In this urgent and compelling book, Julie M. Norman and Maia Carter Hallward tell the story of Gaza from its early foundations, across decades of occupation, to the devastation of the ongoing war. Rather than focusing on elites or abstract politics, at the book's heart are ordinary Gazans - students, aid workers, journalists, and teachers - whose first-hand testimonies vividly illuminate the realities behind the headlines.

Refusing to sensationalize or oversimplify, the book reckons with the legal, moral, and humanitarian deabtes surrounding Gaza, from war crimes investigations to the contested meaning of resistance and the politicization of aid. Combining a nuanced narrative with hard-hitting reflections from everyday Gazans, the book serves as a timely and necessary disruption of media cliches and political binaries, and from the perspectives of its own people.

Also available as an audiobook.

Julie M. Norman is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at University College London, and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House.

Maia Carter Hallward is Director of the PhD Program in International Conflict Management and Professor of Middle East Politics at Kennesaw State University.