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haddocks_eyes's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.5
ablotial's review against another edition
4.0
With the current conflicts happening in Israel, I thought it would be a good time to pick up this book. I'll start by saying that of course this book is very one-sided and if you are looking for a balanced view of this subject, this is not the place to start. Sarah is a very leftist/liberal Jewish woman who grew up in the United States and goes on a free, Israel-sponsored birthright trip to visit Israel and experience it firsthand. As you might expect, then, the book is very much focused on the Israeli side of things - while the Palestinian side isn't completely ignored, it certainly takes a back seat. But that's very much a product of the type of trip she was on -- if anything she leans pro-Palestine and made plans to go into the Palestinian areas at the end of her trip so she could see for herself . Over the course of her trip, .
I have to say that Sarah is not a very likable person ... at least in this book... maybe she's great in real life. But here she comes across as pretty rude, thinks she's better than everyone else and her opinions are the right ones. She has no problem interrupting speakers with rude comments or incredibly obvious eye-rolls, or droning on to her friend about whatever her current issue is despite repeated requests to give it a break, speaking for her friend when it's not her place, etc. Even at the end of the book when it seems like she's figured out that the situation is a lot more complicated than she was treating it before, she still launches into her story and opinions to a new group of people, as if her opinions are more than a few days old and obviously the correct ones.
Still worth the read though. In addition to her growth as a person, there is a lot of interesting context and history here, and I googled a lot of the things mentioned to learn more. I also learned a lot about modern-day Israel and that was interesting as well.
Spoiler
at least at the beginning of the tripSpoiler
(but ends up chickening out)Spoiler
she learns a lot about Israel and the conflict and sees a side that she's not experienced in her reading. She realizes that the people on both sides are exactly that -- people -- and that makes things complicated and not black-and-white right-and wrong etc. She experiences less bias and propaganda than she expected to (which isn't to say there was none... there certainly was) and that colors her opinions of the guides and places she encounters. It's interesting to see her opinions mature over the course of the book.I have to say that Sarah is not a very likable person ... at least in this book... maybe she's great in real life. But here she comes across as pretty rude, thinks she's better than everyone else and her opinions are the right ones. She has no problem interrupting speakers with rude comments or incredibly obvious eye-rolls, or droning on to her friend about whatever her current issue is despite repeated requests to give it a break, speaking for her friend when it's not her place, etc. Even at the end of the book when it seems like she's figured out that the situation is a lot more complicated than she was treating it before, she still launches into her story and opinions to a new group of people, as if her opinions are more than a few days old and obviously the correct ones.
Still worth the read though. In addition to her growth as a person, there is a lot of interesting context and history here, and I googled a lot of the things mentioned to learn more. I also learned a lot about modern-day Israel and that was interesting as well.
atcucchetti's review against another edition
4.0
How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less is a graphic novel memoir about Sarah Glidden’s Birthright Trip to Israel. I consistently appreciate the accessibility of graphic novels. This book introduces a lot of history quickly in a way readers of all ages can absorb. Glidden’s interest in knowing more about both sides of the issue; skepticism and quick recognition of any propaganda; and emotional response to a variety of human conditions allow for an appreciation of many complexities of “the situation”. This is a good balance to Sacco’s Palestine.
calodar's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
nessynoname's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
mschlat's review against another edition
3.0
This was a reread --- I bought the GN when it came out and read it then, but I didn't remember much about it. Having throughly enjoyed Guy DeLisle's [b:Chroniques de Jérusalem|13037817|Chroniques de Jérusalem|Guy Delisle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327882244s/13037817.jpg|18201569] and looking to cull my GN collection, I took a second read.
The focus here is Sarah Glidden's birthright trip to Israel --- a free trip sponsored by a non-profit organization to help non-Israeli Jews connect with the state of Israel. Glidden starts the story highly skeptical of the entire process and deeply concerned that the scripted experiences she will go through will mask or omit the "situation". That focus stays through the book, even as Sarah runs into more balanced discussions than she expected.
Because of the tourist focus of the trip, the story itself mostly alternates between speeches Glidden hears at various sites and her emotional and intellectual responses. To avoid the talking heads syndromes, Glidden does a lot to liven up the talks. My favorite is when a tour guide describes the different levels of Jaffa built on top of each other by piling baseball caps on a tourist. Glidden then illustrates each different culture on the brims of the caps.
There's not a definitive conclusion --- at the end, Glidden is still concerned that Israel's policies are making the situation worse. There is, however, a deeper understanding on her part of how people disagree. I don't think the GN shows the same level of complexity that you see in Delisle, but I think it's worth it to see the birthright trip process and how non-Israeli Jews react to being in Israel.
The focus here is Sarah Glidden's birthright trip to Israel --- a free trip sponsored by a non-profit organization to help non-Israeli Jews connect with the state of Israel. Glidden starts the story highly skeptical of the entire process and deeply concerned that the scripted experiences she will go through will mask or omit the "situation". That focus stays through the book, even as Sarah runs into more balanced discussions than she expected.
Because of the tourist focus of the trip, the story itself mostly alternates between speeches Glidden hears at various sites and her emotional and intellectual responses. To avoid the talking heads syndromes, Glidden does a lot to liven up the talks. My favorite is when a tour guide describes the different levels of Jaffa built on top of each other by piling baseball caps on a tourist. Glidden then illustrates each different culture on the brims of the caps.
There's not a definitive conclusion --- at the end, Glidden is still concerned that Israel's policies are making the situation worse. There is, however, a deeper understanding on her part of how people disagree. I don't think the GN shows the same level of complexity that you see in Delisle, but I think it's worth it to see the birthright trip process and how non-Israeli Jews react to being in Israel.