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pamelaaugust 's review for:
People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
I didn't cry while reading this book...until the afterword. As far as reading pleasure and enjoyment I was going to give this book 3 stars. However, after reading the afterword, I changed my rating to 4 (4.5 if that were possible). While this wasn't a page turner for me and it definitely took me quite a few pages to be drawn into the story, this book is important.
In this time of US panic about Syrian refugees, this historical fiction about refugees of all kinds (Bosnian, Israeli, etc.) is a necessary read for understanding the horror and humanity of war, unrest, and hate that result in people leaving the homeland that they love in search of safety and refuge. This book is also a celebration of books, art, and craftsmanship. While I learned more about the art of book conservation than I probably ever wanted to know, the fact that there were librarians (librarians!!) who have died over the centuries to save books from destruction and burning, as both a casualty of war or a direct attack on the cultural artifacts of various people groups, was inspiring. Librarians save the day...or the book and the culture at least.
And finally, what a lovely picture of Muslims, Jews, and Christians working TOGETHER as fellow humans to save and protect each other and to save and protect the religious artifacts from a faith very different from their own. People can be lovely. Tears again, just thinking about the ugly, beautiful, messy resolution of this story which was based on the real background of the Sarajevo Haggadah.
In this time of US panic about Syrian refugees, this historical fiction about refugees of all kinds (Bosnian, Israeli, etc.) is a necessary read for understanding the horror and humanity of war, unrest, and hate that result in people leaving the homeland that they love in search of safety and refuge. This book is also a celebration of books, art, and craftsmanship. While I learned more about the art of book conservation than I probably ever wanted to know, the fact that there were librarians (librarians!!) who have died over the centuries to save books from destruction and burning, as both a casualty of war or a direct attack on the cultural artifacts of various people groups, was inspiring. Librarians save the day...or the book and the culture at least.
And finally, what a lovely picture of Muslims, Jews, and Christians working TOGETHER as fellow humans to save and protect each other and to save and protect the religious artifacts from a faith very different from their own. People can be lovely. Tears again, just thinking about the ugly, beautiful, messy resolution of this story which was based on the real background of the Sarajevo Haggadah.