Scan barcode
A review by settare
How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden
2.0
As a comic, it's beautifully made. As a story with a certain political agenda? Well. The book's message sounds so ambiguous and distorted that I have seen negative reviews on it from both sides of the conflict.
Personally, I thought this book was going to be an unbiased and observant narrative. But it isn't. At this point, I've realized that no one can ever be unbiased when talking about the Palestine-Israel conflict. I'm happy to listen to both sides. But I prefer books that are upfront about their message, not the ones that pretend to be something while being the opposite entirely.
This memoir tells the story of a 26-year-old Jewish American woman (who is your typical New Yorker liberal upper-middle-class woman, is somewhat sympathetic towards Palestine, and is dating a Muslim guy) who decides to go on a birthright trip to Israel to find some answers and soothe her conflicted mind and inner-struggles. She goes on this trip quite biased against Israel, and after every conversation that she has, after receiving any piece of information from Israelis, she reflects and thinks to herself that she's being brainwashed and that she won't allow the pro-Israel propaganda to get into her.
At the end of the trip, however, she leaves the country more conflicted than ever, not having found any answers to any of her questions. It seems realistic, right? (referring to the fact that the situation is, in fact, a lot more complicated and you cannot find definite answers so easily)
The problem is, on this trip, she only hears the Israeli side of the story. She initially plans to go to the West Bank, but some people advise her against it, and she is too scared to take a cab there, even though she has been reassured that it's probably safe. So she doesn't meet any Palestinians. The only Palestinian she meets is a woman working for a peace organization and living in Jerusalem, who asks Sarah and others to be neither pro-Palestine nor pro-Israel, but rather be pro-peace. That person is the ONLY representative of Palestinians in the book. That's unfair. Sarah hears a lot of definitely pro-Israel opinions throughout the book. More than I can keep count of. Why doesn't she meet any Pro-Palestine Palestinians? The book completely circumvents and leaves out the Palestinian narrative, while the main character is supposedly more sympathetic towards Palestinians? Isn't that a bit rhetorical? It tries to show that the reason Sarah feels for Palestinians is that she's naive, misinformed, and obnoxious, that she is under social pressure. It even vaguely implies that Sarah is under some pressure from her Muslim boyfriend and his father.
I honestly don't know whether this memoir is genuine. On the surface, it may seem like it. But I have a very weird feeling about this book. I feel like the book is showing me something but actually trying to prove the opposite. I feel like this book has a point, but I can't be certain if that point is what I think it is.
To her credit, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful, and Sarah's personality resonated with me. I didn't think she was obnoxious (maybe that means I'm obnoxious myself?)
In the end, I think it's a good book as a graphic comic and a personal memoir. However, it is not an "unbiased observation" of the conflict. It has a point. And you have to think for yourself what that point is, and take from it what you will.
Personally, I thought this book was going to be an unbiased and observant narrative. But it isn't. At this point, I've realized that no one can ever be unbiased when talking about the Palestine-Israel conflict. I'm happy to listen to both sides. But I prefer books that are upfront about their message, not the ones that pretend to be something while being the opposite entirely.
This memoir tells the story of a 26-year-old Jewish American woman (who is your typical New Yorker liberal upper-middle-class woman, is somewhat sympathetic towards Palestine, and is dating a Muslim guy) who decides to go on a birthright trip to Israel to find some answers and soothe her conflicted mind and inner-struggles. She goes on this trip quite biased against Israel, and after every conversation that she has, after receiving any piece of information from Israelis, she reflects and thinks to herself that she's being brainwashed and that she won't allow the pro-Israel propaganda to get into her.
At the end of the trip, however, she leaves the country more conflicted than ever, not having found any answers to any of her questions. It seems realistic, right? (referring to the fact that the situation is, in fact, a lot more complicated and you cannot find definite answers so easily)
The problem is, on this trip, she only hears the Israeli side of the story. She initially plans to go to the West Bank, but some people advise her against it, and she is too scared to take a cab there, even though she has been reassured that it's probably safe. So she doesn't meet any Palestinians. The only Palestinian she meets is a woman working for a peace organization and living in Jerusalem, who asks Sarah and others to be neither pro-Palestine nor pro-Israel, but rather be pro-peace. That person is the ONLY representative of Palestinians in the book. That's unfair. Sarah hears a lot of definitely pro-Israel opinions throughout the book. More than I can keep count of. Why doesn't she meet any Pro-Palestine Palestinians? The book completely circumvents and leaves out the Palestinian narrative, while the main character is supposedly more sympathetic towards Palestinians? Isn't that a bit rhetorical? It tries to show that the reason Sarah feels for Palestinians is that she's naive, misinformed, and obnoxious, that she is under social pressure. It even vaguely implies that Sarah is under some pressure from her Muslim boyfriend and his father.
I honestly don't know whether this memoir is genuine. On the surface, it may seem like it. But I have a very weird feeling about this book. I feel like the book is showing me something but actually trying to prove the opposite. I feel like this book has a point, but I can't be certain if that point is what I think it is.
To her credit, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful, and Sarah's personality resonated with me. I didn't think she was obnoxious (maybe that means I'm obnoxious myself?)
In the end, I think it's a good book as a graphic comic and a personal memoir. However, it is not an "unbiased observation" of the conflict. It has a point. And you have to think for yourself what that point is, and take from it what you will.