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A review by samalbert
Koolaids: The Art of War by Rabih Alameddine
5.0
Read for ENGL 374: Post-Colonial Literature with a focus on global HIV/AIDS writing.
Koolaids is one of the most unique books I have ever read. I feel challenged by Alameddine's writing. His meta-fictional and post-modern writing style is some of the most sophisticated and impactful literature I have ever read. Koolaids is deceptively simple, written in plain English with a punchy, at times even comedic, tone to it. But this non-linear and seemingly senseless style of writing conveys exactly what Alameddine is trying to express through his convoluted and complicated prose - that narratives around plague (AIDS) and war (Lebanese civil war) are more similar than we think. Koolaids is an impressive attempt at unifying these two major themes in Alameddine's life in perhaps the only way you can, imbued with a sense of chaos and disorganization to it. But what else can be expected? HIV/AIDS and civil war are complicated issues, both crises exacerbated by a profound lack of historic critical engagement from the groups most influential in causing the problems in the first place. In this regard, I don't think it is tangible for me to ever fully understand what Koolaids is trying to impart to its reader, but I can guarantee it's a book I will be returning to over and over again.
Koolaids is one of the most unique books I have ever read. I feel challenged by Alameddine's writing. His meta-fictional and post-modern writing style is some of the most sophisticated and impactful literature I have ever read. Koolaids is deceptively simple, written in plain English with a punchy, at times even comedic, tone to it. But this non-linear and seemingly senseless style of writing conveys exactly what Alameddine is trying to express through his convoluted and complicated prose - that narratives around plague (AIDS) and war (Lebanese civil war) are more similar than we think. Koolaids is an impressive attempt at unifying these two major themes in Alameddine's life in perhaps the only way you can, imbued with a sense of chaos and disorganization to it. But what else can be expected? HIV/AIDS and civil war are complicated issues, both crises exacerbated by a profound lack of historic critical engagement from the groups most influential in causing the problems in the first place. In this regard, I don't think it is tangible for me to ever fully understand what Koolaids is trying to impart to its reader, but I can guarantee it's a book I will be returning to over and over again.