"From the River to the Sea" is a novel centered on a fictional elite university campus outside Chicago. It takes place in the year before the Hamas massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023. The protagonists are college students affected by the campus BDS movement (boycott, divestment, sanctions of Israel). Some are supportive and others are in strong opposition. Through dialogue, much background information about the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict is presented. The two main characters are senior David Applebaum and freshman Rebecca Goldman. David wants Rebecca in his bed. Initially, she says no. But then something bad happens, and she reconsiders. Other characters include: Michael Solomon, a Jewish convert to the Baháʼí faith; Gordon Geddy, the local BDS club leader; and a history professor with a new book about who he thinks is to blame for the anti-Semitism on college campuses. Early in the novel two FBI agents pay a visit to the school president. They relay concern about a possible terrorist attack on campus. Is BDS involved? Possibly Readers should find the novel both educational and entertaining. Educational; Historical context for the 2023 Hamas attack and Gaza war that followed. Entertaining; Sex (not graphic), love, campus conflict, and mayhem. It's all here.
