First things first, I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
For me, this was one of those reads that I know I will keep with me for the rest of my life. Hundreds of sentences—testimonies, anecdotes, memories— that took my breath away because of the huge emotional charge they convey.
This book taught me about a history I didn’t know, a present that seems that I was half informed and a possible future that will terrify more than one…
Ther is also love for their land, their animals, their loved ones, their children. There is hope among the caos and all that is visible in their writings, in their poems and illustrations.
Unfortunately, it took me longer than I would have liked to read this book and I think that is because, being a collection of different points of view and different topics, in certain parts the emotional balance (so to speak) and/or the pacing of the book felt heavy.
Thanks, again, to everyone involved in the creation and distribution of this book.

Free Palestine.

A heart-wrenching look at the reality of life in Gaza. Every story is unique, with historical context and personal narratives providing plenty of insight for the novice on this subject as well as the expert. While this is an ever evolving situation, these stories provide accounts that are as recent as possible. The insights in this book are vital and this is a must read.

First off I just need to say that I initially saw this book on Verso Books’ Instagram and made a mental note to myself to preorder this, THEN when I saw I could request an arc I leapt at the opportunity (thank you for approving my request!)

This was such a raw, heart shattering, haunting, beautiful collection of stories that presented so many different angles of the same subject: Israel’s genocide of Palestinian people.

Another addition to my personal required reading list and I will 100% be purchasing my own copy.

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Fatima Bhutto delivers a powerful and unflinching look at life in Gaza, weaving personal stories with political insight. Her writing is both lyrical and sharp, giving voice to the everyday resilience of Gazans living under unimaginable pressure. Deeply moving and essential, this book challenges dominant narratives and centers the human cost of conflict with clarity and compassion. A necessary read.

“Gaza: The Story of a Genocide” is a raw and extraordinary collection of voices that the world desperately needs to hear from right now. Palestinians, and people directly affected by the Israeli violence and colonization, share poignant poems, historical narratives, scientific data, and anecdotes on the decades-long Israeli colonization and settler violence in Palestine. These testaments are especially crucial during this time where news about atrocities in Gaza are actively being distorted and suppressed.
Each piece is fierce, incredible, and a call-to-action. Topics range from ecocide, surviving prisons, the purposeful, destruction of hospitals, the significance of BDS, and the importance of Palestinian art and creativity. Bhutto and Faleiro edited and created this compilation with such care, emphasizing just how current this devastation is happening, the continued hypocrisy and complicity of Western governments and corporations,and how the Zionist settler movement is effectively and strategically aiming to destroy every facet of Palestinian identity.
Among these pages is an also theme that is powerfully encapsulated in the afterword: “War is torture, displacement, hunger, death, blood, and fear. War is the opposite of love. But in Gaza, despite being faced with all these horrors for over a year, love surrounds it. Love is what keeps the tiny occupied land from being wiped off the face of the earth. It is choosing to remain even as the most powerful nations try to force you out with their arms and influence.”
Thank you to all the authors who contributed to this generation-defining work.

(Thank you NetGalley for this ARC)

Like most of us, we learn about what is happening in Palestine through the news or social media but this book offers a much deeper insight with Palestinians telling us their own personal stories. I found this deeply moving and upsetting, the horrors that persist, and, have done for decades, by Israel is inhumane. This is genocide and how anyone could even remotely justify the annihilation of the Palestinian people is deluded. It is there in black and white - there is absolutely no rhyme or reason for Israel's continued attacks, except greed.

The book also covers the environmental impact of Israel's endless bombardment - contaminated land and water sources, depletion and destruction of flora and fauna. Reconstruction, if it is ever allowed to take place, will take decades, the effects of this war on the environment is incredibly detrimental, so what does Israel plan to do with land that is not habitable? It goes against their entire aim of claiming it for their own use.

It has only bolstered my stance in standing against Israel and standing with Palestine.

Heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking, but something everyone must read. The victims of, and observers to, a genocide telling their stories in this medium, is so valuable and important, as we come to more than 2 years after an increase of violence against the Palestinian people. Every single person should read this book. Every single one.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in October. Absolutely yes. Such an important work. Through different types of poetry, essays, reporting, art and photography, we get a story from and about Gaza shared from many angles. I recommend it with a passion.

It’s the end of July 2025, and we’re witnessing a genocide that has murdered, displaced, maimed, and broken the Palestinian people. Since 2023, we’ve seen homes, hospitals, schools, places of worship, orchards, and whole neighborhoods raised to the ground, and the ongoing blockade of medical supplies and food. We’ve watched Israeli soldiers film themselves committing crimes against humanity, with seemingly psychopathic glee. Gaza is a living, breathing hell.

Gaza: The Story of a Genocide, edited by Fatima Bhutto and Sonia Faleiro, is a compilation of essays, poems, and art by a people suffering the violent repercussions of Hamas's murder of more than 1,000 Israelis in October 2023. It's also about 75 years of Israeli occupation. More than an appeal for mercy from a merciless world, Gaza is a prayer, a history, a testimony, and a warning. It’s a story that is ready to be told. May we have ears to hear.

Standout pieces include Yara Hawari’s On Settler Colonialism; Mary Turfah’s The Feeds of the IDF Depict What Zionism Can’t See; Mosab Abu Toha’s Unsafe Passage; and Eman Basher’s On Teaching in Gaza. Nina Lakhani’s piece on Ecocide in Palestine and Susan Abulhawa’s Final Earth detail how the bombardment has destroyed nature, livestock, olive groves, orchards and habitats—not to mention migration patterns.

We learn that, despite living in what amounts to open air prisons, Gazans are a highly educated people who value community, family life, gardening, tending orchards and livestock, and creating art, poetry, and music. Their hope in a better future, no matter the recent past and horrific present, shines through. The future for the Palestinian people—especially for thousands of orphans, many of whom are amputees—will be beyond challenging. The way the world responds to the aftermath of this atrocity is a test of where humanity is headed.

Thank you, NetGalley and Verso Books for the ARC. Gaza: The Story of a Genocide is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s incredibly well curated and edited, making it a pleasure to read. This collection will haunt you.

Well. How do you even start a review on this. The raw written ability by every contributor is just incredible. I can’t put into words how many times I had to stop and reflect. What a great book to be published

“Israel’s ferocity is even more intense. They are attempting to teach Palestinians a lesson: Be displaced or die.”

Gaza is a powerful collection of essays focused on the ongoing genocide in Palestine. The essays cover multiple topics such as starvation, displacement, the Israeli prison system, attacks on journalists, ecological devastation, and animal cruelty. But it also addresses the love the Palestinian people have for each other, their culture, and their land. Their hope and determination are as impactful as the horrific details of Israeli brutality.

Although this is a harrowing read, it is a most important one. The genocide in Palestine did not start on October 7th, 2023. The writers take us back in time to 1948, the start of the Nakba, and all the way through to the present again.

I hope this collection reaches as many people as possible. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

An incredibly harrowing and powerful read, by a collection of Palestinian writers touching on a variety of topics relating to the last 2 years of genocide in Gaza.

The essays cover a variety of topics from the environmental impact, starvation, journalism, immigrants experiencing the war from abroad, and others. Each is as important as the next and hammer down to the unique cruelty of Israels attacks on Palestine. While the focus is on the current genocide, history and previous assaults by Israel are frequently brought up and mention facts that we may be unfamiliar with that illustrate how bad things have been in Palestine for a long time.

I'm incredibly honoured to read this ARC before its release and hope that people will be able to learn from this when it's released in October.

A crucial collection of material documenting not only the tragedy of the last 2 years, but also touching on the many decades leading up to it. From Susan Abulhawa's in-depth exploration of the impact on animals and the environment, to Mary Turfah's piece on the grotesque showboating of soldiers on social media, to Pulitzer Prize winning Mosab Abu Toha's harrowing account of his family's departure from their home - including his abduction, and the interspersion of powerful visuals and poetry, this is a varied and high impact collection which should find a place in every home.

An African proverb states: "Until the lion has his own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story."

In an age of such overwhelming propaganda among mainstream media and politicians, books like this are crucial in telling the other side of the story. And even though this book - like the many others before it - probably won't curtail the efforts of the warmongering leaders driving this madness on, it's still an important contribution to the material being produced in one of humanity's darkest periods, documenting what the mainstream media will never fairly portray.

I am simultaneously appreciative and horrified with how in-depth and exhaustive this non-fiction collection is in detailing all of the ways Gaza and Palestine as a whole have been impacted politically, emotionally, medically, financially, and ecologically since not only October 7th 2023, but 1948, too.

This collection includes a mix of academic and anecdotal writing, as well as some poetry and visual media, all focused on the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Each chapter was as informative and harrowing as the last, the pain and helplessness was palpable from many, if not all, of the authors who contributed to this collection. The chapter discussing the murder of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family was so painful and only reinforced, as Mary Turfah aptly labelled it, the pervasive sadism consistently displayed by the IDF. I felt physically sickened multiple times at the actions of the IDF and the Israeli government. The collection does not shy away from details or strong criticism, nor should it.

I am very honoured to have received an e-arc for this book and look forward to it releasing later on this year on October 7th. A distressing but necessary read for all.

This review has been cross-posted to Goodreads.

I was given an ARC of this nonfiction collection of writers, stories, and perspectives and my review is of my own opinions. I’m so grateful to have received a copy as it has changed me forever. Not only for what I learned about Gaza— whether the POV of schools, the OB boycotting we can do to help stop the genocide, the first person accounts of being imprisoned unrightfully, the mass statistics of children killed, or the effect the bombing has on the environment and animal population there, but mostly the reminder that love and hope are what we need every day. The constant reminder of love and hope, and the beauty that resides in Gaza despite the war zone, is such a powerful reminder of what we see in our days: the love we share with others and the hope to see tomorrow with them. One chapter resonated with me a lot as the writer conveyed that those who survive are the “lucky ones” or the “privileged” but he doesn’t feel that way. Those who survive live with the pain and loss, which we also forget to focus on. I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s a tough read, but such a wide perspective on a nation of people and history that isn’t really understood by a lot of the world.

A powerful collection of Palestinian voices in essays, poetry, political cartoons, and various narratives to explain the current state of Palestine. Each contributor has an important message to bring forth to the many issues that Palestine continues to face at the hands of Israel. This expansive collection talks about the reality of the current genocide against Palestine; a starving population, ecological disaster, Israel’s attempts to erase culture, and further analysis of the current state of affairs.
These stories are raw and important to read from the voices of Palestine. The oppressor often writes history – but this is a collection of individuals who refuse to have their stories forgotten. Palestinians are making their voices heard – so read each narrative wholeheartedly!
Keep reading to understand the current affairs as the media attempts dehumanize the Palestinian nation. The barbarism in the western idea of defining borders is what lead the path to colonial conquests that try to eradicate cultures the West deem insignificant.


Thank you Net Galley and Verso books for an advanced digital copy