A New York Times BestsellerThe first woman to serve as United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory conveys the spirit of a people through 10 unforgettable stories of resilience and humanity.
Francesca Albanese is the most lucid voice against Israel's apartheid policies in Gaza and the West Bank, a voice that has been heard around the world when it comes to speaking the truth about the Palestinian genocide. In the wake of October 7, 2023, and Israel's retaliatory war, the renowned Italian jurist has become a lightning rod for her staunch defense of human rights.
Reflecting on her years living in Jerusalem and her personal and professional journey toward understanding the Palestinian struggle, Albanese pays tribute to 10 people whose profoundly affecting stories opened her eyes, from Hind Rajab, a young Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces, to the remarkable Jewish scholars who acted as Albanese's mentors: forensic architect Eyal Weizman, trauma expert Gabor Maté, and Holocaust historian Alon Confino.
When the World Sleeps is a courageous testimony of the harsh reality that Palestinians face. It raises critical questions about the past, present, and future of Palestine: What are the consequences of the occupation? Where is a refugee's home? In what conditions do Palestinians live? With the uncertain end of the war, will there be a Palestinian state? Will Palestinians have the right to self-determination, and will they be able to live in peace, free at last from the coercion of Israel?
"Incisive, heart-wrenching…an indispensable, at times deeply sickening, overview of the situation on the ground in Palestine." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"More than just a heartbreaking work of moral lucidity-a horrifying vision of Gaza's degradation via interviews, personal testimony, legal analysis of the scuttling of international law, and conversations with scholars, activists, journalists, and artists…an imperative read." -Arts Fuse
"Albanese's chronicle humanizes the history that led to the October 7 attacks and the decimation that continues via a resonating chorus of global voices…The urgent necessity of Albanese's reports is inarguable." -Booklist
"One of the reasons Albanese has proven such an effective communicator is her refusal to allow the extraordinarily emotionally charged nature of the issue to divert her from the approach that seems to have always governed her work: a diligent application of the facts, and a rigorous assessment of the law." -Vogue (UK)
"A beautifully crafted book…Albanese draws the reader into her story with humility, compassion, and honesty, and then permeates it with the hard facts and analysis from her UN reporting work…[She] vividly brings to life the specific ways in which apartheid has been imposed on the Palestinian people…This book, this testimony, even with Albanese's proximity to such grief and suffering, brings hope." -Irish Times
"A trenchant call for justice in the face of 'the ferocity suffered by the Palestinian population.'" -Kirkus Reviews
"Braving a tidal wave of calumny, Francesca Albanese has not only upheld international law during a nihilistic assault on it by leaders of the world's democracies. She has also helped keep alive the idea of individual conscience during an extensive moral and intellectual breakdown among writers and journalists. With its bold and lucid truths about the rich and powerful, and profound compassion for their victims, When the World Sleeps reminds us, in a dark time, of a still achievable nobility of the life of the mind." -Pankaj Mishra, author of The World After Gaza
"Francesca Albanese is an outstanding international civil servant, a passionate jurist, and a formidable champion of Palestinian rights. Her humanity shines through everything she writes, notably her reports to the UN. In this book she writes with characte
