Renowned poet Fan­ny Howe says of the col­lec­tion, ​“Elana Bell has under­tak­en a task many oth­ers have avoid­ed: fac­ing the agony of the Pales­tine-Israel con­flict and its his­to­ry. She has done so in the only way it is pos­si­ble: by writ­ing with the com­pas­sion­ate voice of a trans­la­tor. Ele­ments basic to life — bread, fruit, water, and rats — are here in pro­fu­sion. These poems are built for our time.”