A Lake Beyond the Wind by Yahya Yakhlif
This book is an account of the beginning of end of the life of Palestinians before the creation of Israel, and the future of hardship and displacement that will follow for decades to come.
The events that happen in this book are heart breaking and depressing, just as the situation has been for millions of Palestinians. Critics have said this is a fascinating book from the Palestinian perspective, but I hate to say that I had a really tough time reading it. In all fairness to the book, I might have reader fatigue. I have a full load of literature classes this semester and I might be cracking, but than I got frustrated at myself for not getting into it. Am I so pampered, so privileged that I can't spend some hours looking at the real horrors discussed in this book? Am I so narrow minded that I can't try to open myself to this new voice that is talking about things that I find difficult to relate to? How selfish is that?
My intial feeling reading this book was that males may be able to relate to it better. Knowing more about the history and the geography of the area during the time of the conflict might help make it easier to follow the story line. Still, I thought if I was having difficulty reading it, how could I get high school students to enjoy reading it? I don't know. I'll will be interested in our class discussion. Don't hate me because I wasn't a fan.
Major props for your honesty about this book. My copy has not come in the mail yet so I have not had a chance to get through it, but I'll be interested to see if I like it or not. I think it is really important to consider whether or not a book will be practical to teach to younger students, especially when it is about such an important and relevant topic. I think it is ESSENTIAL for teachers to feel passionate about the material they are teaching, so perhaps this book just isn't the one for you (and your future class), and there's nothing wrong with that!
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