Celestial | Minor Detail

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Minor Detail

Adania Shibli

Elisabeth Jaquette

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A searing, beautiful novel meditating on war, violence, memory, and the sufferings of the Palestinian people.

Finalist for the National Book Award

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize

Minor Detail begins during the summer of 1949, one year after the war that the Palestinians mourn as the Nakba—the catastrophe that led to the displacement and exile of some 700,000 people—and the Israelis celebrate as the War of Independence.

Israeli soldiers murder an encampment of Bedouin in the Negev desert, and among their victims they capture a Palestinian teenager and they rape her, kill her, and bury her in the sand.

Many years later, in the near-present day, a young woman in Ramallah tries to uncover some of the details surrounding this particular rape and murder, and becomes fascinated to the point of obsession, not only because of the nature of the crime, but because it was committed exactly twenty-five years to the day before she was born.

Adania Shibli masterfully overlays these two translucent narratives of exactly the same length to evoke a present forever haunted by the past.

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Posts about this title from Celestial

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 30 2025

🍉 Read For Palestine this September!

please be sure to follow the organizers Naseerah (opacarophvlia) and Ross (@readsbyross) for more information. their fundraiser is also in the ⛓️‍💥place on my profile.

📚 books mentioned: - Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa - Blood Orange by Mx. Yaffa - Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh - Minor Detail by Adania Shibli - Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

#ReadForPalestine #palestinianbooks #bookrecs #literaryfiction #fantasybooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram @atriabooks @merajpublishing @quilltreebooks @fitzcarraldoeditions @ndpublishing @groveatlantic

5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 12 2025

some books i’ve read and loved that were translated into english!!

📚 books mentioned: - Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (translated by Elisabeth Jaquette) - Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata (translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori) - Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (translated by Megan McDowell and Ruth Sepp) - The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa (translated by Sawad Hussain and Ranya Abdelrahman)

thank you to Grove Press and Restless Books for the gifted copies!!

#booksintranslation #translatedbooks #scifibooks #horrorbooks #weirdbooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @fitzcarraldoeditions @ndpublishing @groveatlantic @riverheadbooks @restlessbooks

4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 16 2024

read for my birthday!!

happy birthday to me; read these books because i said so (or face my wrath).

17 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 22 2024

books by Palestinian authors

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 20 2024

one star reviews of books i loved!

which one convinced you the most? 😉

9 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 1 2023

october reading wrap up

october reading wrap up time! what was your favorite book from october?

4 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Rachel Skye Reads\ \ Rachel\ \ • Nov 30 2025

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November Reading Wrap Up

November Reading Wrap Up: 📖 Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent 📖 Hazelthorn by CG Drews 📖 And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison (out 2/26) thank you @berkleypub for the ARC 📖 The Will of the Many by James Islington 📖 Savor It by Tarah DeWitt 📖 Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt 📖 Lost and Found by Tarah DeWitt (out 7/26) 📖 Minor Detail Adania Shibli 📖 My Boyfriends are All Monsters by Kimberly Lemming #readingwrapup #novemberreads #BookRecommendations #diversebooks #booktokbooks

9 books

Basement Books\ \ Kaitlyn\ \ • Nov 23 2025

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[Welcome to my new Syllabus Series. I was a high school English teacher for over five years (before I burned out and changed careers) and nothing gives me more joy than to help others learn something new. As someone who also reads a large amount of non-fiction, I wanted to create a new series where I pick a singular topic that you might want to learn more about. The first edition will be all about Palestine.\ \ First, I’ll take you through books to read through various genres and the order you should read them in to scaffold and layer your learning. But learning isn’t all about reading, so I’ll also share video resources, shorter articles, and give you a list of people to follow on social media in order to stay up to date well beyond today. Finally, learning means nothing without action, so I will also provide you ways that you can do something with what you’re learning.\ \ This isn’t meant to be overwhelming and is laid out in a way that it’s learning you have time for. Therefore, the list isn’t extensive and manageable. Of course, there’s always more learning to be done.\ \ \ \ Books to read\ \ A collection of books read to read. For the best learning experience, try to read the books in this order.\ \ (*note: this section contains affiliate links)\ \

Non-fiction“Palestine: A Socialist Introduction” edited by Sumaya Award and brian bean\ \ This is a great place to start if you don’t know or understand the history of Palestine. The book is a collection of essays from all different authors exploring various parts of Palestinian history and present. Of course, this book is also written from a socialist lens, but from that it pulls in calls for action as well. Overall, this is a really helpful and easy to understand text that helps you understand historical context.\ \
Fiction“Minor Detail” by Adania Shibli\ \ Sticking with understanding Palestinian history as well as how that history carries into the present, I recommend reading this incredible piece of fiction next. This is a super short book (144 pages) that is impressive and haunting. It starts in the summer of 1949 during the Nakba (the mass displacement of Palestinians from Palestine) and follows a young girl who is captured by Israeli soldiers. Years later in the present, we follow a young woman who finds the girl’s story that is considered a “minor detail” in this history. She becomes obsessed with finding out what happened. Check content warnings before reading this book.\ \
Poetry\ \ " Rifqa” by Mohammed El-Kurd\ \ This is a collection of poetry that looks at Palestinian history, but also addresses the present. It’s both a deeply emotional eulogy and a call to action for the liberation of Palestine.\ \
Poetry\ \ “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear” by Mosab Abu Toha\ \ This is a really accessible collection of poetry where the author talks about his life living under siege in Gaza. This was published in 2022 and helps paint a picture of what every day life was like for Palestinians. In 2023, Abu Toha was captured and imprisoned by Israeli forces. His newest collection which comes out this November will look at the horror of the last year.\ \
Non-fiction\ \ “The Palestine Laboratory” by Antony Loewenstein\ \ This is definitely the most dense book on this which is why it’s at the end of the list. This is an incredible piece of journalism that looks at Israel’s development of occupation-enforcing technologies that they test out in Palestine and then sell to other Western countries to help them enforce their own occupations. It helps showcase the danger of these technologies well beyond Palestine and the dangerous (and deadly) effects it’s had on the rest of the world.\ \ \ \ Other media to consume\ \ \
- Mixed media\ \ “Not That Complicated” by US Campaign for Palestinian Rights\ \ An incredible resource that plainly lays out history and common misconceptions about Israel’s occupation of Palestine. This provides a general overview of specific topics that makes everything easy to understand while also providing links and videos to learn more about each subject.\ \
- Infographics Visualising Palestine\ \ If you’re more of a visual learner, this is the resource for you. Again, this project breaks down various subjects into interactive infographics that are constantly updated to not only talk about historical facts, but up-to-date information.\ \
- Article“ We Volunteered at a Gaza Hospital. What We Saw Was Unspeakable.” by Mark Perlmutter and Feroze Sidhwa\ \ The deliberate targeting and destruction of hospitals over the past year has been a well-documented war crime through first-hand accounts and videos. This is an example. Written by two doctors from the U.S., this is a primary account on what they witnessed in Gaza.\ \
- Documentary"Investigating war crimes in Gaza” by Al Jazeera\ \ Just published on October 3, Al Jazeera has done an extensive investigation into the war crimes perpetrated by Israel in the last year as well as exposing the individuals behind them. Content warning: graphic images of death and violence.\ \ \ Extra credit \ Since I first wrote this syllabus back in 2024, there have been many new incredible pieces of media published on Palestine and the fight for liberation has continued. If you want to continue learning about Palestine, here are some futher texts for you to read.\ \
- Non-fiction book"One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad\ \ If you or someone you know is new to learning about Palestine or is still not understanding the weight of what is happening, I think this is a great book to read. This book grapples with what it means to live in the West and our role in watching a genocide occur before our eyes.\ \
- Non-fiction book" Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal” by Mohammed El-Kurd\ \ After you read El-Kurd’s poetry collection above, pick up his newest book, a denser exploration as to why it is that Palestinians need to prove their humanity to the Western world and who holds the power to shape narratives.\ \
- Report\ \ Latest UNRWA report on the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and West Bank\ \ A detailed report that outlines the latest data since Israel broke the ceasefire and the effects this has had on health, food scarcity, civilian protection, and aid.\ (photo by Adam Rouhana) Who to follow \ When learning about a subject where up-to-date information is key, it’s important to find people who are experts and on the ground to help keep you informed. Here are a few people and organisations I encourage you to follow:\ \
  - Lets Talk Palestine broadcast channel on Instagram shares news every single day about what is happening in Palestine (as well as Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen). This is what I use to stay the most up-to-date.\ \
  - Bisan Owda: One of the few freelance journalists still in Gaza (Israel has murdered and targeted 175 journalists in the past year). Bisan reports and posts from the ground every single day.\ \
  - Hind Khoudary: Another journalist who has been reporting from Gaza.\ \
  - Adam Rouhana: a photographer currently living in Gaza.\ \
  - Mosab Abu Toha: The same poet mentioned above is also consistently active on Instagram, often posting breaking news stories before news publications.\ \
  - Leen (@vivafalastinleen) : This Palestinian-American content creator is consistently posting about what is happening in Palestine and encouraging calls to action.\ \
  - Naz (@bdsbabe): Naz is consistently posting updates on the BDS movement and creating guides to BDS-friendly brands (learn more about the BDS movement below)\ \ \ Take action \ Mutual aid Mutual aid is an incredibly effective way to utilize community in order to directly impact those who need our help. One way that we can do this is by donating to families currently in Palestine where food, shelter, hygiene, and access to healthcare are hard to come by (and in some cases impossible). Our help can make these things more accessible.\ \ \ \ Here are some families that I have been in contact with that I would encourage you to donate to:\ \ \
    - Mahmoud, Tamer, and Tala who lost their mother and wife earlier this year. Tamer has Autism and navigating this cruel world is especially hard for him.\ \
    - The Tareq family including Amani who is suffering from multiple medical conditions and needs urgent care\ \
    - Mohammed’s family including his wife and three kids as they struggle to survive in Khan Younis\ \
    - Rozana’s family including her husband and three-year-old son (Ziad) who used to live in Gaza City and now have no home or clean food and water which is making Ziad’s health deteriorate.\ \

\ Here are organizations on the ground to donate to:\ \ - The Sameer Project: Led by Palestinians, the project hosts multiple campaigns to help families across gaza with medical supplies, food, tents, and other necessities. You can also support their Medical Campaign specifically as they work directly with hospitals.\ \ - North Water Aid: Salah Shabat is raising funds to provide displaced families in the north of Gaza with clean drinking water.\ \ - Amal for Palestine: Organization thats been providing meals in the north of Gaza since 2021.\ \ - Gaza Soup Kitchen: Family-run organization that helps provide meals to displaced families.\ \ - Sulala Animal Rescue: Father and son team who help rescue and rehabilitate stray animals.\ \ \ \ Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions If you’re not financially able to support, here’s a great way to make a huge impact (in my opinion, this is what will make the most impact systemically). The BDS movement is a movement to pressure companies, organisations, and governments that support Israel by withholding money. The ask is that you do not spend money at these organisations and/or pressure organisations. This type of organizing has been proven to be effective in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. To double-check that you’re not supporting companies who support genocide, I highly recommend downloading the Boycat app.\ \ Pressure politicians If you live in a country that is currently funding Israel and/or supporting them through complicity or silence, it’s pertinent that we continue to pressure them. If you live in the United States, you can use 5calls.org to get started (note: not all the information in the script is up-to-date), but could be a good template.\ \ Protest If you are able, protesting helps make our voices louder. It’s a tool meant to disrupt and force those in charge to take action. Here’s the most up-to-date list of world-wide protests that I was able to find.\ \ Educate Use whatever platform you have (whether that be on social media or in-person) to speak up about Palestine and continue to educate others. Share resources, share stories, share news. The more we can make people not turn away from Palestine, the more we can collectively come together to enact change. We need to make sure that everyone in the world doesn’t have the excuse that they didn’t know. We are all complicit.\ \

- *\ \ As I mentioned earlier, learning is an ongoing practice. If you would like more resources, don’t hesitate to reach out. And if you have any resources to add to this list, please add them to the comments below.](https://basementbooks.binderybooks.com/item/UHWce0QZX9fFJTyy604i/)

Palestine Syllabus

7 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 30 2025

🍉 Read For Palestine this September!

5 books

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • Aug 8 2025

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(VIDEO) Women in Translation Month - Book Recommendations

Fiction book recommendations for books written by women authors that have been translated into English (s/o Women in Translation Month). You can read these in a single sitting or over a weekend if you’re locked in!

5 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 12 2025

some books i’ve read and loved that were translated into english!!

thank you to Grove Press and Restless Books for the gifted copies!!

4 books

Kist Reads\ \ Kist\ \ • Jul 3 2025

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(VIDEO) June Reading Recap - 8 Book Reviews!

Ranking the 8 books I read in June! And I didn't read any five-star books in June (close though!) so I want to know if you read one last month!

Book List: The Delusions of Crowds by William J. Bernstein (psychology/history) Unruly by David Mitchell (English history/humor) Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam (fantasy) Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (historical fiction) Alaric the Goth by Douglas Boin (Goth/Roman history) The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed (American history) The Sacred Band by James Romm (Greek history) Kindred by Rebecca Wragg Sykes (prehistory)

Join our Bindery community of book-reading Sickos: https://kistreadsbooks.binderybooks.com/ Check out my wife's homemade bookmarks: https://kiststudio.etsy.com Follow my other efforts across various platforms: https://linktr.ee/michaelkist

0:00 Reading Month 1:07 Delusions of Crowds 2:38 Unruly 5:26 Anji 7:52 Alaric 9:33 Minor Detail 10:49 Hemingses 13:08 Sacred Band 15:13 Kindred

#booktube #bookreading #bookrecommendations #historybooks

5 books

Bookish AfroLatina's Library\ \ Gabby\ \ • Apr 2 2025

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\ \ I took a little break from posting & now I'm back to celebrate We Need Diverse Books Day! This is the very first for this virtual celebration so I'm kicking it off with 36 amazing book recs for y'all.\ \ Learn more about this celebration here: https://www.diversebooks.org/celebrate-we-need-diverse-books-day\\ \ As my og followers know, I started my bookstagram in order to promote diverse books back in 2021. So I'm gonna give y'all a ton of book recs (old & new) by and about BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergent folks. I hope y'all find something that interests you!\ \ \ \ Books shown:\ \

The Hero's Equinox by Antoine Bandele\ \
Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle\ \
The Emperor & the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang\ \
One for All by Lillie Lainoff\ \
The Deep by Rivers Solomon\ \
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna\ \
The Pretty One by Keah Brown\ \
The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.\ \
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera\ \
The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa\ \
Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti\ \
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas\ \ \ \ \ Books shown:\ \
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli\ \
This Place: 150 Years Retold by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm & more\ \
The Broposal by Sonora Reyes\ \
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V\ \
Sex, Lies, & Sensibility by Nikki Payne\ \
Iron Widow by Ziran Jay Zhao\ \
Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir\ \
Daydreamer by Rob Cameron\ \
A Girl Called Echo, Vol. 1 by Katherena Vermette\ \
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang\ \
Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias\ \
Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma\ \ \ \ \ Books shown:\ \
Jade City by Fonda Lee\ \
Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon\ \
Plantains & Our Becoming by Melania Luisa Marte\ \
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan\ \
Transgender History by Susan Stryker\ \
Puerto Rico by Jorell Meléndez-Badillo\ \
The Name Bearer by Natalia Hernandez\ \
Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana\ \
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi\ \
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera\ \
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose\ \
A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow\ \ \ Comment a diverse book you're reading or have read below and follow #WeNeedDiverseBooksDay on IG!](https://bookish-afrolatina.binderybooks.com/item/pv1KFYmuFNEWdAp3AjVL/)

36 Amazing Book Recs to celebrate We Need Diverse Books Day

36 books

Daph's Reads 📚✨\ \ Daphne\ \ • Mar 25 2025

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Life changing historical fiction book recs

Life changing historical fiction book recs 📚

#bookstagram #booktok #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #bookreview #bookhaul #historicalfiction #historicalfictionbooks #literaryfiction

6 books

JemilaBeReadin\ \ JemilaBeReadin\ \ • Feb 20 2025

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Books I’ve discovered through booktok

Books I’ve discovered through booktok. It’s been real y’all. I hope to continue talking about books with y’all elsewhere on the internet! 🫶🏾 People mentioned in this video: @dakota bossard @Amivi⁷ @Alex @IG/YT: bookbaddiebri ᥫ᭡ @sometimesrobinreads🤎📚 @Torri🌻 @Kennedy Ryan @Nisha Sharma @schizophrenicreads on Substack @aubrei @Mari - booktok + media reviews @ig: vivafalastinleen 🇵🇸 @Hana 🍉 @Viano Oniomoh 💖 #readersoftiktok #bookishthings #bookishtiktok #booktok #bookrecommendations #romancebooktok #nonfictionbooktok #literarytok #blackromance #bookishtok #readersofbooktok

22 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 16 2024

read for my birthday!!

happy birthday to me; read these books because i said so (or face my wrath).

17 books

Barakah Books\ \ Azanta and Basma\ \ • May 10 2024

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\ \ Join for free or login](https://barakah.binderybooks.com/item/DB0YmNxtDtvJdyeRsQz3/)

Azanta's Top Reads of the Year So Far

My top six reads so far this year!

7 books

Mood Reads\ \ Hannah\ \ • Jan 28 2024

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🇵🇸 Palestinian Book Recs & TBR

🇵🇸 book recs & TBR #booktok #bookrecommendations #TBR #toberead

11 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 22 2024

books by Palestinian authors

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jan 20 2024

one star reviews of books i loved!

which one convinced you the most? 😉

9 books

Mareas\ \ Marines\ \ • Jan 5 2024

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my top 10 books of 2023 🏆

It was a weird reading year, but this is a good top 10. Join me over on Bindery! http://mareas.binderybooks.com

Books Mentioned:

0:00 - 1:16 Introduction

1:17 - 2:11 St. Martin's Press Boycott http://r4a.carrd.co

2:12 - 5:18 What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61399125-what-happened-to-ruthy-ramirez cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3a80ed5e-f331-4940-b446-2f12880e8a68/content\_warnings

5:19 - 9:00 Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canes goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63892214-vampires-of-el-norte cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/8828d690-3095-4494-b522-ad74b6181fe7/content\_warnings

9:01 - 10:53 Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860585-razorblade-tears cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a6fb4d85-f8fd-4ee8-aa9a-8710c4747c2a/content\_warnings

10:54 - 14:14 Swordheart by T. Kingfisher goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42747739-swordheart cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/74dc9e39-6751-404a-a597-e9850c122981/content\_warnings

14:15 - 18:56 Happy Place by Emily Henry goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61718053-happy-place cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/084df628-75a9-4357-a928-b0547027122d/content\_warnings

18:57 - 24:29 Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42036538-gideon-the-ninth cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ca07b067-8c64-4b8e-985c-52efc4b94f3e/content\_warnings

24:30 - 25:26 How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55643287-how-the-word-is-passed cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/972c00b3-593f-429e-b306-7e791aa07107/content\_warnings

25:27 - 27:58 How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808037-how-not-to-drown-in-a-glass-of-water cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ea9c3b31-47c2-4c95-981d-58922acebfe5/content\_warnings

27:59 - 31:39 Minor Detail by Adania Shibli goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52045757-minor-detail cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/02f1e0b2-3244-471a-b916-a18f1fe83c44/content\_warnings

31:40 Outro

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10 books

Rainy Days Library\ \ Desiree\ \ • Dec 10 2023

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November Wrap Up - TikTok

Was this way longer than it needed to be? Possibly. But I had a lot to say 🤷‍♀️ #booktok #books #readingwrap #readingwrapup #rainydayslibrary

7 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Nov 13 2023

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the books i read in october | reading wrapup