I Saw Ramallah

Rating:
Summary: During these dangerous times, should be required reading
Review: As a person who has lived in the Middle East for most of my adult life, and someone who has scores of very lovable Arab friends, yet married into a Jewish family with loads of Jewish friends, I was instantly drawn to this book. During these dangerous times, when the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians might well spark devastating nuclear war, it is so important for readers to understand both sides of this issue, for only with knowledge and understanding will this dangerous conflict ever be resolved. With "I Saw Ramallah" I thought about another book, titled "Ester's Child," which was required reading in a college class, (and many of my classmates agreed it was one of the best books we'd ever read), letting the reader into the lives of the Israelis and the Palestinians, yet inspiring understanding rather than hatred, which most books about these two nationalities do--its as though you are required to be on one side or the other--when instead we need to be on the side of humanity.

Now with this very valuable book, the reader comes to feel that he/she has been banned from their own home, and the desolation of the spirit at such a horrifying turn of events is sooooo painful.

I wish more people were reading this book. It's a beauty, written by a poet with enormous talent. It makes me wish more than ever that those who have lost their homes, could all return to the days once lived, and that peace would finally come to the land of Israel.

Rating:
Summary: Soul searching
Review: I had not heard of Mourid Barghouti before I chanced upon this book in the store, but the names of two people and a place on a beckoning Mediterranean blue cover, was enough stimulus to want to know more. The people - Edward Said and Naguib Mahfouz; the place - Ramallah. It took a couple of days to read and more than measured up to the high expectations raised by the cover.

This is not a book that can be slotted with the usual political commentaries that line the shelves. Mourid is first a poet and everything else comes next and this book confirms that. What you will find is a poignant and lyrical description of life as a displaced Palestinian and Barghouti's first hand account, tells of the struggle with a clarity of experience that is sure to shake the most cynical of readers. For, displacement is a journey that threatens with a new reality every day; an insecurity that forces frequent adaptation to its ever-changing circumstances. Situational adjustments are forced out of people for sheer survival and come with potent mixtures of confusion, shame, anger, grief and loneliness. Mourid's journey describes all this and more, compelling a new understanding that is heavy on the soul.

The text is interlaced with his translated poetry and in every instance where a poem is used to accentuate sensibilities, the blend with prose is seamless, fluid and successful. Aside from the overall impact of the book, two things that I would like to single out: the powerful metaphorical symbols of the bridge and the swing and the little anecdotes of growing up in Ramallah, the fig tree, Big Uncle Fakhri, Sanduqa bookshop. They left me marveling at the remarkable ability of the people to effect some small stab at normalcy and innocence and Mourid's dogged resolve to document that. Despite the knowledge that every attempt at resurrecting a life out of the debris, every effort at adaptation, will open itself up to a trivialising of the problem and demand a further stretching of the limits of tolerance.

There is politics here of course, but it is only directly addressed in the last few pages; everywhere else you will read and see the enormous damage the conflict has wreaked upon an unsuspecting people in daily terms. Buy the book and read it and then, read it again.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Personal Story
Review: Mourid Barghouti's vivid memoir was a pleasure to read. "I saw Ramallah" describes the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the eyes of one of the millions of human beings and families directly affected by the conflict. We learn how the author was exiled because the 1967 war took place while he was studying abroad. We see how he was separated from his wife and kid by a second exile from Egypt due to his "Palestinianness". We get to cry with him when he hears of his brother's tragic death, also in exile. And we get a taste for his complicated feelings upon seeing his country for the first time in 25 years during the Oslo Peace process.

This book truly shows that nothing is simple about the Middle East Conflict. It spares no authority from criticism - not the Palestinian Authority, not the Arab countries, and not Israel. At the same time, the book shows that in fact the Middle East conflict IS simple: we are humans at the base of it. Enjoyable reading, and very thought-provoking.

Rating:
Summary: life will not be simplified
Review: The title for my review is Mr. Barghouti's statement throughout his book and obviously of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict that it cannot be simplified. This great Poet's description of life in Palestine before and after his exile allows you to feel his nostalgia. His description of Jersusalem particularly was heartfelt, it allowed me to feel that I was walking with him down the cobbled streets smelling the sweet smells of this troubled walled city, yet, for a change, it is a discription that brings to light a somewhat normal life instead of the troubled life that Palestinians live day to day. In addition, his summary of the Palestinian conflict is symbolized in his description of how the winding roads to Ramallah around Jerusalem do not even allow you to view Jerusalem from your car window. The humour makes this heavy subject bearable, such as the many ways you can describe the word a 'slap in the face'. Read it, read it, read it.