[Book Discussion] One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This

In September, we will be discussing the book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad.

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On October 25, 2023, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This tweet has been viewed more than 10 million times.

This is El Akkad’s nonfiction debut, his most raw and vulnerable work to date, a heartsick breakup letter with the West. It is a brilliant articulation of the same breakup we are watching all over the United States, in family rooms, on college campuses, on city streets; the consequences of this rupture are just beginning. This book is for all the people who want something better than what the West has served up. This is the book for our time.

🏆 Accolades & Recognition:

• Winner of the 2025 National Book Award for Nonfiction
• Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Pick & Starred Review

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The Story

As an immigrant who came to the West, El Akkad believed that it promised freedom. A place of justice for all. But in the past twenty years, reporting on the War on Terror, Ferguson, climate change, Black Lives Matter protests, and more, and watching the unmitigated slaughter in Gaza, El Akkad has come to the conclusion that much of what the West promises is a lie. That there will always be entire groups of human beings it has never intended to treat as fully human―not just Arabs or Muslims or immigrants, but whoever falls outside the boundaries of privilege. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is a chronicle of that painful realization, a moral grappling with what it means, as a citizen of the U.S., as a father, to carve out some sense of possibility in a time of carnage.

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"A startling, shocking, beautiful and essential book. It shook me up." — Brian Eno

"A philosophically rich critique of state violence and mass apathy... shining with quotable critique that spares no one from scrutiny." — Kirkus Reviews

"Passionate, poetic and sickening... full of well-earned rage." — Dina Nayeri, The Guardian

"As the gravity of Gaza bends truth around it like a black hole, finding the light seems impossible. But Omar El Akkad combines the deep empathy of a novelist with the penetrating eye of a journalist to illuminate a path toward understanding. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This is a scathing chronicle that articulates the reality of horror while managing to convey the universal within a terrifying particular, making this book beautiful, heartbreaking, messy, and singularly profound."
— National Book Award Judges’ Citation

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📆Event Details

• Date & Time: Sunday, September 20th, 3:00 PM
• Venue: Las Palmas rooftop bar
• Note: Please support the venue by ordering at least one drink.

📚Club Guidelines

• Discussion: Please review the discussion questions before joining! I will share the link here in the Club Guidelines a week before the event.
• Next Month's Pick: Following the discussion, our next book will be chosen by group poll—come prepared to champion your pick. Each month, we explore a different genre; for October, please bring at least one fiction recommendation. If your suggestion wins the vote, your book takes center stage! Even if not, you’ll get to explore beyond your reading comfort zone.

❓FAQ

• 1)"Do I have to finish reading the book to join the event?"
  YES. We’re here to discuss the book! To ensure a rich and meaningful conversation for everyone, all participants are expected to read the book in full before attending.
• 2)"Can I just listen and not join the discussion?"
  NO. We gather in person to share ideas. Your voice matters! Whether you agree, disagree, or interpret things differently, every perspective helps deepen our understanding of the book. There’s no right or wrong answer, and every opinion is equally cherished.

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Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions.
See you in September, Bookflyers🦋!