Palestine

Rating:
Summary: The value of this book is relative to its audience
Review: It may be the case that in the United States the issues of the Middle East are presented in a very subjective manner (pro-Israeli) through mainstream media. This is not the case where I live now, where there is a pro-Palestinian sentiment, expressed again in a subjective manner.

The value of this book is relative to the exposure one has already had on the subject. If you do not know much about it, and especially if you have lived in an environment which portrays Palestinians as bad and Israelis as good, then this is a good book for you, that will open your eyes to the other side of the story.

However, you should not then regard this book as the truth. It is subjective as well in its own manner. Its subjectivity lies not so much on the presentation of non-truths, or its certain exagerations, but rather on its omission of truths which support the other side. For example, when the name "Golda Meier" comes up, the book mentions statements she made about the Palestinians which are ridiculous and cruel: and she did make such statements. However, when the name Nasser comes up, he appears only as someone who "symbolises Arab nationalism and unity," which is a great injustice to history and to the reader. Moreover, the coverage of the Israeli side of the story is so superficial, that it would be better if it had been omitted altogether.

Therefore, you should follow up in quest for knowledge on the subject with more material, from both sides. (try not to spend time looking for something "objective!" It does not exist.

Finally, if you have already been exposed to the various sides of the debate, this book may prove a good way to remind yourself that, after all the analysis of whose fault was what, and who is historically to blame, and what the legal issues are and the technicalities, there is alot of human suffering involved. I, personally, have experienced the human suffering from the Israeli side, and can venture to assert that it can reach similar levels. Afterall, if you start debating on moral issues by counting body bags, and comparing who suffers more, and who deserves it more, then you have lost the plot.

(The most disturbing aspect of this book is the portrayal of the place of women in society - the west vs. Palestine.)

Rating:
Summary: Palestine
Review: In recent years, the scope of the comics medium has burst from the confines of children's and fictional genres to encompass substantive work in such realms as the graphic novel, autobiography, and biography. In his nine-part comic book Palestine, the final four issues of which are collected here, Sacco gives us the first major work of comics journalism. In 1991 he traveled to Jerusalem to observe Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Out of that trip comes this highly ambitious and successful telling of the refugees' stories--some militant, others resigned--that include both emotional depictions of protest and torture and the quiet struggles of everyday survival. Although Sacco's sympathies, expressed through the first-person narration, are definitely with the Palestinians, the work overall is far too nuanced to be deemed propaganda. Sacco makes wildly experimental layouts coalesce into an imaginative yet solid storytelling style. Palestine shows that he is a top-rank talent who has staked out a unique place for himself in the comics field.

Rating:
Summary: True
Review: Excellent depiction of daily life. An intense portrayal of persons and circumstances, with an amazing ability to stay in observer role.
I highly recommend this book for any interested party.

Rating:
Summary: The choir will love this book, but whom else?
Review: This is a bleak, sober and dramatic graphic novel that presents the life and outlook of the current Palestinian people. I am not a particular fan of this form of literature, so I am less sure as to how to accept the book's style. This is not a book for a quick read unless one is fairly unemotional. The author is seeking to extract a strong reaction and he is hardly subtle about it.

Those who strongly favor the Israeli views will stay away from this book. Those who have a pro-Palestinian position will readily purchase it. My concern is for those of us who can sympathize with both views of the non-militant factions.

The author/illustrator's presentation is too depressing and heavy handed. I am not arguing with his facts, although, his work is apparently based on less than a 60 day visit to the Palestine area. I think that his presentation would have benefited from a more extensive stay that could have allowed for more reflection. The book is like a movie with the hero facing death every five minutes. It doesn't allow the audience to relax and independently develop opinions.

According to what I recall about social science research in persuasion, heavy handed messages tend to be dismissed by the neutral listener. That is my problem with the book. I think the message is very important, and the author well intended, but who will he persuade that is not already in agreement with him?

Contrast the book's style with ,for example, the movie "Schindler's List," since I think that a graphic novel is more like a film than literature. The film, "Schindler", subject matter was certainly as grave a topic as ever known. The movie was emotional, but it respected the audience's ability to think and not dictate what the presenter wants them to know. This is precisely where "Palestine" fails. It is emotional, but ultimately will reach only the choir. I should also mention that this is not a book for children except mature, older teens.

Rating:
Summary: What a great book.
Review: Sacco never preaches, he just reports. And the reporting gave me all sorts of insight into what our media never seems to touch: the lives of ordinary Palestinians, day-to-day. It is astounding. And Sacco is not an apologist for terrorism; in fact he doesn't even discuss Palestinian terrorists. He just talks about what he saw: regular people. Sometimes intelligent and noble, sometimes small-minded and misguided. Just like people everywhere else. But when you think that SO many Palestinians have lived under these contitions their whole lives- have never travelled, and every Jew they have ever met has been a settler or a soldier- you start to understand why this is a no-win situation for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: 1st rate journalism disguised as a graphic novel
Review: Joe Sacco's collection of stories that he witnessed first-hand while living in Palestine will move you and break your heart. You're not human if you don't feel moved by the constant fear and humiliation the Palestinians live under. Joe Sacco presents all the players from Israeli peaceniks who never seem to make an impact to the IDF with its varied ranks from despicably draconian sadists to hesitant Israeli soldiers just following orders and the aggressively antagonist settlers. The focus is on the Palestinians though. How they have to check with big brother just to move from city to city and sometimes from block to block in their own country. How the settlers can do no wrong and can act with impunity against the Palestinians. How Palestinians can be jailed, abused, and tortured on the slightest pretext. How children can be detained and tortured for throwing rocks. Joe Sacco will also make you laugh at times such as how he has to drink tea drowned in sugar for the umpteenth time so as to not offend his hosts. The Israeli occupiers and settlers aren't the only antagonists involved though. We also get a look at Hamas and we see how they attempt to enforce Islamic fundamentalism, but find that they cannot. We also see the struggle within a struggle as the varied landscape of Palestinian women is analyzed. The stories and accounts are so similar that one can't help but see the truth in them. Most of the Palestinians are innocent civilians who merely seek to make a living and just exist, but find their every move under scrutiny. It's nothing short of outrageous to witness a man being jailed without evidence and then kept in prison for months without trial or evidence just because the prosecution is working with the jailors to get a coerced confession through the use of torture, sleep deprivation, and lies. Joe Sacco's work gives us insights into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in ways that you won't see on tv. Sacco's work is about the everyday people who live and die under this brutal occupation. Sacco makes it clear that sure there are worse places, but those places don't claim to be noble democracies like Israel. What we get in this graphic report is a multi-layered series of events involving ordinary Palestinians who are not involved in any insidious activity. We learn a great deal from Sacco's reports about what is going on and how most Americans either don't know or don't care about the facts on the ground. There are sprinkles of hope though. We watch as some Palestinians express a desire to share the land with Israelis in some measure of peace and equality and we hear an Israeli wish for a state that is not based upon religion or ethnicity, but is a multi-cultural state like the US. What moved me most was why the Palestinians don't all just leave because it's obvious that the occupation is designed to coerce into leaving the territories so that the Israelis can implant an artificial majority of Jewish settlers. It's a testament to their spirit and strength that they don't give in to tyranny and injustice and simply keep holding on in the hopes that the occupation will end some day. It's not surprising that this book comes from Fantagraphics by the way. They've been putting out great work since Love and Rockets and this is no exception. Palestine is a huge book and you won't be able to read it in sitting unless you read all day. Considering the power of this piece you might end up doing just that though.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: One of the most captivating books I have recently read. I feel bad that I only discovered it by chance. I wonder if the book was ever advertized appropriately. What a loss! This is a gem of a book and I am buying 5 copies to give away.
Don't let the comic style of the book or the design of its cover desuade you from buying it. It is a very serious book. I was shocked by the facts as shown. One can read volumes in the eyes of the people as sketched, particularly those of the elderly. One sees despair, indignation, genuinity and all the while the generosity of those who have so little to spare. The author is very adapt at showing the inhumane conditions in the Palestinian camps he visited, sentiments that are echoed by other authors who visited the camps, though not as eloquently (Kate Halsell "Journey to Jerusalem" and Wendy Orange "Coming Home to Jerusalem"). No doubt about it, the book is very timely and a good source for readers who know little about the plight of the Palestinians, and a good reference for those who feel they know it all.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional, should be read in schools
Review: If it were possible to give a book 10 stars, then this book would get them from me, I was awed by it. I've not read a graphic book since Maus, and would not have picked this up if a dozen friends hadn't recommended it to me. Joe Sacco's Palestine (and his later book on Bosnia called Safe Area Gorazde), is a miracle of observation, compassion and humanity. It does what most books, most newspapers fail to do, illustrate the plight of Palestinian people, show us why they are angry, and why some are driven to terrifying acts of suicide. It should be read in schools.

Rating:
Summary: Another Great Sacco Documentary Comic
Review: I do not have much to contribute that has not already been stated by other customer reviewers but I would like to add to the overwhelming consensus that this is an excellent book and, since it is done in comic book style, I would recommend it as an effective tool for adolescent readers in our high schools. Saccco's book was written before the most recent wave of Palestinian suicide bombings which has wreaked havoc both to Israel and to outside sympathy for the Palestinian cause. However, this book should give all open-minded readers insight into the despair that has led so many Palestinians to support terrorism. Sacco's disarmingly informal writing style and his powerful artwork convey both the constant systematic and randomly unsystematic injustice that Israel, its soldiers, settlers and other citizens have directed at the Palestinians. Sacco exposes the economic discrimination that gives incentives to West Bank Jewish settlers and imposes taxes and other bureacratic and physical barriers on Palestinian attempts to earn a living: Palestinian agricultural produce left on the docks to spoil before it is shipped to European customers, the denial of adequate water and permits to drill deeper wells, cutting down groves of olive trees, etc. Sacco also takes us inside hospitals where Israeli soldiers intimidate and beat patients, nurses, and doctors, disrupting surgeries, treatments, etc. Individual Palestinians recount their prison experiences: the psychological and physical torture and the inhuman living conditions, abuses of the legal system, etc. There is much more in this new edition--printed in 2001 and again in 2002--at roughly 300 pages, this is nearly double the size of an earlier edition. Everyone with an interest in the Middle East Crisis or terrorism should read this book. This book is pro-Palestinian but it is not anti-Semitic or against the existence of an Israeli state. It is also recommended by Art Spiegelman, the great cartoonist and author of the Jewish Holocaust comic classics, Maus I and II. For more great info on the plight of the Palestinians, I recommend regular reading of Tikkun, an excellent, liberal Jewish-American bi-monthly periodical.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I'm not quite sure where to begin with this one... Sacco's work is amazing, bordering on briliant. He exposes the harsh realities of life within the Palestinian refugee camps like nothing else I've seen. Sacco needs to be commended for his ability to catch so many different shades of Arab opinion in such a small number of pages. Sacco does not, however, make a significant attempt write about the Israeli perspective (he does devote a few pages to this). But that is not a problem. As Sacco says, he (as well as the whole world) have been receiving the Israeli perspective for over 50 years. His goal was not to give their point of view, thats been done a thousand times.

Additionally, the artwork is absolutely stunning! In the pictures alone he captures the life of a typical Palestinian Arab. The despair he paints on their face matches the horrible experience they've been through. Amazing...

Please pick this sentimental roller coaster up to supplement your historical and academic reading on the subject. You won't be dissapointed.