TBA Book Club-“The Human Scale” by Lawrence Wright

Wewill meet on Tuesday, November 11, at 7:30, via Zoom, to discuss the fiction book, The Human Scale,by Lawrence Wright. There is a hardbackedition, 429 pages, and a large print edition, 655 pages, available.The book was published in 2025. It may be found at theOakland library, as well as via Link+: 

https://csul.iii.com/search?/Xthe+human+scale&SORT=DZ/Xthe+human+scale&SORT=DZ&extended=0&SUBKEY=the+human+scale/1%2C1402%2C1402%2CB/frameset&FF=Xthe+human+scale&SORT=DZ&2%2C2%2C   Hardback Edition

https://csul.iii.com/search?/Xthe+human+scale&SORT=DZ/Xthe+human+scale&SORT=DZ&extended=0&SUBKEY=the+human+scale/1%2C1402%2C1402%2CB/frameset&FF=Xthe+human+scale&SORT=DZ&1%2C1%2C    Large Print Edition

LawrenceWright at the height of his powers. Centering around the newfound—andforced—relationship between an American/Palestinian FBI agent and a hardlineIsraeli cop, working together uneasily to solve the murder of the Israelipolice chief in Gaza. Moving, thrilling, with extraordinary scope, it does forPalestine and Israel what Gorky Park didyears ago for Russia. In the vein of LeCarré and Graham Greene, this is therare novel that manages to entertain, educate, and deeply move the reader.

Tony Malik is a half-Irish, half-Arab New York based FBI agent, specializing inmoney flowing from drug and arms deals. The novel opens in shocking fashion,with Malik seriously injured by a terrorist-planted bomb. During his lengthyrecuperative process, his life changes radically. A long-term relationshipends, and his job is on the verge of being taken away from him. During thisperiod he learns more about his roots and becomes interested in his father’spast and family – his father came to America years ago from Palestine. Hedecides to make a trip to his father’s homeland to attend the wedding of hisniece, whom he has never met. As a result of his plans, he is given a simpleassignment by his boss at the FBI, partly to see how well he can still do hisjob. That simple assignment becomes extremely complicated.
As soon as he arrives in Gaza, the Israeli police chief overseeing the area ismurdered. Malik is at first a suspect. Then, due to his superior investigativeskills, he is invited into the Israeli investigation, seeking the murderer. Atthe center of this novel is Malik’s relationship with Yossi, the hardlineanti-Arab Israeli police officer leading the investigation. They must learn totrust each other because, as they move closer to solving the case, they realizethere is no one else they can trust on either side.
Extraordinary three dimensional characters populate this Yossi’s daughter,studying in Paris, trying to escape the violence that surrounds her in Israel;Malik’s niece, whose wedding and life are shattered by the murder; her fiancé,a peacenik whose existence is complicated by the fact that his cousin is highup in the Hamas command; religious leaders on both sides; corrupt Israeli cops;Palestinians thirsting for violence against Israel; Israelis determined tocrush the Palestinians. Lawrence Wright brings a wide and complicatedtapestry to life, one that culminates on October 7 with the deadlyHamas attack on Israel. But he has written more than just a thriller, or evenjust an examination of all these complicated lives. He has written a novel thatmanages to explore and explain much of the devastating history that encompassesthe relationship between Israel and Palestine—and shows it to us in a way thatpoignantly reveals the tragic human scale that is involved.