The Hundred Years' War on Palestine

Why I'd hand it to you

Rashid Khalidi, a historian at Columbia, tells the history of Palestine from 1917 to 2017 through six turning points, weaving in his own family's experience. His central argument is that the conflict is best understood as a settler-colonial struggle. It is clearly written and gives readers a Palestinian perspective that many Americans haven't encountered in depth. To be fair, this is an argument from one side, and many historians and readers strongly dispute its framing. Anyone wanting to understand the conflict well should read it alongside books that present Israeli perspectives. It is a serious book, but it isn't the whole picture.

— Matt Jordan