meredith_w's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A thoughtful and reflective memoir - and a history lesson too. Great title.
gobblingupbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This ended up being more of an informative biography of his father instead of the vulnerable memoir I expected, and while I do think more vulnerability from the author would have made it stronger, I still really enjoyed it
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This is a short nonfictional book about Raja Shehadeh’s father Aziz. The title is a nod to Shehadeh’s recognition that he learned of how much he had in common with his father, just too late 🥺 It is told in short chapters with Aziz’s experiences as a lawyer in Ramallah and his passion for standing up for Palestinian rights against a system that was stacked against him and his people.
This book shares how many Palestinians did not realize that they were just never returning home, and that’s an important perspective to hear about, because as significant as this trauma has affected modern-day Palestine, I often forget about what the general Palestinian sentiments were immediately following the 1948 displacements. It was devastating to hear that many of them —Aziz included— wholeheartedly believed they would return to their homes and businesses one day. They thought their statuses as refugees was temporary, and that’s especially insidious of the Israeli government, and heartbreaking for the hopeful Palestinians.
Another egregious topic we learn about from this book is Aziz’s murder and the Israeli authorities’ decision to close his case, despite never making an arrest or fully investigating to get answers or closure for his family. It is what made Raja think that this murder was a targeted attack, because of his father’s lifelong work to gain more and more rights back for Palestinians, case by case. What was beautiful though, was that Aziz never lost hope of returning to his home one day, and that Palestine would one day be free. Amidst all of the corruption and heartbreak, he persisted and never let go of his hope. I think we can all take a page out of his book, and I truly hope we can see a free Palestine in our lifetimes.
cw: genocide, displacement, first cousins marry each other but this was common for the time/culture, political abuse of power
This is a short nonfictional book about Raja Shehadeh’s father Aziz. The title is a nod to Shehadeh’s recognition that he learned of how much he had in common with his father, just too late 🥺 It is told in short chapters with Aziz’s experiences as a lawyer in Ramallah and his passion for standing up for Palestinian rights against a system that was stacked against him and his people.
This book shares how many Palestinians did not realize that they were just never returning home, and that’s an important perspective to hear about, because as significant as this trauma has affected modern-day Palestine, I often forget about what the general Palestinian sentiments were immediately following the 1948 displacements. It was devastating to hear that many of them —Aziz included— wholeheartedly believed they would return to their homes and businesses one day. They thought their statuses as refugees was temporary, and that’s especially insidious of the Israeli government, and heartbreaking for the hopeful Palestinians.
Another egregious topic we learn about from this book is Aziz’s murder and the Israeli authorities’ decision to close his case, despite never making an arrest or fully investigating to get answers or closure for his family. It is what made Raja think that this murder was a targeted attack, because of his father’s lifelong work to gain more and more rights back for Palestinians, case by case. What was beautiful though, was that Aziz never lost hope of returning to his home one day, and that Palestine would one day be free. Amidst all of the corruption and heartbreak, he persisted and never let go of his hope. I think we can all take a page out of his book, and I truly hope we can see a free Palestine in our lifetimes.
cw: genocide, displacement, first cousins marry each other but this was common for the time/culture, political abuse of power
ntlklmnk's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War
readingwithkaitlyn's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Confinement, Hate crime, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Classism, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Infidelity, Slavery, Car accident, Mental illness, and Ableism
anikaas's review
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This is a National Book Award finalist for nonfiction and at a very concise 160 pages a read I think we should all try to add to our list.
One of the things I appreciated was the perspective of a Palestinian Christian, which is not one I think we get often. Not that this book is about being a Palestinian Christian, I just appreciated having that voice.
This book is about Aziz Shehadeh, a lawyer, activist, man displaced in the Nakbeh, told by his son Raja through papers he found after Aziz’s murder. Aziz was detained, exiled, a political prisoner, and ultimately murdered. Raja, as a child, noted that absence as absence and not for the why of the absence. In this memoir, Raja comes to know his father again as an adult and the courage he showed and lament how they could have been friends.
What I really found new and illuminating, to me, was the story of a lawyer in Palestine through displacement. Aziz for decades fought for human rights with the British, then Jordan, then Israel through a lawyer’s lens and legal avenues. I for one didn’t know when Israel took the land from Palestinians, they also seized all their bank accounts, so Palestinians lost their entire savings and had absolutely nothing to start with in the lands they were displaced to. But Aziz took that legal fight as far as he could, ultimately to Britain (because colonialism) and successfully got money back for some families. He was often times, however, unsuccessful in his legal fights because the ruling parties weren’t playing fair and went back on promises regularly. Which surprises no one but was a heartbreak for Aziz who so staunchly believed in the law. I also appreciated more of an explanation of Britain’s role in this horror (they love to wash their hands of their imperialism caused problems) as well as Jordan’s.
While a short catalogue of oppression and dispossession, this is also very much a story of a father son relationship and how we see our parents differently over time. It was really moving. And worth your time.
One of the things I appreciated was the perspective of a Palestinian Christian, which is not one I think we get often. Not that this book is about being a Palestinian Christian, I just appreciated having that voice.
This book is about Aziz Shehadeh, a lawyer, activist, man displaced in the Nakbeh, told by his son Raja through papers he found after Aziz’s murder. Aziz was detained, exiled, a political prisoner, and ultimately murdered. Raja, as a child, noted that absence as absence and not for the why of the absence. In this memoir, Raja comes to know his father again as an adult and the courage he showed and lament how they could have been friends.
What I really found new and illuminating, to me, was the story of a lawyer in Palestine through displacement. Aziz for decades fought for human rights with the British, then Jordan, then Israel through a lawyer’s lens and legal avenues. I for one didn’t know when Israel took the land from Palestinians, they also seized all their bank accounts, so Palestinians lost their entire savings and had absolutely nothing to start with in the lands they were displaced to. But Aziz took that legal fight as far as he could, ultimately to Britain (because colonialism) and successfully got money back for some families. He was often times, however, unsuccessful in his legal fights because the ruling parties weren’t playing fair and went back on promises regularly. Which surprises no one but was a heartbreak for Aziz who so staunchly believed in the law. I also appreciated more of an explanation of Britain’s role in this horror (they love to wash their hands of their imperialism caused problems) as well as Jordan’s.
While a short catalogue of oppression and dispossession, this is also very much a story of a father son relationship and how we see our parents differently over time. It was really moving. And worth your time.