David Grossman’s The Thinking Heart: Essays on Israel and Palestine is a deeply moving, thought-provoking collection that confronts the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with unflinching honesty. As both an acclaimed writer and a long-time peace activist, Grossman’s voice carries a moral authority and emotional resonance that make these essays an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the region’s past, present, and potential future.

The essays, written over decades but anchored by the seismic events of October 7, 2023, reflect Grossman’s evolving perspective on his beloved but deeply troubled homeland. His reflections are as personal as they are political, blending grief, frustration, and a persistent yearning for peace. Grossman does not shy away from asking difficult questions about the failures of leadership, the erosion of moral values, and the immense toll of occupation on both Israelis and Palestinians. His critique of the Netanyahu government’s actions—or lack thereof—prior to the tragedy is both scathing and justified, making this collection as much an indictment of political complacency as it is a plea for accountability and change.

What makes this book so powerful is Grossman’s ability to balance his righteous anger with profound empathy. He acknowledges the suffering and humanity of both sides, even as he laments the growing divide between them. His reflections on Jewish identity and the challenges of being a majority in a Jewish state are especially poignant, as they force readers to grapple with questions of morality, power, and the responsibilities of leadership.

While Grossman’s prose is often poetic and searing, the weight of the subject matter can make this a challenging read. Some essays may feel repetitive in their themes, particularly for readers already familiar with his earlier work, but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise compelling collection. The book’s greatest strength lies in its unwavering hope, even amid despair, as Grossman continues to advocate for dialogue, understanding, and the possibility of peace.

The Thinking Heart is not only a call to action but also a reminder of the power of compassion and the necessity of questioning one’s own beliefs. It is a must-read for those seeking insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and for anyone who values the intersection of literature, activism, and humanity.

As I sit here to write some words - thoughts - feelings - excerpts . . .
about these eleven essays (combined contemplations and reflections), “which had appeared in newspapers and journals at key moments when Grossman wanted to hold the government to account” . . . tracing the failures leading up to Oct.7th . . . ensuing war . . . documenting struggles fought on both sides . . .
[many people want to live in peace and equality with their neighbors]
. . . 469 days of devastation war . . .
Israel began its war against Palestine in Gaza. That’s more than 15 months of daily bombardment, death, injuries, displacement, and starvation.
The Israeli onslaught began on October 7, 2023, after attacks on southern Israel led by the Palestinian group Hamas.
More than 1,000 people were killed in the attacks, and about 240 people were taken captive. Many of the captives were either freed in a prisoner exchange in November 2023 or were killed during subsequent Israeli attacks.
Israel began a brutal onslaught with air raids after the attacks and further tightened its blockade on the enclave—which has been in place since 2007.
46,707 Palestinians have been killed, including 18,000 children. The death toll means that one out of every 50 people has been killed in Gaza.

As I sit here having read, digested, understood experienced, and (agreed) with things Grossman wrote in his essays ….(feeling as if I was walking along side him for over a year). . .
FINALLY ….
….”Israeli Security Cabinet Approves the Gaza Cease-Fire Deal” . . .
After the vote was delayed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Hamas had sought concessions, which the militant group denied. . .
Both sides confirm the final issues were resolved overnight.
Israel strikes killed at least 116 people since the deal was announced.
Yet …. a ceasefire is moving forward. Hamas has agreed to release hostages held in Gaza. Israel will release prisoners….
(this is only the first stage . . . lasting 42 days. It doesn’t stop the fighting in the West Bank . . . nor will it stop the Israeli/Palestine conflict)…. however it’s the best - hopeful news we’ve had in 15 months.

So…. reading David Grossman’s essays this past week ….leading up to today …..moving cautiously forward…. with some hope and some worry ….
I (kinda) conclude that these essays feel/felt like a necessary ‘diary-of-documenting’ powerful thoughts, words, beliefs, hopes, fears, remorse, anger, and other emotions…
as well as wisdom . . .
I found Grossman’s essays helpful and communally-comforting.

NOTE …. David Grossman was the first person I turned to shortly after Oct. 7th, 2023, after the attacks on Israel … that I turned to ‘hoping’ (which he did) had SOMETHING to say.

Here are a few excerpts from these essays ….
….written by a man who has spent his entire life living between wars. (Born in Jerusalem) … Grossman has been fighting for peace for many years.

….”In the past nine months, millions of Israelis took to the streets every week to protest against the government and the man at its head. It was a movement of huge significance, an attempt to get Israel back on course, back to the lofty notion at the roots of its existence: creating a home for the Jewish people,
….Netanyahu chose to discredit to depict it as traitorous, to incite against it, to deepen the hatred among its factors”.
….The horrors was caused by Hamas, but to shoot hundreds of civilians, children and parents, elderly and sick, and cold blood, that is a worse crime. Even in the hierarchy of evil, there is a ranking. There is a scale of severity that common sense and natural instincts can identify”.

“Of all the countries in the world, Israel alone finds itself in this absurd predicament. Seventy-six years of sovereignty, and Israel’s existence has yet to be ‘legitimized’ by the rest of the world”.

“Nothing is trivial anymore. Everything reverberates deep down, the proximity to death that we all experienced has left us more exposed. Our sadness is no longer an ‘ordinary’ sadness: it is the sound of our dire understanding that there is not, and perhaps never will be, any relief, any solution to the anxiety and despair that accompany our lives here.
Should we in fact, despair? Should we stop striving for a solution? Do we have that privilege? May we stop turning over every stone in our search for the slimmest of chances?”

“The happiness of being acknowledged, and even more so — of being understood. Even when writing caused me pain and suffering, it was a pain that had meaning, a suffering that stems from touching the authentic, primary materials of life. Literature — writing — taught me the pleasure of doing something subtle and precise in a coarse andmurky World”.

“Art — and writing — has brought me great happiness”
“Even after the tragedy that struck my family when we lost our son, Uri, in the war, I learned that what allows me to withstand this duality of absence and presence — which to me is the essence of human existence — which to me is the essence of human existence — is to be immersed in the active creation. Of art”.

“Life in the Middle East has taught me to make do with little when it comes to my own wishes”.
“As someone who has spent his entire life in a disaster zone — again the Middle East — I know how easy it is to give to ‘the world’:
to cynicism, apathy, despair. And from there, it is a short path to religious fanaticism, nationalism, fascism”.

These essays were invaluable - helpful - simultaneously sad but supportive in broadening my own thinking …
They were worthy of my time to read.

For more years than I can remember back - I’ve respected and admired David Grossman.
He remains one of my favorite authors - well over a decade.

5 easy thankful stars from me!

The Thinking Heart by Booker prize winner author David Grossman, is a collection of essays and speeches that were published initially in different journals/newspapers/magazines in the time period between 2017-2024, along with a poem at the end of the book.

The titular speech was Grossman's acceptance speech at The Erasmus Prize honors in November 2022.

The essays are a flicker of hope in the darkness and doom that has been hovering over the Israel - Palestine conflicts over the years. The book has elements of reminiscence, grief, and heart wrenching reality, but is not entirely factual. They are David Grossman's personal take on the various condemning measures made by his government and the devastatingly cascading effects they have shown to cause.

He continuously focuses on the point that Peace must be the most important element in the country's security policy. He writes that real tragic human stories are melted and carved into manipulated accounts which even if effective for a while, fade into existence.

It's a metaphorical double edged sword that the people have continuously hanging over their heads. A generation, and more, relapsing into destruction and dark ages.

The essays/speeches are translated by Jessica Cohen,

and the poem at the end, "Suddenly a cry flew (Tell Aviv, 24 June 2024) is translated by Leon Wieseltier.

The translations are brilliant, easy to read, and serve true to their objective.

I was honestly debating on writing a review for this book or not. It’s more flowery than I hoped it would be and often lacked factual information. While the author attempts a level of neutrality, it frequently misses the mark. It felt like the reader should be applauding the author for questioning the Israeli government and the death of innocent people simply because the author himself is Israeli. While simultaneously repeating already disproved headlines surrounding the events of October 7. For me, many of the statements made felt hollow and repetitive. I gave this two stars because I see the value in the books larger questions at hand though it read like a collection of backhanded commentary.

This is an inspiring and thought-provoking collection. David Grossman’s wrestling with his art and life is extraordinary and disturbing. An important read in this moment.

An insightful set of essays about the Israeli experience of the Israel/Palestine conflict. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.