A review by beatsbybeard
Palestine by Joe Sacco

5.0

The most depressing graphic novel I've ever read. Joe Sacco chronicles time that he spent in Palestinian towns and refugee camps and presents their perspective on the Israeli occupation. The stories that these people tell are full of IDF brutality, economic chokeholds, and a determined process of dehumanization at the hands of an occupying force. Sacco acknowledges at the end of the book how it lacks the "Israeli side" of the story, but he contends that the Israeli story is the one that he was raised with, which is why he made the journey in the first place: to see, hear, and feel the Palestinian experience that mostly eludes international awareness. The black-and-white drawings are pointedly detailed, while the dialogue between Sacco and the Palestinians offers a variety of opinions and experiences that we simply don't hear. Hard to read for its subject matter, but brilliantly executed.