The Book of Gaza is an anthology of ten stories from various Palestinian writers, edited by Atef Abu Saif and published on 3 Jul 2014. It is the second book of the Reading the City series, focused on stories from and about a certain city, in this case Gaza in Palestine.
Literary works from Gaza are mostly short stories since "the difficulty of smuggling hand-written manuscripts to Jerusalem, Cairo or Beirut for publication led writers to shorten the length." Atef Abu Saif remarks in the introduction, that Gaza hence became known as an "exporter of oranges and short stories."
Abdallah Tayeh recorded a message in Jabaliya Camp in Gaza for the publication, but wasn't able to attend any events in the UK due to the Rafah Border being closed.
Elisabeth Jaquette was also involved in translation for The Book of Cairo.
The Guardian wrote that "these stories provide fascinating snapshots of a culture at a time of crisis and a welcome reminder of the universality of human relations". Patrick Smyth wrote for The Irish Times, that the anthology is composed of "Tales that reflect that depth and the variety and universality of the Gazan experience." Jordan Times wrote "most of the stories by women reflect personal frustrations and longing, exposing outdated social norms that are particularly onerous for females and the hypocrisy involved in perpetuating them," calling the book "a powerful example of Palestinian resilience."