Kingdom of Olives and Ash: Writers Confront the Occupation

Published to coincide the with 50th anniversary of the Israel occupation of the West Bank, an anthology that explores the human cost of the conflict there as witnessed by such notable writers as Colum McCann, Colm Toibin, Dave Eggers, Madeleine Thien, Eimear McBride, Taiye Selasi and editors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman.
Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, this anthology explores the human cost of the conflict as witnessed by such notable writers as Colum McCann, Colm Toibin, Dave Eggers, Geraldine Brooks, Jacqueline Woodson, Mario Vargas Llosa, and, of course, editors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman—in collaboration with Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence.Fifty years have passed since Israeli forces occupied the West Bank. The violence on both sides of the conflict has been horrific, the casualties catastrophic. In Kingdom of Olives and Ash, Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, two of today's most renowned novelists and essayists, have teamed up with the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence—an organization comprised of former Israeli soldiers who served in the occupied territories and saw firsthand the injustice there—and a host of illustrious writers to tell the stories of the people on the ground in the contested territories. Kingdom of Olives and Ash includes contributions from several of today’s most esteemed storytellers including: Colum McCann, Colm Toibin, Dave Eggers, Geraldine Brooks, Hari Kunzru, Jacqueline Woodson, Mario Vargas Llosa, Ronit Matalon as well as essays from editors Chabon and Waldman. Through their incisive, perceptive, and poignant writing, readers will gain a unique insight into the narratives behind the litany of grim destruction broadcasted nightly on the news and are given a deeper understanding of the conflict as they come to feel the terror, pain, and all the emotions of the residents living along the West Bank. Together, these stories stand witness to the human cost of the occupation.