Speaks for Itself

A Lake Beyond the Wind-Palestine

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.

The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God-Israel

The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God & Other Stories by Etgar Keret

This book of short stories is a fast and fascinating read. This book has everything from a drawf dressed as a little girl who is smuggling heroine to tales from post-suicide characters in a sort of purgatory sub-world. Sometimes the imagery is sexually graphic. Still, it is laugh out-loud funny and thought provoking. Perception and expectation are often called into question. It is interesting to see the portrayal of Arabs by a Jewish narrator in this post-suicide purgatory where the arguments of this life just don't seem to apply any longer in the bigger scheme of things. I thought it was great to hear from an author with a different voice than what I am used to. Although high schoolers are more than capable to read this, I can't see it passing the parent test. College kids, hell yeah.

Paradise Now

What goes through the minds of a Palestinian suicide bomber? The movie, Paradise Now, attempts to tell that story. Do these men have consciousness? It is the other side of the news story. Do I think it is right? No. Do I understand a little better about what leads to this kind of violence? Yeah. This Israel/Palestine debate is stupid...in the sense that it needs to end. It is disgraceful how these Palestinians have to live. Why can't there be a better solution?

We have got to find a solution to this problem. The status quo ain't cutting it. This movie is a good dialogue starter.

Lipstick Jihad

This book is a memoir of the young author, Azadeh Moaveni. It covers her struggle with her identity as both an American and an Iranian, as well as her return to live in Iran in the couple of years around September 11, 2001. It was a great read, and had many interesting themes and questions rasied in it. As America is trying to figure out it's policies in regards to Iran, it is important to try and gain some insight into this country...most of us know nothing about. I felt this book helped.

First, there is a huge underlying discussion about the identity of the author. She waivers throughout her childhood as to how much she wants to be American or Iranian, but overall...just to be normal. In both worlds, she feels uprooted. A lot of this discussion remindes me of books in Latin American culture, like Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia, that also talks about the struggle of leaving a home country in turmoil and living in the US as an excile. How one longs for the old country, but how the realization that the country that still stands doesn't resemble, nor may ever resemble, that country of their memory. I many ways, I learned that Iranian exiles here in the US share a lot in common with Cuban exiles. Connections like this I think help humanize people like Azadeh.

The next thing you notice is how messed up the country and the government really are. There is a hard line Islamist force of the government that controls the military, police, and justice system that is controlled by conservative clerics. There is a reformist section, that is usually elected to the executive branch of the government that feels anti-West, anti-American, and more socialist...and anti-Capitalist. Then there are those who had some power and wealth under the Shah, sometimes referred to as the richest and the brightest who fled the country during the Revolution in 1979. Azadeh describes this delicate situation, but is cautious to assert that...even though there is a lot that is wrong, Iran is more than just this "axis of evil" label and that the people know the government is corrupt...but they are having trouble understanding how to fix it. They see the Islamic Republic as a failure of sorts, but don't want another Civil War.

There are descriptions of the need for women to wear veils, and the needless beatings or whippings of civilians by young thugs paid by the Islamists to enforce strict observance of Islamic Rules of modesty...etc. There also is a description of how the youth in Tehran kind of "fight the system." Like wearing lipstick, or wearing sandals with no socks. You really start feeling for the Iranian civilians who live in this perpetual state of stress and intimidation. As I read about it, I thought of the fear and intimidation tactics of freed slaves and blacks in America with the existance of Jim Crow laws. The repression of the government on its own people is really astounding, so is this sense of hopelessness or powerlessness. Many Iranians have definitely lost faith in their religion (because it is forced on them) as well as in their government.

There are some other direct correlations with the movie I reviewed, "Two Women." Although the movie takes place before the Revolution, and this book much latter, there is a woman character Fatimeh that mirrors the experience of Fereshteh. I think using this book with that movie, you could do a lot of discussion about gender, power, rights...etc. The book also made me make a list of things I need to explore a little more. For instance, Iranian history, the differance between Sunni and Shiite Islam, Iranian pagan culture...and so forth.

The book was accesible and honest. A great read for anyone interested in Iran.

Sunrise Over Fallujah

This book by Walter Dean Myers is a great novel of the fictional experiences of Robin Perry, a very young African American soldier, in Iraq at the beginning of the war. The book is written for a teen audience, but it really doesn't sugarcoat the experience of war. Along with the descriptions of excitement, and the over powering strength of the American military, are other real accounts of loss, the tragic cost of war and the impact on our armed forces.

There is some disturbing stuff in this book. We were having a discussion in class whether or not this book was appropriate for immature teenagers. My opinion is this: If we are recruiting kids right out of high school to go and fight our wars in these foreign countries, than we are doing a disservice by not exposing them to what war really is about. We have all these recruiters coming in really rounding up what might be considered the "less college bound" students. Why do they not deserve to get a "second opinion" or at least some education on this thing called war.

I believe this should be manditory reading in the high schools. Kids need to understand what our actions are doing in the world. They need to understand the price these veterans are paying. I have attended so many Veteran's Day services with my father, to be disappointed by the absence of greatful citizens to give thanks to these men and women who have done so much. Taking a second to just focus on these kids, this book helps illustrate how ill prepared and naive these kids are on the battle field. Their sacrifice is not even noted in the pages of our newspapers any longer. No wonder politicians, who have no concept of what it takes to serve in the military, are so eager to send them around the world. They don't see the cost. We don't see the cost.

Empathy for the poor civillians killed in the cross fire is a whole other story. This book does humanize them to the point. It illustrates our willingness to dehumanize them as well. I also liked the portrayals of strong women and African American characters. This really is a necessary and great book to be in our schools. Highly reccomended.

Blood and Oil

It is difficult to understand US/Middle Eastern relations unless you understand the American thirst for oil. This YouTube version of the movie, "Blood and Oil," gives a great amount of background knowledge on where this thirst began and how desperate the situation has become. We talk about preserving America's interest abroad, but we are really mortgaging our future. I think there are forces in the world that are comfortable letting Americans believe they are a dominant world power, but are very aware that secretly that status is quickly slipping beyond our reach. This economic climate is very indicative of the disease of excess that we suffer from. Our enemies need not control us by physical force, but by controlling our addictions. China and the Middle East have an unnatural influence on this country and will be able to evict us from our thrown in short order.

Being American, and optimistic, I do believe we have the power to choose another path. I do not know if we have the stomach to sacrifice what would be necessary for us to achieve it.