A groundbreaking collection of essays by celebrated international writers bears witness to the human cost of fifty years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. In Kingdom of Olives and Ash, Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, two of today's most renowned novelists and essayists, have teamed up with the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence--an organization comprised of former Israeli soldiers who served in the occupied territories and saw firsthand the injustice there--and a host of illustrious writers to tell the stories of the people on the ground in the contested territories. Kingdom of Olives and Ash includes contributions from several of today's most esteemed storytellers including: Colum McCann, Jacqueline Woodson, Colm Toibin, Geraldine Brooks, Dave Eggers, Hari Kunzru, Raja Shehadeh, Mario Vargas Llosa and Assaf Gavron, as well as from editors Chabon and Waldman. Through these incisive, perceptive, and poignant essays, readers will gain unique insight into the narratives behind the litany of grim destruction broadcasted nightly on the news, as well as deeper understanding of the conflict as experienced by the people who live in the occupied territories. Together, these stories stand witness to the human cost of the occupation.

ADVENTURE / THRILLER. Morgan Cooper is finding it hard to juggle the demands of her children and her career - a task her workaholic civil-rights lawyer husband, Adam, makes still more difficult. But unlike the other 'soccer moms' in their affluent DC suburb, she's an undercover CIA officer assigned to the strife-torn Gaza Strip. There, as the betrayals and contradictions of her personal and working lives catch up with her, she finds herself in peril. With her Agency bosses seemingly disengaged, it falls to Adam to try to save her life and their relationship. Inspired by actual events, Taking Morgan is a gripping novel of political intrigue and suspense. It is also the deeply affecting story of a modern couple struggling in their marriage, suddenly at risk of losing each other forever.