Below is a bullet-point summary of the main arguments found in critical reviews, followed by strengths and weaknesses as identified by reviewers.
Main Points (as summarized from available reviews and publisher content):
Two insiders—Agha and Malley—draw on decades of involvement in Israeli–Palestinian negotiations to analyze why the peace process failed.netgalley+2
The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent responses are contextualized as both consequences and reenactments of unresolved historical trauma and political failures.target
The authors argue that the two-state solution became an internationally accepted goal only after it ceased to be viable.netgalley+1
The book exposes the self-delusion and inauthenticity among politicians, diplomats, and mediators, asserting that diplomatic processes often substituted superficial solutions for deeper historical and emotional divides.kirkusreviews+2
The text is both memoir and analysis, offering insider anecdotes about key figures, secret talks, and the emotional terrain underlying negotiations.target+1
Agha and Malley stress that the core issues are rooted less in territory and more in historical grievance, emotion, and identity.macmillan+1
The book is positioned neither as a nihilistic treatise nor a conventional history, but as a warning that the failures of the past are repeating themselves in the present, making the future likely to resemble "yesterday."netgalley
Strengths (from critical reviews and endorsements):
Written by authors with direct negotiating experience at the highest levels, bringing granular authenticity and credibility to their analysis.target+1
Praised for honesty, candor, and willingness to critique all sides, including Western mediators.kirkusreviews+1
Blends personal narrative, history, and policy analysis in a vivid, accessible style.netgalley
Provides new insights into both the internal and external failures of the peace process, including portraits of key figures and exposing the limits of traditional diplomacy.kirkusreviews+2
Advance praise notes the book’s "acute," "courageous," and "bracing" perspective, and describes it as essential reading for understanding why the peace process collapsed.netgalley
Successfully captures the pain, complexity, and human stakes in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, making it vivid for a broad readership.kirkusreviews+1
Weaknesses (as noted in reviews and implied by endorsements):
The outlook is sometimes bleak, with reviewers noting its "bleak yet bracing" tone and a sense that "tomorrow doesn’t look more promising than yesterday."netgalley
Several reviews (e.g., Kirkus) frame it as a "postmortem of failed statesmanship," suggesting it may dwell more on diagnosis than on substantive policy prescriptions or solutions.kirkusreviews
Its deeply insider perspective, while a strength for detail, could limit accessibility for general readers less familiar with the personalities and stages of the peace process.
While the book insists it is not a nihilistic account, some readers may find the lack of optimism or actionable next steps frustrating.
If you intended a different book (for example, Jessica E. Larsen's time-travel romance or Chimeka Garricks's Nigerian novel), please clarify and I will summarize that title instead.