Reviews

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden

mehsi's review against another edition

3.0

Tja, wel goed aan de ene kant, maar aan de andere kant, af en toe moest ik gewoon even wat anders doen want ik viel bijna in slaap of was me aan het ergeren aan de hoofdpersoon. Ze was net een tikje te kritisch voor mij en ik vond haar af en toe best grof naar mensen toe. Als ze dat dan voor zich houdt ala, maar helaas zei ze het vaak gewoon hardop.

De tekenstijl is best redelijk, ik vond het af en toe best mooi (vooral als de achtergrondplaatjes de spotlight kregen).

Maar ja, ik kan het niet hoger geven dan 3 sterren. Heel interessant over het conflict van Israel/Palestina, maar ook frustrerend en af en toe een tikkeltje te saai.

jrheadt's review

challenging informative fast-paced

4.0

fascinating insight into an incredibly complex thought process of sarah’s birthright trip. incredibly topical and informative, i appreciated the honesty on display

kierli's review

challenging informative medium-paced

5.0

Covers so much, so imperfectly, with a focus on seeing people as people and being okay with disagreement.

ally_alert's review against another edition

informative reflective

5.0

ashdurrance's review

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

I picked this up as a way to better understand the occupation of Palestine, and despite how Israel-focused the novel is, I did learn quite a bit. Though one of the main points seems unresolved ("the occuption is complicated" is essentially the crux of it all), I nevertheless deeply admire the author's work on this subject. I appreciate how the book is blocked off into chapters which are based on the cities and towns where the author traveled to, and where she learned, or didn't learn, about Palestine. I think this book is a bit out-dated, and feels very much like Palestine is always looming in the background; the author is constantly referring to all the books and info she read up on before her trip, but never seems to fully erase the idea of Israel from her mind (as well as the maps she gives us). As someone who has only come to the Palestine issue recently, perhaps my fervor and partial upset may be linked to my anger at the Israeli government. Given the recent attacks--both from HAMAS and Israel--on October 7th of last year, it remains essential to pick up Gilsen's book as a way to elucidate this on-going issue. whether you are pro-Palestine or not, this is a must-read. 

knightofswords's review against another edition

3.0

Facile

inig039's review

emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

thisisstephenbetts's review against another edition

4.0

Very accomplished book from Sarah Glidden, essentially exploring her relationship to Israel and how it evolves over a Birthright trip to the country. It's very interesting, and I learnt quite a bit. Of course her relationship and opinions are highly subjective, and there's an introspective air to it; in short, this is about Glidden as well as about Israel - none the worse for that, but it's not a history or political treatise about Israel. For my money, it could have been a little more introspective, with a bit more philosophising about her changing attitudes, but that's me.

The art in the book is really lovely - Glidden has a very effective cartooning style. I'll definitely be on the lookout for her work. Recommended.

kristinvdt's review against another edition

3.0

To many facts crammed into the story, I lose track of the heart. Still, very much worth reading, if nothing else for the aforementioned facts :)

mehitabels's review against another edition

4.0

as a person who is curious about, oh everything, I found this deeply personal exploration of her Jewish connection to Israel very interesting, and very touching. The book does not answer questions, but rather poses several in thought provoking ways.

I enjoyed it very much, and am glad to have been invited to join Ms. Glidden on her journey, one that I could not partake in.