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A review by katnortonwriter
The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War by Delphine Minoui
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
I have mixed feelings about Minoui's writing, in part because the other book of hers that I know ("Nujood") ended up being so exploitative. I'm not sure that she's to blame for that, but it was still in the back of my mind as I read this one.
This being a translation, I'm also not sure how much to say about language. Structurally, "Book Collectors" is interesting, because Minoui was never able to visit the library at the heart of this book. As in Rolling Blackouts and Joe Sacco's works, a significant part of this story is focused on Minoui's experiences as recorder/reporter/witness. The connections felt a bit surface-level and I think she could have gone deeper, but again, that might be partly the result of reading a translation.
I am grossly underinformed about this subject, and read "The Book Collectors" as part of my self-education to make up for years of being an ignorant white American. Beyond the situation Minoui describes in Syria, I found this to be quite relevant in other ways, since may of us are bearing witness to an ongoing atrocity through various forms of social media. As someone who lives in a country where banning books and limiting access to information is a huge concern, I found her reflections on the power of books, libraries, and education to be intensely relevant and concerning.
I'm still struggling to understand the larger political landscape in which these events took place. This isn't the most helpful book I've read, but its narrow focus makes it easier to understand this little snippet. If you only read one nonfiction book this year, I'm not sure this should be it, but I did find this to be a worthwhile read in the larger context of my self-guided curriculum.
This being a translation, I'm also not sure how much to say about language. Structurally, "Book Collectors" is interesting, because Minoui was never able to visit the library at the heart of this book. As in Rolling Blackouts and Joe Sacco's works, a significant part of this story is focused on Minoui's experiences as recorder/reporter/witness. The connections felt a bit surface-level and I think she could have gone deeper, but again, that might be partly the result of reading a translation.
I am grossly underinformed about this subject, and read "The Book Collectors" as part of my self-education to make up for years of being an ignorant white American. Beyond the situation Minoui describes in Syria, I found this to be quite relevant in other ways, since may of us are bearing witness to an ongoing atrocity through various forms of social media. As someone who lives in a country where banning books and limiting access to information is a huge concern, I found her reflections on the power of books, libraries, and education to be intensely relevant and concerning.
I'm still struggling to understand the larger political landscape in which these events took place. This isn't the most helpful book I've read, but its narrow focus makes it easier to understand this little snippet. If you only read one nonfiction book this year, I'm not sure this should be it, but I did find this to be a worthwhile read in the larger context of my self-guided curriculum.