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A review by mxunsmiley
Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire by Jehad Abusalim, Jennifer Bing, Mike Merryman-Lotze
5.0
A wrought collection that nevertheless shows the resilience of the Palestinian people, as unfortunate and unacceptable a reality that resilience is--it was absolutely chilling to read accounts of children re-enacting their traumatic daily lives through play, even having to console each other during strikes. No living being should have to endure what is described in the pages of this collection, day after day, for decades.
The countless innovations made under occupation are impressive--alternatives to electricity, taking advantage of short-form works to compensate for Israel's destruction and suppression of publication houses--yet again, completely tragic because of the conditions they were birthed in. The Palestinians refuse to surrender, and they aptly recognize Israel's fear and subsequent suppression of literacy, education, familial/cultural ties, and culture. Every action Israel undertakes under a veneer of legality and respectability is transparent in its goal of ethnic cleansing; it's unbelievably horrific, especially when also veiled in denial on Israel's part.
One work in particular quite concisely highlights every problem with the much touted "two-state" solution, as well ("Gaza 2050: Three Scenarios" by Basman Aldirawi). The issues surrounding dispossession and loss of identity permeate this book, through efforts to maintain family structures in housing despite difficulties or impossibilities in obtaining materials, many of which are prohibited by Israel, and invocations of "temporality" which only further emphasize the continuous trauma of the Palestinians (specifically "Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Temporality" by Shahd Abusalama, but the theme of instability and the resulting disorientation runs throughout).
I have to say that it was heart-wrenching to read "Our family members have tripled since 1948" in "Travel Restrictions as a Manifestation of Nakba" by Yousef M. Aljamal, as the author also mentions that his family had "produced a family tree that allows everyone to track their ancestors and heritage". It's wretched to think of how many Palestinians have been brutalized and murdered since the penning of this work, how the late Refaat Alareer's desolate words in his introductory piece, "Gaza Asks: When Shall This Pass?" sound even bleaker, especially when one remembers how he came to be assassinated.
While the point is more toward affect overall, the collection does include a lot of historical and geographical background of Palestine; I'd say it's a good introduction for further reading because it's mind-boggling how the conditions of the occupation have changed in less than a century, as Palestinians are given no autonomy, voice, or place in the matter.
The countless innovations made under occupation are impressive--alternatives to electricity, taking advantage of short-form works to compensate for Israel's destruction and suppression of publication houses--yet again, completely tragic because of the conditions they were birthed in. The Palestinians refuse to surrender, and they aptly recognize Israel's fear and subsequent suppression of literacy, education, familial/cultural ties, and culture. Every action Israel undertakes under a veneer of legality and respectability is transparent in its goal of ethnic cleansing; it's unbelievably horrific, especially when also veiled in denial on Israel's part.
One work in particular quite concisely highlights every problem with the much touted "two-state" solution, as well ("Gaza 2050: Three Scenarios" by Basman Aldirawi). The issues surrounding dispossession and loss of identity permeate this book, through efforts to maintain family structures in housing despite difficulties or impossibilities in obtaining materials, many of which are prohibited by Israel, and invocations of "temporality" which only further emphasize the continuous trauma of the Palestinians (specifically "Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Temporality" by Shahd Abusalama, but the theme of instability and the resulting disorientation runs throughout).
I have to say that it was heart-wrenching to read "Our family members have tripled since 1948" in "Travel Restrictions as a Manifestation of Nakba" by Yousef M. Aljamal, as the author also mentions that his family had "produced a family tree that allows everyone to track their ancestors and heritage". It's wretched to think of how many Palestinians have been brutalized and murdered since the penning of this work, how the late Refaat Alareer's desolate words in his introductory piece, "Gaza Asks: When Shall This Pass?" sound even bleaker, especially when one remembers how he came to be assassinated.
While the point is more toward affect overall, the collection does include a lot of historical and geographical background of Palestine; I'd say it's a good introduction for further reading because it's mind-boggling how the conditions of the occupation have changed in less than a century, as Palestinians are given no autonomy, voice, or place in the matter.