Tareq AlSourani, 17, was born and raised in Gaza City, where he endured the profound pain and hardship of multiple hostilities. Following the latest war on Gaza, six months later, Tareq and his family-his mother and three siblings-left their home, first seeking refuge in Egypt and eventually resettling in Canada. This book marks Tareq's debut as a writer, driven by his belief in the transformative power of storytelling. His writing reflects a deep longing to preserve the truths of his experiences-not just the events themselves but the emotions and lived realities that accompanied them. For Tareq, this book is much more than a chronicle of war. It is a deeply personal homecoming etched onto its pages-a way to express himself from exile while staying intimately connected to the city he was forced to leave. To Tareq, writing is an act of reclamation, both deeply personal and profoundly universal-as he reclaims memory, identity, and hope. Yara Nasser is an 18-year-old writer and student who grew up-and continues to live-in Gaza City, Palestine. She views writing as something akin to a bellybutton, connecting her to a personal identity molded by rupture, resistance, and reflection. Her interest in journalism and literature informs a mode of storytelling and war memorialization concerned less with representation than with witnessing, always seeking to stay as close to reality as possible. For her, writing is not merely catharsis, but a practice of excavation of truth, dignity, selfhood, and interior life in contexts where all are endangered. She writes to explore the emotional weight of survival and the fragile shape of identity. This book marks the beginning of her journey as a writer, but its roots reach far deeper into her lived experience.