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alexgrapp's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
morregev's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
sofiabsilva's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
This book really captured how much and how deep the occupation affects lives of Palestinians, in every aspect and in different ways. It's so heavy.
fluffysocks28's review against another edition
5.0
Essential reading for everyone.
A story focused around what, on the surface appears to have been a tragic accident. The crash in Jerusalem that involved a schoolbus full of children heading on a school day trip in 2012 was a direct consequence of the racist structures that inhibit the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank every day.
From having to travel to a play area miles away, because the local playground was for Jews only. To travelling along dangerous roads because the main motorways were for Jews only.
It's a story that tells the tragedy of an entire people living under a brutal system of racism and apartheid.
A story focused around what, on the surface appears to have been a tragic accident. The crash in Jerusalem that involved a schoolbus full of children heading on a school day trip in 2012 was a direct consequence of the racist structures that inhibit the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank every day.
From having to travel to a play area miles away, because the local playground was for Jews only. To travelling along dangerous roads because the main motorways were for Jews only.
It's a story that tells the tragedy of an entire people living under a brutal system of racism and apartheid.
hannalliem's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
zwembadman's review against another edition
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This was not just a read, but a blow to the stomach. As most people in Europe, I was aware of the inequality between Israeli and Palestinians, but this book made plain just how structural and how extreme the racism and the Apartheid are. The tragic story of a deadly crash of a bus full of preschool children offers the canvas to sketch the ways modern Israel is organised and how Palestinians are at most allowed to exist in ghettos. There are obviously people out there who want to transcend those divisions and they get credit in this book, but it is hard not to draw the parallel with Germany around 1940 - only this time around the oppressed have become the oppressors.
Most of all this work made me reflect on the abductions in October 2023 and the relentless war Israel has been waging ever since. In a system that is so unequal and so thoroughly unjust it should come as no surprise that genocide is just a small step away from what is considered the daily norm in the Palestine areas. The large-scale kidnapping that took place last year was the final push that pushed the country over the edge and kickstarted a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
To be clear, the book itself is not moralising nor does it designate people as good or bad. There are just very many characters who all try to lead their daily lives and handle the aftermath of the crash. They are all inevitably influenced, however, by the circumstances of contemporary Israel. It is up to the reader to draw their own conclusions - but whatever those may be, be prepared to be punched in the face. This is a harsh account, but maybe that is exactly what is needed right now.
By far the best book I read this year.
Most of all this work made me reflect on the abductions in October 2023 and the relentless war Israel has been waging ever since. In a system that is so unequal and so thoroughly unjust it should come as no surprise that genocide is just a small step away from what is considered the daily norm in the Palestine areas. The large-scale kidnapping that took place last year was the final push that pushed the country over the edge and kickstarted a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
To be clear, the book itself is not moralising nor does it designate people as good or bad. There are just very many characters who all try to lead their daily lives and handle the aftermath of the crash. They are all inevitably influenced, however, by the circumstances of contemporary Israel. It is up to the reader to draw their own conclusions - but whatever those may be, be prepared to be punched in the face. This is a harsh account, but maybe that is exactly what is needed right now.
By far the best book I read this year.