The 70th anniversary of what Palestinians call “the catastrophe” was bound to unleash a flurry of new works, of which this is one, about the mass evictions of Palestinians from lands that were taken to establish the state of Israel. 

It could be said that history not only changed for Palestinians in 1948, but ended. Still stateless seven decades on, for them the bitterness and trauma are as raw as ever.

Efforts at preserving the memory of the Nakba have resulted in an unparalleled body of oral testimony. 

The editors of this book have tapped into that rich seam to tell the story of this epochal event through the words of those who lived through it. There are contemporary accounts from 1948 and accounts related in the present day as memories. 

The collection also gives new insights into the Palestinian experience of the Nakba and the wider dynamics of the conflict, which continue to this day. 

The Nakba is the pivotal event shaping Palestinian identity and galvanizing resistance. This book shows that it is by no means consigned to the past, but an ongoing, pernicious process aimed at the erasing of Palestinian history and memory.