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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
4 lyrically dark stars to Sadness Is a White Bird! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Jonathan is 19 years old and preparing to serve in the Israeli army when he befriends Palestinian twins, Laith and Nimreen. As the story begins, Jonathan is in jail, and his story is told through letters to Laith. The second person narrative was refreshing.
Through Jonathan’s friendship with Laith and Nimreen, he begins a journey of self-discovery and coming-of-age where his emotions give rise to conflict within him about serving in the army.
This book was short and full of meaning. The message on conflict resonated with me because, generally speaking, sometimes we think we are on the right side of the conflict, but there’s always another side and many more voices to be heard. Some of the imagery at the end gave me chills.
Interestingly, in the audio, the passages in different languages were not included, so I did not experience that possible disconnection from the story that I’ve read about in reviews. The narrator added to the story. His voice was eerie and foreboding.
Sadness is a White Bird is a novel of friendship and full-bodied emotion. The author’s language is lyrical without being over-done. The emotions of the characters are transparent.
Thanks to many, many of my GR friends for the recommendation to read this thought-provoking book. This was a Traveling Sister Read, and for the combined Sister Review, please visit Brenda and Norma’s blog: https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com
Jonathan is 19 years old and preparing to serve in the Israeli army when he befriends Palestinian twins, Laith and Nimreen. As the story begins, Jonathan is in jail, and his story is told through letters to Laith. The second person narrative was refreshing.
Through Jonathan’s friendship with Laith and Nimreen, he begins a journey of self-discovery and coming-of-age where his emotions give rise to conflict within him about serving in the army.
This book was short and full of meaning. The message on conflict resonated with me because, generally speaking, sometimes we think we are on the right side of the conflict, but there’s always another side and many more voices to be heard. Some of the imagery at the end gave me chills.
Interestingly, in the audio, the passages in different languages were not included, so I did not experience that possible disconnection from the story that I’ve read about in reviews. The narrator added to the story. His voice was eerie and foreboding.
Sadness is a White Bird is a novel of friendship and full-bodied emotion. The author’s language is lyrical without being over-done. The emotions of the characters are transparent.
Thanks to many, many of my GR friends for the recommendation to read this thought-provoking book. This was a Traveling Sister Read, and for the combined Sister Review, please visit Brenda and Norma’s blog: https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com
I really enjoyed this book-beautiful writing that humanizes he internal and external conflict of Jews and Arabs in Israel and Palestine.
This book has been staring at me from the bookshelf for months. I bought it because it was so highly rated but unavailable in my tiny library system. But knowing that the topic was going to be heavy on religion (not my cuppa) and debating the 'ownership' of Palestine (also not my cuppa), I let it collect dust until now.
There is no doubt that the writing is lovely - gorgeous descriptions that set you right in the center of a beautiful friendship or feeling the animalistic passion of young love or even the deep-seated fear of being stranded on a highway in enemy territory, not knowing if you will die when the next car stops. Rothman-Zecher's gift lies in painting emotion right into a scene.
Rothman-Zecher also captures the teenaged angst, passion and impatience with all things political. Jonathan feels enormous pressure from peers, his grandfather and the Jewish culture to play his part in defending the Israeli nation. He has always dreamed of being called up to the IDF so that he can fight for Israel and his family's honour.
At 18 years old, Jonathan befriends a set of Palestinian twins. As this triad grow close and then inseparable, Jonathan is introduced to unfamiliar perspectives and he is forced to question all that he has been taught. These friends are not his enemies - or are they? They all love the same things but they are at an age where they must choose between following their cultural roots or walking away from it all.
I found the first half to be very slow. The plot and the action pick up around halfway, when Jonathon follows his Jewish roots to Greece. Here, while indulging his anger at the erasure of Jewish heritage, he finally sees that the displacement of Jews from Greece is essentially the same situation as Palestinian displacement in Israel.
It took a long time and a lot of backstory to bring us along to that point.
This is a tender topic for many but, as a complete outsider for either side, I think that Rothman-Zender did an excellent job of sharing both perspectives.
There is no doubt that the writing is lovely - gorgeous descriptions that set you right in the center of a beautiful friendship or feeling the animalistic passion of young love or even the deep-seated fear of being stranded on a highway in enemy territory, not knowing if you will die when the next car stops. Rothman-Zecher's gift lies in painting emotion right into a scene.
Rothman-Zecher also captures the teenaged angst, passion and impatience with all things political. Jonathan feels enormous pressure from peers, his grandfather and the Jewish culture to play his part in defending the Israeli nation. He has always dreamed of being called up to the IDF so that he can fight for Israel and his family's honour.
At 18 years old, Jonathan befriends a set of Palestinian twins. As this triad grow close and then inseparable, Jonathan is introduced to unfamiliar perspectives and he is forced to question all that he has been taught. These friends are not his enemies - or are they? They all love the same things but they are at an age where they must choose between following their cultural roots or walking away from it all.
I found the first half to be very slow. The plot and the action pick up around halfway, when Jonathon follows his Jewish roots to Greece. Here, while indulging his anger at the erasure of Jewish heritage, he finally sees that the displacement of Jews from Greece is essentially the same situation as Palestinian displacement in Israel.
It took a long time and a lot of backstory to bring us along to that point.
This is a tender topic for many but, as a complete outsider for either side, I think that Rothman-Zender did an excellent job of sharing both perspectives.
Exquisite lyrical writing that captures an extremely complex conflict with humanity and grace. Using a letter format, the main character, a member of Israel’s army, writes to his Palestinian friend about his role in the war raging on around them — and inevitably inside his heart. It’s an incredible take on Jewish-Arab relations. Grappling also with family, patriotism, history and ancestry, friendships, sexuality and just about every other aspect a young man’s identity, this is a heartbreaking story that finds compassion on both sides. It’s raw, real and profound.
This was a really interesting book to me... I had been looking for ways to learn more about Israeli/Palestinian relations and this definitely accomplished it but from within the Israeli/Zionist perspective. However, I think it was really critical of Zionism in ways that I appreciated. I think I was still craving great perspective from a Palestinian perspective as the two Palestinian siblings ended up a bit two-dimensional in my opinion, but otherwise I enjoyed it.
I enjoy reading literary fiction and this book did not disappoint. This is a coming of age story that deals with difficult political issues and relationships. The characters and story are well drawn and captivating. The writing is poetic and surprising at times -- really wonderful. This was a book I looked forward to reading each day and was sad when it was over. I highly recommend.
This book is one big beautiful gut punch.
Sadness is a White Bird presents the inner-turmoil of a young Israeli-born-American who returns to Israel with this family and faces an impending draft date to join the IDF. While he spends much of his time with his Israeli friends, dreaming of their platoons, assignments, desert goldened bodies, and replicating their grandfathers' heroic stories - he also begins to develop a new set of friends.
Jonathan's mother introduces him to her Palestinian friends, whose twin children Jonathan quickly befriends - and, falls in love with. Their friendship blossoms as they dive deeper into each others lives. At the same time, Jonathan struggles inside as he grapples with hearing the reality of the occupation from the oppressed - rather than the stories he has been fed from his Zionist grandfather and nation since his birth. At first he resists, wanting to believe in the goodness of the situation, wanting to believe that everyone experiences and honest and beautiful connection to Palestinians as he does.
And, of course, it takes tragedy for him to lean he is wrong. Jonathan does eventually join the IDF, believing that he will be able to maintain his morality, his perspective, his respect for all humanity. All of which are put to the test - along side the friendships that mean most to him.
Really crushingly beautiful, exciting, and a strong representation of the struggles that apparently the author faced as he refused to serve in the IDF and was imprisoned for doing so.
Highly recommended.
Sadness is a White Bird presents the inner-turmoil of a young Israeli-born-American who returns to Israel with this family and faces an impending draft date to join the IDF. While he spends much of his time with his Israeli friends, dreaming of their platoons, assignments, desert goldened bodies, and replicating their grandfathers' heroic stories - he also begins to develop a new set of friends.
Jonathan's mother introduces him to her Palestinian friends, whose twin children Jonathan quickly befriends - and, falls in love with. Their friendship blossoms as they dive deeper into each others lives. At the same time, Jonathan struggles inside as he grapples with hearing the reality of the occupation from the oppressed - rather than the stories he has been fed from his Zionist grandfather and nation since his birth. At first he resists, wanting to believe in the goodness of the situation, wanting to believe that everyone experiences and honest and beautiful connection to Palestinians as he does.
And, of course, it takes tragedy for him to lean he is wrong. Jonathan does eventually join the IDF, believing that he will be able to maintain his morality, his perspective, his respect for all humanity. All of which are put to the test - along side the friendships that mean most to him.
Really crushingly beautiful, exciting, and a strong representation of the struggles that apparently the author faced as he refused to serve in the IDF and was imprisoned for doing so.
Highly recommended.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This novel is a testament to the power of fiction. While most of us can intellectually grasp some of the reasons for the divisions between Israeli Jews and Palestinians, we are unable to fathom the emotional depths and the deeply ingrained, historically-based passions involved. This novel, more than anything else I've read or seen, has made the Israeli-Palestinian conflict vividly real to me. And the author achieved this effect with grace, nuance, brilliant character development, and a refusal to try to simplify the complexities of the situation.
This is a novel about three individuals on the verge of adulthood--two Palestinians and an Israeli Jew--who form a friendship. They become very close, growing to love each other--and even falling in love. In giving us an intimate portrait of this friendship, this novel also helps us understand the social and political realities in contemporary Israel and Palestine.
It is one of the best books of 2018.
This is a novel about three individuals on the verge of adulthood--two Palestinians and an Israeli Jew--who form a friendship. They become very close, growing to love each other--and even falling in love. In giving us an intimate portrait of this friendship, this novel also helps us understand the social and political realities in contemporary Israel and Palestine.
It is one of the best books of 2018.