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Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'
The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between by Hisham Matar
1 review
erebus53's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This is a love story about Libya, and a set of memoirs from a life that was tragically twisted by government corruption and secrets. Pulitzer Prize winning author Hisham Matar tells of a beautiful country tangled in layers of Colonization, and cultural differences.
Personal passions for art, poetry and architecture help to tell a story of a history of a country, and a history of a family. Matar, describes how his own thoughts connect deeply and that having conversations with people evoke a myriad sense memories for him. Woven with the British tradition of historical travel documentary - exploring the past through observations of their current aspects - this book explains a journey and a quest to fill in blanks in a life rife with secrets.
This book contains survivor accounts of imprisonment and abuse. It is harsh and dark and real. Matar's father was "Disappeared" by the regime in Libya, leading to years of uncertainty for his family who did not know whether he was alive or dead. There are historic accounts including those of killing entire herds of livestock, leading to massive starvation and deprivation, and the hangings of student protestors. All this paints a picture of a country spoiled by corruption, injustices, and Human Rights infringements. This spurs work to get the British government to pressure Libyan administration into changing its oppressive methods and atoning for Human Rights crimes. It's understandable that in many places Hisham Matar's writings are banned or restricted.
Personal passions for art, poetry and architecture help to tell a story of a history of a country, and a history of a family. Matar, describes how his own thoughts connect deeply and that having conversations with people evoke a myriad sense memories for him. Woven with the British tradition of historical travel documentary - exploring the past through observations of their current aspects - this book explains a journey and a quest to fill in blanks in a life rife with secrets.
This book contains survivor accounts of imprisonment and abuse. It is harsh and dark and real. Matar's father was "Disappeared" by the regime in Libya, leading to years of uncertainty for his family who did not know whether he was alive or dead. There are historic accounts including those of killing entire herds of livestock, leading to massive starvation and deprivation, and the hangings of student protestors. All this paints a picture of a country spoiled by corruption, injustices, and Human Rights infringements. This spurs work to get the British government to pressure Libyan administration into changing its oppressive methods and atoning for Human Rights crimes. It's understandable that in many places Hisham Matar's writings are banned or restricted.
Parts of this book are really hard going, and it could be a very difficult read for some people. It tells the story of a family that had enough means to escape a dangerous situation that many more did not. There is nuanced description of influences on the lifestyles of Libyans during various leadership changes; though situations were fraught, some prospered and some suffered. The importance of family and of the ties to the ones we love are the heart of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation