The Way To The Spring: Life and Death in Palestine by Ben Ehnrenreich

Review by Giorgia Piantanida

The short: Ehnrenreich is an American journalist who spent three years traveling to the West Bank, living with Palestinian families in various villages, and documenting the people he met and the places and events he saw. In this book, he focuses each section on a place he spent an extended amount of time in to explain what the daily life of a Palestinian looks like.

The long: The book is separated into sections, each delineating a different town in the West Bank. There is one section on Nabi Saleh, a small village that has been cut off from their local spring by an Israeli settlement. In this section, we meet protestors who put their lives and health on the line every single week, during Friday protests. In another section, Ehnrenreich focuses on Hebron, which used to be the most vibrant Palestinian city. Today, Israeli settlers live and taunt Palestinians living in Hebron, and Ehnrenreich tells their stories in personal and vibrant detail. 

To read or not to read: I cannot recommend this book enough! It has been described as a love letter to Palestine, and its passion and honesty is heartbreaking. The book draws you in and provides an unforgettable tale of pain and loss. It’s rawness draws you in, almost like a racy novel, and sits in your heart long after you’ve put it down. This book is for anyone, regardless of politics or knowledge of the region. A must read.