A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem TragedyA Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy
What it's about
In 2012, a school bus carrying Palestinian kindergartners on a field trip near Jerusalem collided with a truck and caught fire. Abed Salama spent the day searching for his five-year-old son Milad, trying to reach hospitals across checkpoints, walls and permit systems. Nathan Thrall tells that day through the people involved, Palestinian and Israeli, and uses it to show how the system governing Palestinians' lives works.
Why it's worth reading
It's a devastating, closely reported human story that won the Pulitzer Prize, and it explains the realities of the West Bank more vividly than any policy book. Few books are as heartbreaking.
You'll love it if you liked
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11Good to know
It deals with the death of young children. It's about a deeply contested conflict and has a clear point of view on the occupation.
By the numbers
- Readers88 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller8 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz51 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #26 of the 198 history books we rank
- #27 of the 481 new books we rank
- #164 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy worth reading?
Yes. It's a devastating, closely reported human story that won the Pulitzer Prize, and it explains the realities of the West Bank more vividly than any policy book. It ranks #164 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 84.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy about?
In 2012, a school bus carrying Palestinian kindergartners on a field trip near Jerusalem collided with a truck and caught fire. Abed Salama spent the day searching for his five-year-old son Milad, trying to reach hospitals across checkpoints, walls and permit systems. Nathan Thrall tells that day through the people involved, Palestinian and Israeli, and uses it to show how the system governing Palestinians' lives works.
How long does it take to read A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy?
About 6 hours (234 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy won?
Pulitzer Prize (General Nonfiction) winner (2024).
What should I read after A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy?
If you liked it, try One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe or The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright.