book doesn't leave you, ever.
Must Read.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. This is an extremely important book about the genocide in Gaza. Many voices tell their stories, experiences and their emotions in an unfiltered way. You don't just learn more about the genocide but also about who Gaza was before, how alive the land was. I cannot recommend this enough.

I find it really difficult to put into words what I read. Just as I had expected, this was an extremely difficult read for me, leaving me more broken than ever and making me feel terrible because what I feel is just a fraction of what the average Palestinian is currently going through.

The most terrifying part for me was the realization that every single thing I read was a real life account of someone's life and not fiction. I couldn't even try to convince myself that it's not real, that it's just words on paper, because that's not true. Every event mentioned in here is real and every single person's suffering laid out in the open is real. The fact that the world has chosen to turn a blind eye is also real and it is something that should enrage us all.

Everyone should read this book and understand the Palestinian experience from a Palestinian perspective. These are real people fighting for their lives—for their survival—in real time. No one should ever have to go through this and nothing can justify the gravity of their suffering.

Free Palestine 🇵🇸 from the river to the sea.

"I am searching for the meaning of our lives - of live - in war. Nothing has any meaning except imagining what will happen to us and our bodies when the bombs fall." Beesan Nateel

Raw. Intimate. Angry. Sad. Little bit of hope. Disillusionment. Devastation.
You encounter many emotions from your side and from writers'. But this book is one of the most important books right now, especially when general public is starting to be disassociated (again). Tragedy of war (not only war - invasion, onslaught) cannot be forgotten. Victims cannot be forgotten. And this book shows you beautiful writing of authors, who were or still are in displacement camps in southern Gaza, forcefully left their homes.

"Tonight, I will fall asleep telling myself that the noise outside is fireworks, a celebration and nothing more." Ahmed Mortaja

I felt that this book was powerful, and incredibly impactful. Especially given the current geo-political impact that the Israel and Palestine conflict is enacting upon the world. This is important for anyone to read who think that the actions being taken are acceptable in any way. Thank you for allowing me to read the arc.

A flooring, moving and devastating collection of "letters" from Gaza, mainly in the form of poetry and short stories.

Of course, the writing is technically stronger in some than others. But this is hardly worth mentioning when every single entry is an incredibly brave and honest expression of what it means to live in Gaza right now.

This collection easily brought me to tears on many occasions but also managed to bring a few bittersweet smiles as well.

It was difficult of course but also ultimately a huge privilege to be able to bear witness to these stories filled with humanity from all angles.

I know this collection has the power to bring change, I hope it is read and appreciated widely. There is so much wisdom within.
Finishing this just after the anniversary of the 1948 Nakba felt particularly poignant and the voices of the contributors will stay with me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

"I ask you to share our story, to spread the word about the ongoing devastation in Gaza. Let the world know that we are still here, still fighting, still in need of your voices and your support."
- Mahmoud Alshaer

This book broke my heart. I couldn't count how many times I cried. Each and every short story and poem in this book were heart wrecking. And you know what the worst is? The genocide in Gaza is still going on and in its worst form possible.
May 15th is Nakba Day, and reading this book in 2025, where Nakba has repeated, got me no words.
The resilience of Palestinians, especially Gazans, has no match. This book proved it. How amid the horrors of genocide, they still created arts. Arts in thinking through their words.
This book might be surrounded by sadness and frustration, but along the line, I also could see the hope. Even the smallest of hope could move the impossibleness. Ergo, I hope someday, in the nearest future, we could see the free Palestine. Where the olive trees grows proudly and the people sing their best songs and recite their poem beautifully.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Penguin Random House SEA, and the authors for the copy of this amazing book.

Letters from Gaza is a powerful collection of poems, letters, essays and monologues straight from the proverbial "mouth" and hearts of the people in Gaza. A raw and emotional mosaic of human experiences and accounts of life under siege.

Whilst the writing styles and prose vary widely from person to person, each piece of work is vulnerable and portrays the author's emotion, suffering and pain for everyone to see.

I find books like these so difficult to review, especially when learning that some of the authors that contributed to this collection are no longer alive to hear their voices heard. I wish this book didn't have to exist but it does and it is crucial.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It’s one thing to read fiction and feel empathy for the characters, but its a whole other level when you’re reading non-fiction and are aware that what you’re reading is real - it happened, it is happening - and its soul-crushing.

Letters from Gaza is a collection of poems, letters, and monologues straight from Gazans. Reading firsthand accounts of the war is no easy feat - what more if you experience it yourself. Through these accounts we read about their stories, worries, and hopes.

The book’s contributors, translators, and compilers took great pains in penning these works and getting it to its published form. Now it’s our turn as readers to do our part in spreading the word - create conversations - making known to the rest of the world what’s currently happening and hopefully, spark the drive to push for justice #FreePalestine

Letter From Gaza is a collection of testimonials and poems written by people in Gaza, who are facing genocide.

All the stories and poems are different in their own way and heart-wrenching too. It is impossible for us to imagine what people in Gaza are going through but I do want their stories to spread world wide and for the rest of the world to speak up against the killings and murders of children, women and men.

I will never get over reading short stories, poems, lived experiences about a genocide and its effects while the genocide is happening.
Not easy to read about, and yet, such an important read. A beautiful and haunting collection of words. A reminder than Gaza will never be forgotten, that its people are the most resilient, that people will continue to fight for its freedom, that Palestinians are human beings with thoughts, feelings, capabilities, and do not need to be fighting for their right to a correct life.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

"How do I banish the sound of explosions from my head? The bodies, the blood, the stench of death everywhere? How do I wipe all this devastation from my memory? The planes have crushed our souls, and the tanks' chains trampled our hearts. There is no corner of the memory where this war didn't punch a hole."

This book is a collection of stories written by the people living in Gaza during the ongoing genocide.

Each story is unfiltered and personal, making us witness the events through their writing. It is impossible to finish the book without a hollowed feeling in the chest from all the destruction that the world is turning its eyes from.

The letters have unique narrative styles. Some are written in the form of a poem, others are like a diary entry, and reading something so raw that doesn’t stray away from showing daily life in the most horrible of situations is something that made these stories have an everlasting impact on me.

I struggled to finish the book countless times simply because it was more and more difficult going back to my life after reading about the pain and suffering so many are experiencing.

I hope this book reaches a lot of people, to hear the Palestinian voices, and learn about the world we live in.

This book isn’t a book you can read through quickly, it’s not a book that’s a holiday read by the beach. It’s a book that is truly harrowing, haunting and above all, an unfortunate reality for so many innocent souls that we are fortunate enough to only experience through their writing.

It doesn’t feel right to give this book an official rating. It’s a dark time that still continues for all the writers that made this book.

You catch yourself so absorbed in their writing and then it dawns on you that this isn’t a work of fiction.

It’s heartbreaking, awful and a book that needs to be read across the world.

Some parts that stuck with me:

Yet this is not a book about war. It is a book about human souls that strive to avoid being hunted down by war.

These texts do not aspire to anything but to be letters of life, to show the reader how a human can be stronger than any killing machine if he insists on his humanity, and how we can be better when we think of life in the moment that death is trying to catch us.

What, then, could it do to a human being simply trying to survive?

The treacherous feeling is back, Youssef. The treason of living without you.

Poignant, heart-breaking and so very necessary. Reading all these first hand accounts was truly life-changing and really makes more heartbroken for so many people who are in a situation so horrific.