Reviews tagging 'Torture'

We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I: A Palestinian Memoir by Raja Shehadeh

4 reviews

hellsjerome's review against another edition

informative sad medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and War

Moderate: Torture, Religious bigotry, and Murder

applesaucecreachur's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

Both a detailed historical account of the 20th-century Palestinian liberation struggle, and a family's revealing memoir, We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I opens at the death of the author's father and unfolds into a recollection of his life's work. Aziz Shehadeh committed his life and law practice to his people and their nation through righteous lawsuits, articles of meticulous takedowns of Israeli legal practices (and the politics of Arabs who advocated for Palestine to "work with" Israeli rule), and dogged attention to the puzzle's many moving parts. His determination persisted despite popular opinion, the revocation of his license to practice law,  his political imprisonment, and his family's objections to his seemingly self-destructive commitment to the cause. This final point is the one the author returns to throughout: The emotional distance he felt from his father, and the regret that he did not understand the man who raised him until after his death; then, he learned of his father majorly through writings both published and unpublished. 

I will note that this is the first book I've read on Palestinian history, and in its detail and primary focus on the politics of one man, it is not the most approachable for those with a beginner's level of knowledge on the history of Palestine and of Israeli occupation. This aside, I greatly appreciated this book. Shehadeh illuminates the complexity of Palestinian and Arab politics amidst the occupation and at the same time,  paints a pained and loving portrait of his family. It is a story of devotion to one's people, be they national or in the same book-crowded home. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War

Minor: Incest and Torture

bcope84's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation

s_i_d's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Torture