The Stats vs. The Story

"Palestinians are often pinioned between two opposing but equally harmful tendencies: to turn them into abstractions on a political stage, or to turn away from them because what they’re enduring is too horrendous to truly grapple with

Can even the most unfathomable statistic feel real if it's not accompanied by a singular human's story? We need both stories and stats. The hyper-personal and the sense of scale.

I've had a few tear-my-hair-out moments while trying to figure out how to incorporate statistics in my book. On one hand, they give a piece of nonfiction writing some heft. With a topic as big and broad as adulthood, the appearance of a number says, "Hey, don't take my word for it! This is quantifiable !" But as a reader, my eyes glaze ov