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When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words and Wounds of Palestine Kindle Edition
by Francesca Albanese (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (30)
Francesca Albanese, the first woman to serve as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, conveys the soul of a people through ten unforgettable stories of resilience and humanity.
The spirit of a place lies in the people who inhabit it, in the stories that intertwine through its streets. And this is especially true of a land like Palestine, the witness to defining historic transitions to one of the most painful chapters in contemporary history. With a voice both authoritative and deeply human, Francesca Albanese (who lived in Palestine for many years while following the legal battles of numerous Palestinian families) takes on the role of narrator and elegantly composes a gallery of stories, characters and places, starting with the stories of the people she met.
When the World Sleeps is a deeply personal and politically urgent account of bearing witness to the Palestinian struggle. Beyond the headlines and statistics, Albanese illuminates the people themselves, offering a powerful new lens on the global failures that have led us to here — and the fragile possibilities that still exist for a shared future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
250 pages
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Francesca Albanese is an international lawyer, who has specialised in human rights and the Middle East. Since May 2022, she has served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory. Her academic works cover various aspects of the Question of Palestine, the legal situation in Israel/Palestine and Palestinian forced displacement, including the mandate and work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Since 2018, Albanese has taught and lectured at various universities in Europe and the Middle East. She is also responsible for the research and legal assistance program on migration and asylum seekers in the Arab world for the think tank Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), and is a co-founder of the Global Network on the Question of Palestine (GNQP), a coalition of prominent regional and international experts and scholars engaged in the issue of Israel/Palestine.
"When the world sleeps, it falls on us, we the people, to wake it up"
“Standing together with courage, even against entrenched power, makes change not only possible but”
"Unity and courage are the most powerful forces for change"
Product description
About the Author
Francesca Albanese is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. A jurist, lecturer, and scholar, she has more than a decade of experience in human rights. She has worked with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. In these roles, she has advised the United Nations, governments, and civil society in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Gregory Conti has translated numerous works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from Italian including works by Emilio Lussu, Rosetta Loy, Elisa Biagini, and Paolo Rumiz. He is the translator of Stefano Mancuso's two previous books, The Nation of Plants and The Incredible Journey of Plants, and recently translated The Child Is the Teacher by Cristina De Stefano. He is a regular contributor to the literary quarterly Raritan. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Review
"Incisive, heart-wrenching...an indispensable, at times deeply sickening, overview of the situation on the ground in Palestine." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Braving a tidal wave of calumny, Francesca Albanese has not only upheld international law during a nihilistic assault on it by leaders of the world's democracies. She has also helped keep alive the idea of individual conscience during an extensive moral and intellectual breakdown among writers and journalists. With its bold and lucid truths about the rich and powerful, and profound compassion for their victims, When the World Sleeps reminds us, in a dark time, of a still achievable nobility of the life of the mind." --Pankaj Mishra, author of The World After Gaza
"Francesca Albanese is an outstanding international civil servant, a passionate jurist, and a formidable champion of Palestinian rights. Her humanity shines through everything she writes, notably her reports to the UN. In this book she writes with characteristic generosity of spirit about the people who helped her open her eyes and act for Palestine. A remarkable book by a brilliant, energetic, and exceptionally courageous woman." --Avi Shlaim, emeritus professor of International Relations at Oxford University and author of Genocide in Gaza: Israel's Long War on Palestine.
"When the World Sleeps is a work of legal witnessing written from inside the collapse of the international order. Drawing on international law, lived encounters, interviews, and personal testimony, Francesca Albanese traces what it means to keep invoking law under conditions of emergency--even as legal institutions repeatedly fail to act. The book reflects a sustained engagement that refuses distance or safety, and a willingness to speak plainly within institutions structured to absorb and neutralize critique. Attentive to colonial relations without reducing the analysis solely to them, Albanese exposes the genocide in Gaza not as a failure of knowledge but of political will. In doing so, the book gives voice to what many already fearfully know: that international law can no longer rely on silent leadership, and must be upheld from the ground up or not at all. This is a necessary book to read, even for those who disagree with Albanese's terms of engagement--perhaps especially so." --Yael Berda, associate professor at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and author of Living Emergency: Israel's Permit Regime in the Occupied West Bank
"The voice of Francesca Albanese is as uncompromising in its commitment to human justice, as relentless in its appeal to our common humanity, and as courageous in face of slander, disdain, and suppression, as once the voice of the prophets." --Göran Rosenberg, author of Israel, a Personal History --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Publisher : Hardie Grant Books
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 28 April 2026
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17 customer reviews
From Australia
Ngaire
5.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling Read
Reviewed in Australia on 7 May 2026
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Excellent on every level. Thank you Francesca Albanese!
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Fred
5.0 out of 5 stars Please oppose the genocide in Palestine
Reviewed in Australia on 5 May 2026
Format: Paperback
It’s a hard read but it is necessary to tell the story of the Palestinian people. They did not choose to be in the situation they are in now. I hope the world wakes up soon and opposes this genocide. Otherwise there is no hope.
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Mojo
1.0 out of 5 stars a story not anchored in reality
Reviewed in Australia on 10 May 2026
Format: Hardcover
If I could give zero stars I would. There is no relationship between objective reality and what the author writes. She lives in a fantasy. There is no acknowledgment of the agency of Palestinian Arabs, of them being repeatedly betrayed by their leaders, they are only a canvas on which Francesca projects passive victimhood. The book is devoid of the historical context of Jewish and Arab and Druze and Bedouin and Christian people and the ruthless power games of Hamas and the PLO and IRGC and Qatar are somehow not discussed at all.
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From other countries
Hossam
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible book
Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates on 29 April 2026
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Incredible book
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RSSS1
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just statistics
Reviewed in the United States on 30 April 2026
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Behind each and every number you watch on the news there is a story, a family, loving parents, mourning siblings, orphaned kids, students, friends, neighbors, and people just like yours. Learning these stories makes the reality of the on-going genocide much more real, it’s painful to read because these people didn’t deserve what’s happening to them, but an absolute must read.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Germany on 30 April 2026
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The book arrived yesterday. I startet directly to read. It is easy to read. Can not lay it out of my hands.
Francesca Albanese is a brillant person.
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Sami Hajjaj
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Saudi Arabia on 11 May 2026
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An eyes opening book and I hope it will be read by millions of people!
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N. T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very touching testimony
Reviewed in France on 9 May 2026
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An extraordinary book to read...
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E P
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! 🌸
Reviewed in the United States on 29 April 2026
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This woman is amazing. Her story is moving. If you’ haven’t purchased this book, I highly recommend you do so. This book is a “must read.” I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Taimur Andre
5.0 out of 5 stars Genocide
Reviewed in Germany on 2 May 2026
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Absolute Must-Read
The hypocrisy of the West is breath taking
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book shows a glimpse of Palestinian suffer
Reviewed in Germany on 1 May 2026
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One can only respect Francesca and her work and courage.
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Vincent
5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal
Reviewed in the United States on 5 May 2026
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If you only read one book about what is happening in Palestine, make it this one.... And recommend it to everyone you know!!!! 5 Stars
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Laila
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding! A must read
Reviewed in the United States on 9 May 2026
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Really well documented and insightful. A must read.
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Maya
5.0 out of 5 stars Documentation of a catastrophe
Reviewed in the United States on 2 May 2026
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This is a must read for citizens of the United States and Europe.
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Hashem
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely remarkable
Reviewed in the United States on 29 April 2026
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Truly highlights what's deeply wrong with the current world order.
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Amazon Reviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars The most important book of the century
Reviewed in the United States on 29 April 2026
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Breathtaking read. History will remember those who stood with humanity.
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lyes benarab
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book 👌
Reviewed in the United States on 28 April 2026
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What a book!! Love it 🥰
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