The writing style makes this book easy reading, but the content contained is absolutely horrific, heart breaking, and hard to truly comprehend. If this was fiction it would be overkill, barbaric, cruel; the fact that it is factual, current, and ongoing is inexcusable. There is no humanely possible way that we can still be ignorant or apathetic to the plight of the Palestinians. It is an occupation. It is apartheid. It is oppression. I often don’t review adult non fiction, but because this is ongoing and we have the power to do something, BDS, I’m reviewing this book. The book describes torture, death, abuse, cruelty, you name it, but I think mature young adult readers can and should read it, along with every adult. A history of major events in Palestine interwoven with Ahed Tamimi’s own experiences in the last few years, she was 16 when imprisoned, so the recent past, as lived by her and understood by her, is powerful, moving, and inspiring.
SYNOPSIS:
The book shares a lot of facts, but because the facts are contextualized you feel yourself absorbed by what it means to have your land taken, your home bulldozed. It isn’t just statistics of growing settlements, it is being cutoff from the Mediterranean Sea that you can see from the hills in your village, but cannot access because of checkpoints and armed guards, and walls. It is understanding why throwing a rock, or slapping and kicking are a form of defiance, not terrorism. It is truly seeing the situation from someone living it every day. There is nothing for me to critique or opine about in her story, nor in the book and presentation. It is hard to read, it is harder yet to know that it still persists.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I love that I sobbed and clenched my fist and Googled again what companies and organizations to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS). That is what the book is asking those of us who support the Palestinian cause to do. She says they don’t want our pity, they want our action. They want us to look at South Africa and realize the power of economic efforts by the global community on an issue. They want us to be educated about what they endure and educate others. They want us to help stop the erasure of Palestine and Palestinians. I’m so grateful that the book pointed out the direction we should take, a bleeding heart is not enough.
I love that Ahed owns her own learning and growth as she got to know Israeli Jews sympathetic to the right of Palestinians, that protested with her and her village, that fought the legal battles using their privilege to help the oppressed. I love that the book is personal and that she doesn’t apologies, that she addresses the criticisms against her, that she calls on her own people to unify, and that she is so so fierce.
I can’t imagine what her life is like, and it is truly humbling to imagine yourself in her shoes, in her mother’s shoes, her father’s. It isn’t a life anyone would chose, it isn’t a spotlight you would want. No parent would willingly push their child to this, so that she at such a young age had to endure and become what she is today, is humbling.
Islam is not a big part of the book, but Ramadan, and jummah prayers, janaza and praying salat are occasionally included.
FLAGS:
Death, fear, torture, killing, murder, oppression, loss, hate, racism, everything you can imagine and then some. There is also mention of two men having sex and a man stripping, while on prison to court transport.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I would love to attend a book club or panel discussion by Palestinians in the community using the book as a starting point for telling their own stories. I think a high school book club could handle the book, but nothing younger than that. Please purchase a book, check it out from your library, request your library to shelve it, and spread the word about this memoir that is both personal and informative.
Islamic School Librarian 