Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

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

8 reviews

afostinis's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

An insight into the relationship between father and son. Aziz Shehadeh's relentless efforts as a lawyer and activist are explored and shine a light on the insidious colonialism perpetuated by the British and subsequently the Israelis in Falasteen. A tragic memoir and a story of loss and heartbreak. 

Free 🍉

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Violence and Death of parent

laurareads87's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I is an account of the lives of two men: Aziz Shehadeh, a lawyer who fought for a Palestinian state and the right of Palestinians forced from their homes to return, and his son Raja Shehadeh, the author, also a lawyer, who in this text grapples with his relationship with his father and his influence on the author's own trajectory as a lawyer and activist. Raja considers the distinctions both men have, at different times, made between legal work, political work, and human rights work, and the similarities between some of their experiences that they never got the chance to discuss. Aziz was murdered in 1985, and at the time of publication the author still had not successfully obtained the release of the documents pertaining to the police investigation that was shut down before it was finished.

Content warnings: war, colonization, forced displacement, deportation, murder, forced institutionalization, violence, grief 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Deportation

nineinchnails's review

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

this felt like more of a biography of his father than a memoir at some parts and some of the the legal/political language was a little confusing but those are really my only issues with this. this was heartbreaking to read and there was so much history with just this one family. i was surprised to find out just how influential and interesting raja's father was and it was really refreshing to read about the experience of a palestinian christian family. raja is in his 70s at the time of writing, the same age as his father was when he was assassinated, so we get a really long time period covered between the 2 of them. highly recommend to everyone since it's so short but especially to anyone interested in learning more about the occupation!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Colonisation

Moderate: Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Deportation

Minor: Incest and Classism

Ethnic cleansing and False imprisonment

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation

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

bookwookie's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

4.5

This was an amazing book. I’ve read two books now by Raja Shehadeh and haven’t been disappointed yet. He writes with such clarity and kindness; his determination and beliefs evident in every word. I’m very impressed by how he is able to speak so openly about his relationship with his father (can’t relate- I got that locked down). Also with the current situation in Palestine, reading books like this is all the more important. 

In the name of Aziz Shehadeh, FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸🩷

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Violence

adrizeuza's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

This was beautiful and informative in equal measure. The first memoir I read where prose about legal cases can become so evocative and symbolic of a complicated, yet loving father-son relationship, filled with silences and things left unsaid. I found the paradoxical idea that, sometimes, a shared trauma can actually put a gap bewteen two people rather than bring them together fascinating. I also learned so much about the experience Palestinian people have of the geography and landscape of their country - how every hill and tree is a landmark of home, contrasted with the instrumental view of the Israeli state, which has spent the past 70 years bulldozing and cementing everything in their path.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Death of parent, and Colonisation

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and War

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Incest, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism