In this week's This is Democracy, I had the pleasure of speaking with my good friend and brilliant writer, Lawrence Wright, about his new novel The Human Scale—a book that digs deep into the heartbreak, trauma, and tangled humanity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead of another tired political debate, we explored the deeper, human dimensions: the cycles of grief, the inherited pain, and how history’s wounds still bleed into today's violence.
Larry shared how his frustration after decades of reporting in the Middle East led him to fiction—to get inside the minds of those living the conflict, not just describing it from the outside. We discussed how even amid hatred and division, moments of empathy and understanding flicker to life, as in the touching relationship between his characters Sarah and Malik, one Israeli, one Palestinian.
Zachary set the tone beautifully with a moving poem, reminding us that Jerusalem is not just a place on the map, but a shared memory—and a source of longing—for so many. Together, we reflected on how the very similarities between Palestinians and Israelis, both descended from ancient roots, often fuel deeper resentments.
For me, this conversation was a profound reminder: democracy isn’t just about institutions—it’s about seeing the humanity in one another, even when history and politics pull us apart. Larry’s novel doesn’t offer easy answers, but it offers something even more essential: a way to begin understanding.
Share this post