The Divide: Seven true stories of compassion and connection, in a world that wants to keep us apart

Maurits Chabot

Oct 2026 · Dorling Kindersley Ltd

About this ebook

How far is the distance between us? Can it really be too wide to cross, or too deep to heal?

All over the world, there are divides. Whether it is through prejudice, conflict or seemingly random acts of violence, the human race will always find a way to split itself into factions. Sometimes this is a matter of personal politics; sometimes it is necessary for survival.

And yet, there are exceptions. Although the world is more divided than ever, it is our human impulse towards forgiveness that persists, inspiring friendships in the most unlikely of places.

In The Divide, Maurits Chabot takes us on a journalistic quest across the world in seven true stories, from Rwanda, along the border posts of Palestine and Israel, through an art gallery in Oslo, and into the heart of the American prison system. These seven stories, each as unique as the last, capture the phenomenon of forgiveness and compassion in the face of the most extreme conflicts.

In increasingly divisive times, we must ask ourselves: who is that person across the divide? What is their story? And how far is the distance between us?

About the author

Maurits Chabot is a Dutch author and journalist. He began his career in journalism at the age of twelve, writing for a newspaper as a sports reporter. Since then, he has studied at universities in Antwerp, Prague, Amsterdam, Paris, Leiden and Oxford. He has made documentaries for Channel 1 in The Netherlands, as well as writing for de Volkskrant for a number of years. In 2022, he published Over de Kloof in The Netherlands to great acclaim, followed by Then We See the Same Stars in 2026, a book about his experiences on the front lines in Ukraine. The Divide (orig. Over de Kloof) will be his first book translated into English, and is set to publish globally in Autumn 2026.