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A review by lingfish7
Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire by Jennifer Bing, Mike Merryman-Lotze, Jehad Abusalim
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
📖🎧This is an anthology of 16 unique poems and essays about Gaza, written by various Palestinian authors. It was a heavy read, but very enlightening in terms of the multifaceted challenges Palestinians face in light of the Israeli oppression, genocide, and removal of land.
One of the most interesting essays was one on the relationship between Palestinians and farming the land as a way to revive their cultural heritage. Apparently the Gaza Strip that Palestinians were pushed into has the least farmable land in it, so by moving them to this area they were essentially forced to give up their farming practices and ability to grow their own food as well. I made so many parallels between what’s happening in Palestine and what the European colonizers did to the indigenous populations in the U.S.
“To return to the land is to revive that connection and challenge the exploitative practices that continue to harm our remaining biodiversity and threaten our cultural heritage.” (Pg 79, Asmara Abu Mezied)
My main critique is many of the essays were written in a highly academic manner, as if I was reading an essay for a class on Palestine. Some were so dry it took me a few tries to read it. The audiobook was narrated well and the hardcopy had various pictures that were helpful. I would recommend a combination of hardcopy and audio for best comprehension.
I appreciated the poems that were inserted in between the essays. The essays that were most powerful to read were those based on real life anecdotes from the author’s lives. The reality of the Gaza Strip is heartbreaking but unfortunately it’s become even worse since this book’s publication in 2022.
One of the most interesting essays was one on the relationship between Palestinians and farming the land as a way to revive their cultural heritage. Apparently the Gaza Strip that Palestinians were pushed into has the least farmable land in it, so by moving them to this area they were essentially forced to give up their farming practices and ability to grow their own food as well. I made so many parallels between what’s happening in Palestine and what the European colonizers did to the indigenous populations in the U.S.
“To return to the land is to revive that connection and challenge the exploitative practices that continue to harm our remaining biodiversity and threaten our cultural heritage.” (Pg 79, Asmara Abu Mezied)
My main critique is many of the essays were written in a highly academic manner, as if I was reading an essay for a class on Palestine. Some were so dry it took me a few tries to read it. The audiobook was narrated well and the hardcopy had various pictures that were helpful. I would recommend a combination of hardcopy and audio for best comprehension.
I appreciated the poems that were inserted in between the essays. The essays that were most powerful to read were those based on real life anecdotes from the author’s lives. The reality of the Gaza Strip is heartbreaking but unfortunately it’s become even worse since this book’s publication in 2022.