To mark the fiftieth anniversary of Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War, a group of American writers took a field trip to observe the tragic consequences of Israel becoming an “occupier.” The volume of essays that resulted, The Kingdom of Olives and Ash, offers a moving and personal account of the daily humiliations, violence, and hopelessness of the Palestinians living in the occupied territories and the distrust and hatred that exists on both sides. Ayelet Waldman and her husband, Michael Chabon, edited the volume in partnership with Breaking the Silence, an Israeli NGO. Waldman, author of several novels including the Mommy-Track Mysteries and, most recently, the memoir A Really Good Day, was born in Jerusalem. She is joined today by two other contributors to the volume, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of The Secret Chord, Geraldine Brooks, and Newbery Medalist and author of Another Brooklyn, Jacqueline Woodson. Libby Lenkinski, Vice President for Public Engagement at the New Israel Fund, will moderate the discussion around this difficult and seemingly intractable situation.
