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A review by books_ergo_sum
Palestinian Walks: Forays Into a Vanishing Landscape by Raja Shehadeh
reflective
5.0
What a unique nonfiction book!
This felt, vibes-wise, like if Midsommar (yes, the horror movie) was set in Palestine. About hiking. And Florence Pugh was played by the Uncle-iest Uncle that ever Uncled, Mr. Shehadeh.
Am I making any sense? 😆
Yes, it was about hiking. Our author is a middle aged property lawyer who escaped the humdrum of Ramallah with his hiking hobby. We encountered some breathtaking vistas, a cool fossil, and lovely local flora and fauna.
It began as the pure love that a nature-enthusiast indigenous person can have for their environment. But then there was this dawning horror, an increasing sense of unease, as that nature was slowly partitioned, fortified, and settled by an occupying force.
So this was also a book about how occupation kinda… snuck up on West Bank Palestinians. It snuck up on our author/Uncle, Mr. Shehadeh. And it sneaks up on the reader, too. It wasn’t a nonfiction history of Palestine, this was a book about how occupation *feels*—even for this lovely man’s lovely hobby.
This felt, vibes-wise, like if Midsommar (yes, the horror movie) was set in Palestine. About hiking. And Florence Pugh was played by the Uncle-iest Uncle that ever Uncled, Mr. Shehadeh.
Am I making any sense? 😆
Yes, it was about hiking. Our author is a middle aged property lawyer who escaped the humdrum of Ramallah with his hiking hobby. We encountered some breathtaking vistas, a cool fossil, and lovely local flora and fauna.
It began as the pure love that a nature-enthusiast indigenous person can have for their environment. But then there was this dawning horror, an increasing sense of unease, as that nature was slowly partitioned, fortified, and settled by an occupying force.
So this was also a book about how occupation kinda… snuck up on West Bank Palestinians. It snuck up on our author/Uncle, Mr. Shehadeh. And it sneaks up on the reader, too. It wasn’t a nonfiction history of Palestine, this was a book about how occupation *feels*—even for this lovely man’s lovely hobby.