A review by rwarner
House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid
5.0
As we age, our hearts eventually turn to our fathers, and we try to understand those who went before, what they were like, how they faced life, what challenges they overcame, and we gauge whether we measure up to our ancestors. House of Stone chronicles Shadid's return to his roots as he tries to restore the family home in Marjayoun, Lebanon, and also tries to understand his ancestors and his homeland. His quest evokes admiration for Shadid's family, sorrow for the tragedies they faced, and thoughts to return to one's own roots.
As I read, I marveled at the wars and strife that pervade Shadid's homeland, which stem from the intolerance people have for others' beliefs. In the United States we deplore such violence and intolerance, believing ourselves much more tolerant and open to others. If we honestly look at ourselves, however, we find that we are becoming much less tolerant, much more judgmental, and much less able to acknowledge that others' world views have us much validity as our own. We avoid bloodshed over religion and politics only because we avoid discussing them, but we avoid them less and less and clash more and more. Shadid helps us understand what we are becoming.
Knowing that Shadid has passed away brought melancholy as I read. I went to high school with Shadid and have seen his passion, and I felt his pain as he discussed his broken marriage and agonized over his faulty fatherhood. I loved learning about his family history as he made his ancestors come alive. I would love to see the home he restored, and applaud him for making that happen.
As I read, I marveled at the wars and strife that pervade Shadid's homeland, which stem from the intolerance people have for others' beliefs. In the United States we deplore such violence and intolerance, believing ourselves much more tolerant and open to others. If we honestly look at ourselves, however, we find that we are becoming much less tolerant, much more judgmental, and much less able to acknowledge that others' world views have us much validity as our own. We avoid bloodshed over religion and politics only because we avoid discussing them, but we avoid them less and less and clash more and more. Shadid helps us understand what we are becoming.
Knowing that Shadid has passed away brought melancholy as I read. I went to high school with Shadid and have seen his passion, and I felt his pain as he discussed his broken marriage and agonized over his faulty fatherhood. I loved learning about his family history as he made his ancestors come alive. I would love to see the home he restored, and applaud him for making that happen.