Pizza Before We Die
with Yasuko Thanh
Hosted by Rachel Gilmore
In Person Streaming Politics Non-Fict Memoir
“Pizza Before We Die is a raw work of witness from the ground level of a genocide. Hassan Kanafani writes in the most unvarnished and yet precise way about the reality of what it means to have one’s home reduced to rubble. The smallest, most intricate detail of daily survival bleeds into the most overarching view of atrocity. In its deep dignity and commitment to life, this collection of snapshots is both intimate and powerful.”
Join us for a heart-wrenching personal account of the ongoing devastation in Gaza by an ordinary citizen who bears witness to the undoing of his community and homeland.
Here is an urgent first-hand account of life and death in Gaza, written not by a war correspondent, but an ordinary citizen whose life was upended when the genocide began.
In the midst of the chaos, Hassan began posting about his daily experiences on Reddit. Three activists, moved by his words, started collecting his posts without a clear plan—only the conviction that his story needed to be seen and the hope that somehow, it might help raise funds for him. By chance, those posts found their way to award-winning author Yasuko Thanh, who helped Hassan frame them for a book.
Pizza Before We Die is literary journalism at its rawest and most urgent—clear-eyed, unflinching, and deeply humane. It is a work of raw power and emotion, and a reminder that in the midst of chaos and tragedy, our shared humanity remains intact.
A portion of proceeds from the sale of Pizza Before We Die will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
Books are available from our friends at Perfect Books.
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