Every Moment is a Life, susan abulhawa
Every Moment is a Life, susan abulhawa
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Every Moment is a Life
Gaza in the Time of Genocide

Author: susan abulhawa, Huzama Habayeb

Narrator: Ali Andre Ali, Victoria Nassif, Rasha Zamamiri

Unabridged: 3 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/10/2026


Synopsis

Compiled by bestselling author susan abulhawa, an Arabic-English bilingual anthology of essays from eighteen young Palestinian writers trying to survive the genocide in Gaza.

In early 2024, writer and activist susan abulhawa managed to enter Gaza twice through the Rafah crossing. There, at the Culture and Free Thought Association, susan held a series of workshops for young people who had been displaced to tent encampments. The lives of all participants were marked by unrelenting Israeli violence and extraordinary loss—of home, family, safety, education, electricity, and all the structures of life. They’d fled from place to place as Israel’s colonial violence swirled around them, complete with food and water insecurity and constant threat. Still, despite the bitterness of life in tents and the dangers of travel, they came together to share in the refuge of writing and community.

Samya recounts a tender moment with an old man mending shoes in the street, while her cousin Saja hides books in her closet, hoping they and her home will still be there when she returns. Ghassan is haunted by the baby he rescued from the rubble, who for a time became his son. Fatima risks it all retrieve her clothes from a danger zone buzzing with drones and warplanes. Maram’s loving aunt is gone, and chaos inhabits Amr’s mind. Samah, Lubna, Rizq, and Nebal take us by the hand through raining death, trails of tears, classroom shelters, and shared clothes in crowded tents.

Every Moment Is a Life delivers rare, unfiltered portraits of life under genocide, platforming the emerging voices struggling to survive in Gaza today. These essays are raw and real, capturing human moments—buying bread, going to the bathroom, sharing a meal, drinking coffee—all set against the backdrop of history’s first livestreamed ethnic cleansing. With courage, anger, love, agony, and—impossibly—hope, these achingly tender voices from Gaza will stay with us, captured in these pages, forever.

*All proceeds go to the contributors in Gaza and to Palestine Writes Literature Festival

About susan abulhawa

susan abulhawa is a Palestinian American writer and activist. She is the author of the international bestseller, Mornings in Jenin, The Blue Between Sky and Water, and Against the Loveless World, winner of the Arab American Book Award, The Palestine Book Award, and finalist for an Aspen Words Prize. Born to refugees of the Six Day War of 1967, abulhawa moved to the United States as a teenager, graduated in biomedical science, and established a career in medical science. In July 2001, she founded Playgrounds for Palestine, a non-governmental children's organization dedicated to upholding the Right to Play for Palestinian children.

About Huzama Habayeb

Huzama Hubayeb is a Palestinian novelist. She won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature for her novel Velvet, which was translated into English and selected among the fifty most significant Arabic novels of the twenty-first century. She is also the author of The Root of Passion (2007) and Before the Queen Falls Asleep (2011), four short story collections, and two poetry collections.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sarah on October 28, 2025

Susan Abulhawa, a world-class writer and exemplary literary citizen, has broken through the walls of censorship to bring the voices of Gaza to the English speaking world. In these deeply personal stories, Palestinians tell us what it is like to live through the mass murder and wanton destruction imp......more

Goodreads review by Zana on January 22, 2026

4.5 stars. This was a very quick, yet powerful and heartbreaking read. Some of these essays read like diary or journal entries, some read like short stories, yet all of them are reflections and observations on the writers' past and present lives in Gaza. This anthology is a notable addition to the bod......more

Goodreads review by Meg on January 30, 2026

How do you rate a book like this? Short but harrowing stories from people in the midst of a genocide, they somehow came together to write about their lives while experiencing death and starvation and endless fear at every moment. My heart aches for them, and I’m in awe of their strength. Order a cop......more

Goodreads review by Zach on January 06, 2026

This is a very short book of narratives by young Palestinians about their experiences during the war in Gaza. I struggled with the editor’s framing of the book—the very first page refers to October 7th as an “indigenous resistance operation” rather than the insane massacre I know. But I don’t agree......more

Goodreads review by Madelyn on January 16, 2026

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is an extremely powerful book with powerful, firsthand accounts of the genocide in Gaza. Every story moved me deeply and made me cry several times. These writers writing and creating art in the midst......more