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nocturama's review against another edition
4.5
the daily realities and brutalities of palestinian life under israeli occupation that joe sacco visually and textually captures in this groundbreaking work of graphic journalism--settlers attacking palestinian villages, soldiers uprooting palestinians' olive trees and demolishing homes, shin bet operatives arbitrarily detaining and torturing palestinian men--have only intensified in the three decades since publication. the earlier comics set in jerusalem and the west bank have a sort of cheerful cynicism to them, with sacco playing the role of the blithe american, but as the stories of violence and dispossession accumulate, sacco shifts into a more matter-of-fact, journalistic tone, directly and unflinchingly conveying the testimonies he collects.
the final sequence of comics in gaza are especially stark: muddy streets filled with dead rats, rain dripping through corrugated metal roofs, three generations of families (the oldest of which remember the nakba) crowded into one-room homes. there's a comic where two young activists lead sacco through jabalia camp, retracing the route the protester took on the day the first intifada began. today, of course, as we approach the seven months since israel launched it's genocide against palestinians in gaza, jabalia and all of the sites sacco draws have been reduced to rubble, with rotting corpses buried beneath.
sacco has some obvious limitations--he's devotes exactly two comics to women's rights in the palestinian liberation movement, followed by a sexist joke about polygamy--but this is an indelible, educational, and engaging depiction of palestine, its people, and their continued struggle for freedom.
the final sequence of comics in gaza are especially stark: muddy streets filled with dead rats, rain dripping through corrugated metal roofs, three generations of families (the oldest of which remember the nakba) crowded into one-room homes. there's a comic where two young activists lead sacco through jabalia camp, retracing the route the protester took on the day the first intifada began. today, of course, as we approach the seven months since israel launched it's genocide against palestinians in gaza, jabalia and all of the sites sacco draws have been reduced to rubble, with rotting corpses buried beneath.
sacco has some obvious limitations--he's devotes exactly two comics to women's rights in the palestinian liberation movement, followed by a sexist joke about polygamy--but this is an indelible, educational, and engaging depiction of palestine, its people, and their continued struggle for freedom.
trolberger_helper's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
A painful book to sit through for sure, but one well worth the read. It paints a very clear picture of what life in Palestine was like during the first intifada. Decades later, circumstances likely haven't changed much in the West Bank (and in Gaza, it's tragically only gotten worse).
I do want to echo what some people have said about the author's crude sense of humor that can often come across as insensitive. Personally, though, I saw it more as him criticizing himself and his own privilege. I felt it was vaguely reminiscent of Bo Burnham's Inside, where he expressed his complicated emotions as he learned about the injustices of the world, while also critiquing himself for centering his own emotions in it. I think, when we come from a place of privilege and we know that it's so easy for us to not look at the situation in Palestine (or in the case of Joe Sacco, that he didn't have to live through it), there's always going to be a selfish voice that wants you to look away and let yourself be comfortable. Sacco expressed that voice, and often still chose to center his own comfort when he could (ex: gorging himself on food served at a refugee's house), but I don't think he was patting himself on the back for being oh-so-charming. We can argue about whether or not he's a particularly good person, but I think he was honest about how he experienced these things and still chose to challenge his own right to comfort by following through on his work, staying in Gaza when he desperately wanted to leave, following the sound of gunshots and percussion grenades even when he was afraid, and having some rather difficult conversations with the Israelis he met.
All in all, it's a great read, but you should definitely be aware what you're getting into, both in terms of the graphicness of the material and the crudeness of the narration.
I do want to echo what some people have said about the author's crude sense of humor that can often come across as insensitive. Personally, though, I saw it more as him criticizing himself and his own privilege. I felt it was vaguely reminiscent of Bo Burnham's Inside, where he expressed his complicated emotions as he learned about the injustices of the world, while also critiquing himself for centering his own emotions in it. I think, when we come from a place of privilege and we know that it's so easy for us to not look at the situation in Palestine (or in the case of Joe Sacco, that he didn't have to live through it), there's always going to be a selfish voice that wants you to look away and let yourself be comfortable. Sacco expressed that voice, and often still chose to center his own comfort when he could (ex: gorging himself on food served at a refugee's house), but I don't think he was patting himself on the back for being oh-so-charming. We can argue about whether or not he's a particularly good person, but I think he was honest about how he experienced these things and still chose to challenge his own right to comfort by following through on his work, staying in Gaza when he desperately wanted to leave, following the sound of gunshots and percussion grenades even when he was afraid, and having some rather difficult conversations with the Israelis he met.
All in all, it's a great read, but you should definitely be aware what you're getting into, both in terms of the graphicness of the material and the crudeness of the narration.
bart_gunn's review against another edition
3.0
Heartbreaking and infuriating. The artwork is also very evocative. What spoils this read however is the author’s narration which is often crude and insensitive and his persistent attempts at humour are trite.
anaisrvlr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
crip_raptor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
zozierose's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
catlove9's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
goatieboi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
This book certainly makes you think, having the perfect balance of informative as well as just noting this authors experience in occupied Palestine as well as Gaza. There were topics I thought he wasn’t going to speak on and I was pleasantly surprised.
This is definitely a book I would recommend to those who don’t understand what is currently happening in Palestine.
This is definitely a book I would recommend to those who don’t understand what is currently happening in Palestine.