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A review by melsage1823
On Palestine by Ilan Pappé, Noam Chomsky
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
A Masterfully Well Constructed Non-Fiction Novel That Unmasks The True Sinister History Behind Israel As Well As How Their Propaganda Works.
I wanted to learn more about the history of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and loads of people recommend this novel. A very good worthy recommendation. Book Tok aren't lying with this one. Impressively it manages to ram in a lot of information despite it's short length. After reading I've found myself easily understand the cycle of violence and slaughter. Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky have amazing thoughts about what's going on and sum it all up with explicit facts instead of bias. This book is not as at all biased, its two historians breaking down the facts with evidence.
My only criticism is that I found it way too clogged. Without an available Audiobook it was very hard to follow the different discussions each chapter and I feel like personally the clogged problem could have been fixed with at least a hundred more pages. I wanted to learn the history but it felt really exhausting to follow times. Especially since the book is aimed at readers who don't know much I really wish the information was easier to consume in a less overwhelming way. The style is definitely not neurodivergent in my opinion so please read to your needs.
Other than that though it's a really good novel that serves its purpose well. There's so much I could praise but I'm only gonna mention the highlights.
First I have to praise the conversations. The best part of the novel was a hundred percent the transcribed conversions with Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky with Frank Barat asking the questions. It was a very clever way to present the information to the reader in an engaging way. It also allowed for more thoughtful and reflecting discussion about stuff as the similarities to the African Apartheid as well as the complex nuance of the two state solution. When all three men's words are together it feels like a live interview is going on. The questions also allow readers to breath and brace for the essays featured in the novel consisting of extracts from Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomskys other novels. You can tell how much care the interview was scribed with.
Secondly the way it breaks down Israel's military strategy and how it has a grip on so many other people including the USA. Without any spoilers, propganda is very easy to fall for but its very interesting and brave for Ilan Pappé to talk about as an Israeli how easy it is too fall for propgander as a child and what it takes to unlearn these things. Ilan proves it's never too late to change your mind and de-radiclise yourself. He also gets into the mind of Israel really well and also brilliant describes why countries like the US and the UK are willing to look away and keep supporting them. It's really admirable that Pappé despite being Israeli himself is willing to call out how they system has affected him and others into believing its okay.
Finally the care and research. A good nonfiction needs to credit its sources if its wants to teach the audience and On Palestine does that with at least four or five pages in the book dedicated to listing all of their credible sources. I also like that both authors include extracts from their other books to show how relevant the things they've written in the past still are. There's clearly a lot of care gone into scribing this novel and research. You know it's good when the research is better than what most journalists do. Each chapter is also carefully structured in a Who, What, When, Why like structure to help break to the reader what has happened, what is happening and what will happen. Its also great that there's footnotes that include sources directly in the book too. All three writers show great integrity by doing this than most journalists are today.
Overall this is the go too pick if you want to learn what Palestinians have had to endure for years under a cruel regime. It'll open your eyes further than you thought possible. Cannot recommend enough.
I wanted to learn more about the history of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and loads of people recommend this novel. A very good worthy recommendation. Book Tok aren't lying with this one. Impressively it manages to ram in a lot of information despite it's short length. After reading I've found myself easily understand the cycle of violence and slaughter. Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky have amazing thoughts about what's going on and sum it all up with explicit facts instead of bias. This book is not as at all biased, its two historians breaking down the facts with evidence.
My only criticism is that I found it way too clogged. Without an available Audiobook it was very hard to follow the different discussions each chapter and I feel like personally the clogged problem could have been fixed with at least a hundred more pages. I wanted to learn the history but it felt really exhausting to follow times. Especially since the book is aimed at readers who don't know much I really wish the information was easier to consume in a less overwhelming way. The style is definitely not neurodivergent in my opinion so please read to your needs.
Other than that though it's a really good novel that serves its purpose well. There's so much I could praise but I'm only gonna mention the highlights.
First I have to praise the conversations. The best part of the novel was a hundred percent the transcribed conversions with Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky with Frank Barat asking the questions. It was a very clever way to present the information to the reader in an engaging way. It also allowed for more thoughtful and reflecting discussion about stuff as the similarities to the African Apartheid as well as the complex nuance of the two state solution. When all three men's words are together it feels like a live interview is going on. The questions also allow readers to breath and brace for the essays featured in the novel consisting of extracts from Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomskys other novels. You can tell how much care the interview was scribed with.
Secondly the way it breaks down Israel's military strategy and how it has a grip on so many other people including the USA. Without any spoilers, propganda is very easy to fall for but its very interesting and brave for Ilan Pappé to talk about as an Israeli how easy it is too fall for propgander as a child and what it takes to unlearn these things. Ilan proves it's never too late to change your mind and de-radiclise yourself. He also gets into the mind of Israel really well and also brilliant describes why countries like the US and the UK are willing to look away and keep supporting them. It's really admirable that Pappé despite being Israeli himself is willing to call out how they system has affected him and others into believing its okay.
Finally the care and research. A good nonfiction needs to credit its sources if its wants to teach the audience and On Palestine does that with at least four or five pages in the book dedicated to listing all of their credible sources. I also like that both authors include extracts from their other books to show how relevant the things they've written in the past still are. There's clearly a lot of care gone into scribing this novel and research. You know it's good when the research is better than what most journalists do. Each chapter is also carefully structured in a Who, What, When, Why like structure to help break to the reader what has happened, what is happening and what will happen. Its also great that there's footnotes that include sources directly in the book too. All three writers show great integrity by doing this than most journalists are today.
Overall this is the go too pick if you want to learn what Palestinians have had to endure for years under a cruel regime. It'll open your eyes further than you thought possible. Cannot recommend enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Islamophobia, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Child death