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A review by mazloum
Letters to Palestine: Writers Respond to War and Occupation by Vijay Prashad
5.0
How does one begin to talk about Palestine? Being from Egypt, a country with close proximity as well as quite a bit of history when it comes to the Arab/Israeli conflict, it feels like I've been aware of the plight of Palestine for as long as I've been alive. Sometimes it is a wound that flares and burns and makes itself visible, and sometimes it is a dormant feeling, tightly wound around one's heart. But it's always there, and you can never really forget about it. Beyond all the mires of politics and shifting landscapes, the unchangeable fact is that Palestine is an occupied land, and its people fight for the land and life that is their right. No amount of time or blood will change that.
And this book brings all those feelings to the forefront of one's brain, as you read those different anecdotes and letters, that vary between examining the political landscape of the region, to someone's unfortunate time at the airport. The selected writings are all illuminating and heartfelt - as well as heartbreaking - as you think of all the things Palestinians have endured, merely due to a Western sense of guilt (and a need to maintain their grip on the region once wholly within their reign). But it also gives you hope, as it examines the shifting global opinion, and reiterates how Palestine will continue to endure.
And this book brings all those feelings to the forefront of one's brain, as you read those different anecdotes and letters, that vary between examining the political landscape of the region, to someone's unfortunate time at the airport. The selected writings are all illuminating and heartfelt - as well as heartbreaking - as you think of all the things Palestinians have endured, merely due to a Western sense of guilt (and a need to maintain their grip on the region once wholly within their reign). But it also gives you hope, as it examines the shifting global opinion, and reiterates how Palestine will continue to endure.