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kingjason's review
5.0
Incredible writing, I kept forgetting this was non-fiction as you can't help but get caught up in the story, I had goosebumps on my arms for the last 15 pages. It's not often you get a plot twist like that in an autobiography.
The book covers a few years of Dmetri's life as a kid, living on an Aegean island, he is growing up in a time where there is great strife between Greeks and Turks. He sees a lot of violence, kids fighting kids, a father who is abusive to the mother and Turkish teachers who don't think twice about hitting a Greek child. As a nine year old he doesn't really understand why there is so much hatred and anger around him and he gives an honest account about how he handles this pressure, some of the scenes must have been so hard to write. Eventually the family has to leave the island as things are no longer safe for them, Dmetri's last memories of the island are haunting.
The second part of the book is current day, Dmetri is middle aged and is returning to the island for the first time to try and find some answers for a number of questions he has about his childhood and he gets them in the most unexpected place.
This is such an under-read book, the writing is so good that it easily transports you to the island and that happens within a few pages and in such a way you don't realise it has happened until you are there. Possibly the best non-fiction book I've read this year. Another fine book from Eland Publishing.
Blog review is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/mother-land-by-dmetri-kakmi/
The book covers a few years of Dmetri's life as a kid, living on an Aegean island, he is growing up in a time where there is great strife between Greeks and Turks. He sees a lot of violence, kids fighting kids, a father who is abusive to the mother and Turkish teachers who don't think twice about hitting a Greek child. As a nine year old he doesn't really understand why there is so much hatred and anger around him and he gives an honest account about how he handles this pressure, some of the scenes must have been so hard to write. Eventually the family has to leave the island as things are no longer safe for them, Dmetri's last memories of the island are haunting.
The second part of the book is current day, Dmetri is middle aged and is returning to the island for the first time to try and find some answers for a number of questions he has about his childhood and he gets them in the most unexpected place.
This is such an under-read book, the writing is so good that it easily transports you to the island and that happens within a few pages and in such a way you don't realise it has happened until you are there. Possibly the best non-fiction book I've read this year. Another fine book from Eland Publishing.
Blog review is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/mother-land-by-dmetri-kakmi/
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