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moongirljesse's review
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Everyone should read this book. Whether you know nothing about Palestine or are well-informed, this book has something for you. I consider myself on the well-informed side, but there were still plenty of things here that were new to me (and added fuel to my fire of anger). An extremely important book for all citizens of the world! ESPECIALLY those who still think the US is at all a moral or good country.
harpersee's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
A lot of good information, and inspiration examples of the solidarity that exists between the oppressed. It’s refreshing to read an analysis on Palestinian liberation that refuses to sideline women and LGTBQIA+ people.
Having said that - some things annoyed me. Of course gendered violence is not any more inherent to Islam than it is to any other religion; it is not any more inherent to Palestinians than it is to any other nationality. But it *is* inherent to class based society writ large which all modern cultures are subject to. I just found it a frustrating and perhaps dismissive analysis to sort of suggest that it is *only* a product of Israeli and US imperialism - which no doubt exacerbate the issues by fostering a culture of violence but does not absolve individuals who are violent towards Palestinian women and queer people in their lives.
I also wanted to hear more about what land back would look like in practice. Like abolishing the police I totally get and an am open to why it’s such an important idea but am not sure it totally deals with the existing reality so would just like to learn more.
Having said that - some things annoyed me. Of course gendered violence is not any more inherent to Islam than it is to any other religion; it is not any more inherent to Palestinians than it is to any other nationality. But it *is* inherent to class based society writ large which all modern cultures are subject to. I just found it a frustrating and perhaps dismissive analysis to sort of suggest that it is *only* a product of Israeli and US imperialism - which no doubt exacerbate the issues by fostering a culture of violence but does not absolve individuals who are violent towards Palestinian women and queer people in their lives.
I also wanted to hear more about what land back would look like in practice. Like abolishing the police I totally get and an am open to why it’s such an important idea but am not sure it totally deals with the existing reality so would just like to learn more.
crybabybea's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This is the intersectional, radical view I wanted from Except for Palestine.
Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts breaks down the interconnectedness of the Palestinian liberation movement. It explains how the Palestinian movement goes hand-in-hand with anti-racist movements, anti-colonial indigenous movements, feminist movements, LGBTQIA2S+ movements, and anti-fascist movements.
In doing so, Nada Elia also breaks down common propaganda tactics used by Zionists to defend their ideology and Israel's existence, from redwashing (Israel claiming its sovereignty is an indigenous rights issue), pinkwashing (Israel positioning itself as a safe haven in Western Asia for queer folks despite killing and discriminating against anyone who isn't a white gay man), and greenwashing (Israel taking a stance as the "vegan capital of the world" despite destroying Palestinian land and culture). I found the whole book super insightful and I learned a lot about how the Palestinian struggle connects to other movements across the globe. I appreciated Nada Elia's hard and fast stance against a two-state solution, and her argument that, as an indigenous rights issue, the only solution to the Palestinian struggle is a land-back movement similar to indigenous movements in the USA.
This was a great addition to my knowledge of Palestine that used more modern language and explored modern issues rather than focusing on the history of Palestine.
I appreciated Nada Elia's writing, she made everything feel accessible without talking down to the reader, and took her time to explain certain verbage or context that was necessary to understand her argumentation.
Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts breaks down the interconnectedness of the Palestinian liberation movement. It explains how the Palestinian movement goes hand-in-hand with anti-racist movements, anti-colonial indigenous movements, feminist movements, LGBTQIA2S+ movements, and anti-fascist movements.
In doing so, Nada Elia also breaks down common propaganda tactics used by Zionists to defend their ideology and Israel's existence, from redwashing (Israel claiming its sovereignty is an indigenous rights issue), pinkwashing (Israel positioning itself as a safe haven in Western Asia for queer folks despite killing and discriminating against anyone who isn't a white gay man), and greenwashing (Israel taking a stance as the "vegan capital of the world" despite destroying Palestinian land and culture). I found the whole book super insightful and I learned a lot about how the Palestinian struggle connects to other movements across the globe. I appreciated Nada Elia's hard and fast stance against a two-state solution, and her argument that, as an indigenous rights issue, the only solution to the Palestinian struggle is a land-back movement similar to indigenous movements in the USA.
This was a great addition to my knowledge of Palestine that used more modern language and explored modern issues rather than focusing on the history of Palestine.
I appreciated Nada Elia's writing, she made everything feel accessible without talking down to the reader, and took her time to explain certain verbage or context that was necessary to understand her argumentation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Colonisation, Rape, War, Xenophobia, Racism, Police brutality, Islamophobia, and Transphobia
anastasiadreaming's review
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.5
While the case studies were interesting and explored the topic from several angles, the arguments were oftentimes structured poorly and did not contextualise nor introduce numerous topics, which led to a lack of nuance.
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This should be required reading!
Thank you to Pluto Press for getting this on my radar. I appreciated how Nada Elia connected and compared other situations to the occupation in Palestine. It is an important reminder that all of our struggles are connected, and we are not free 'til we are *all* free.
Free Palestine & call your reps to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza!
This should be required reading!
Thank you to Pluto Press for getting this on my radar. I appreciated how Nada Elia connected and compared other situations to the occupation in Palestine. It is an important reminder that all of our struggles are connected, and we are not free 'til we are *all* free.
Free Palestine & call your reps to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Genocide, Racism, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Police brutality