From the book’s back cover:
‘An honest, forthright account full of compassion and insight. It plunges the reader into Gaza.’
JEREMY HARDY‘Moving and understated. … By sharing in the vulnerability of the 1.5 million Palestinians trapped in the crowded killing fields of the Gaza Strip, Sharyn Lock manages to humanise the inhuman. … Unforgettable.’
RICHARD FALK, from the AfterwordThe Israeli offensive in Gaza was described by Amnesty international as ‘22 days of death and destruction’. Defying an international press ban, Sharyn Lock’s eye witness blogs became crucial reading for anyone following the conflict. Gathered here, they are a unique account of the reality of life in Gaza beneath the bombs. Sharyn Lock arrived in Gaza with the Free Gaza Movement, making it past the Israeli sea blockade in a fishing boat. Soon afterwards, Israel attacked Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants by land, air and sea. With others from the International Solidarity Movement, Sharyn volunteered with Palestinian ambulances, assisting them as they faced overwhelming civilian casualties.
Sharyn’s candid and dramatic accounts provide an important glimpse behind the media black-out of a people who face their oppression with courage and humour.
Sharyn Lock has been volunteering in Palestine since 2002. She writes for New Internationalist, Red Pepper and the Big Issue North. Sarah Irving is a freelance writer whose work appears in New Internationalist, Big Issue North and Electronic Intifada. She has been reviews editor at Red Pepper and Peace News, and features editor at Ethical Consumer. She has been an active campaigner on Palestinian issues since 2001.
All the stories you have read here are going out into the world, when Gaza: Beneath the Bombs is published in January by Pluto Press. Please post a message here if you’d like to order a copy or two. In fact… I’ll make you a gift voucher if you would like to give the “promise” of a copy to someone for Christmas. Let me take the chance to say thank you, from me and Gaza, to all those of you who read this blog. Pluto took into account the large scale of readership when they decided to publish – so you helped make it happen – and as a thank you I’d like to make copies available to you for £10 instead of the £12.99 it will be in the shops. Any money raised will go on further Gaza projects, maybe involving me or maybe not!
Info about book events is available here and will be updated as more comes in…
