The Wheeler Centre

Hailed as ‘blistering and brilliant’, Randa Abdel-Fattah's new work of fiction confronts uncomfortable realities of what’s at stake when we speak truth to power. An unflinching dive into the ruptures of our social fabric, Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Discipline explores the ugly truths about the sacrifices we’re willing to make in pursuit of what is right.

Through the intertwined stories of Ashraf, an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall, and Hannah, a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community, Abdel-Fattah shines a light on the compromised inner workings of two of today's most contested fields – academia and the media. Grappling with racism, moral courage and the failings of liberal institutions, this is a work that considers the choices people make to change unjust systems – or allow unjust systems to change them.

Abdel-Fattah sits down with Micaela Sahhar to discuss writing this bold novel that asks: who pays the price when those who are privileged choose to remain silent?