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emiek's review against another edition
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I thought this book would be interesting, because it could show me another perspective on the Israel-Palestina conflict. Unfortunately, it didn't really, because even though it describes the story from the perspective of a Palestinian boy, the western perspective of the writer is very clear throughout the whole book. I thought the characters were more like annoying stereotypes than real people: Ichmad is a self-loathing boy with a hero complex, his brother a pitiful villain that must be saved. I think she tried to bring a more nuanced view on the conflict to show that the two groups could live together if they look beyond ethnicity, but to me it just feels very naive and white saviour-like. All in all, wouldn't recommend.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death
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