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The Blue Between Sky and Water
From the internationally bestselling author of Mornings in Jenin, a novel about four generations of powerful Palestinian women in Gaza.
Violently pushed from their ancient farming village of Beit Daras, a Palestinian family tries to reconstitute itself in a refugee camp in Gaza. The men here, those who have escaped prison or the battlefields, worry over making ends meet, tend their tattered pride, join the resistance. The women are left to be breadwinners and protectors, too. Nazmiyeh is the matriarch, the center of a household of sisters, daughters, granddaughters, whose lives threaten to spin out of control with every personal crisis, military attack, or political landmine. Her brother’s granddaughter Nur is stuck in America; her own daughter’s son, traumatized in an Israeli assault, slips into another kind of exile; her daughter has cancer and no access to medicine. Their neighbor, the Beekeeper’s wife, will extract the marijuana resin to shrink her tumor, but it is also Nazmiyeh’s large heart and zest for life that heals, that will even call Nur back from the broken promise of America and set her on a new path. All Nazmiyeh’s loved ones will return to her, and ultimately journey further, to that place between the sky and water where all is as it once was, and where all will meet again.
Born of a troubling history that continues to rage forth and claim its dead, The Blue Between Sky and Water is a novel of survival and of the vivid, powerful women who manage to enlarge and enliven the everyday. It is a novel for our time—and one that is also timeless.
Violently pushed from their ancient farming village of Beit Daras, a Palestinian family tries to reconstitute itself in a refugee camp in Gaza. The men here, those who have escaped prison or the battlefields, worry over making ends meet, tend their tattered pride, join the resistance. The women are left to be breadwinners and protectors, too. Nazmiyeh is the matriarch, the center of a household of sisters, daughters, granddaughters, whose lives threaten to spin out of control with every personal crisis, military attack, or political landmine. Her brother’s granddaughter Nur is stuck in America; her own daughter’s son, traumatized in an Israeli assault, slips into another kind of exile; her daughter has cancer and no access to medicine. Their neighbor, the Beekeeper’s wife, will extract the marijuana resin to shrink her tumor, but it is also Nazmiyeh’s large heart and zest for life that heals, that will even call Nur back from the broken promise of America and set her on a new path. All Nazmiyeh’s loved ones will return to her, and ultimately journey further, to that place between the sky and water where all is as it once was, and where all will meet again.
Born of a troubling history that continues to rage forth and claim its dead, The Blue Between Sky and Water is a novel of survival and of the vivid, powerful women who manage to enlarge and enliven the everyday. It is a novel for our time—and one that is also timeless.
293 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2015
About the author
Susan Abulhawa
9 books4,264 followersAlso Susan Abulhawa
(Arabic: سوزان أبو الهوى)
susan abulhawa was born to refugees of the 1967 war when Israel captured what remained of Palestine, including Jerusalem. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her daughter. She is the founder and President of Playgrounds for Palestine, a children’s organization dedicated to upholding The Right to Play for Palestinian children. Her debut novel, Mornings in Jenin, was an international bestseller, translated into 30 languages. Her second novel, The Blue Between Sky and Water, was likewise a bestseller, translated into 20 languages. The reach of her books and volume of her readership have made abulhawa one of the most widely read Arab authors in the world. Her latest novel, Against the Loveless World is out August 25, 2020.
(Arabic: سوزان أبو الهوى)
susan abulhawa was born to refugees of the 1967 war when Israel captured what remained of Palestine, including Jerusalem. She currently lives in Pennsylvania with her daughter. She is the founder and President of Playgrounds for Palestine, a children’s organization dedicated to upholding The Right to Play for Palestinian children. Her debut novel, Mornings in Jenin, was an international bestseller, translated into 30 languages. Her second novel, The Blue Between Sky and Water, was likewise a bestseller, translated into 20 languages. The reach of her books and volume of her readership have made abulhawa one of the most widely read Arab authors in the world. Her latest novel, Against the Loveless World is out August 25, 2020.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 824 reviews
October 1, 2015
I have now read three books about the Israeli and Palestinian conflict in a short period of time. This is very pro Palestinian and understandably so as the author's father was a freedom fighter and she herself is actively involved in an organization to help the children of Gaza. Regardless, this is a very well though out and researched novel.
It opens with a family in Beit Daras and this first part is written in stream of consciousness, when the Israeli military invades the village and forces the villagers they have not killed on to Gaza. There is one very violent rape scene, so be warned. People die or are killed on the way, the rest attempt to make new homes, gather their remaining family members close.
I loved the strong women in this novel, the wonderfully effective use of magical realism, and the folklore of their culture. It is hard not to sympathize with these people, they just want a better life for their families. It spans to America and back and will see one family member returning home, to a family she does not know. Plus, there is always hope, the book ends on an hopeful note and the characters are beautifully drawn.
It is amazing to see people who have lost everything, start again, find love again, laugh through their tears and pain. Because isn't that the way of it, within the fanatical groups in a culture are those who just want to raise their families, just live, maybe just like us.
ARC from Netgalley.
It opens with a family in Beit Daras and this first part is written in stream of consciousness, when the Israeli military invades the village and forces the villagers they have not killed on to Gaza. There is one very violent rape scene, so be warned. People die or are killed on the way, the rest attempt to make new homes, gather their remaining family members close.
I loved the strong women in this novel, the wonderfully effective use of magical realism, and the folklore of their culture. It is hard not to sympathize with these people, they just want a better life for their families. It spans to America and back and will see one family member returning home, to a family she does not know. Plus, there is always hope, the book ends on an hopeful note and the characters are beautifully drawn.
It is amazing to see people who have lost everything, start again, find love again, laugh through their tears and pain. Because isn't that the way of it, within the fanatical groups in a culture are those who just want to raise their families, just live, maybe just like us.
ARC from Netgalley.
August 10, 2021
"هذه الأرض سترجع فلسطينية وستعمر من جديد حتى لو انهزمنا"
"رصاصكم عاجز عن قتل إنسانيتي! .. لا يستطيع قلع جذوري من هذه الأرض التي تريدونها لكم .. لا يمكن أن نترككم تسرقون أرضنا وبلادنا .. مهما بقيتم هنا .. ستظلون غرباء .. سارقين .. محتلين"
"لا شى يدوم على نفس الحال وباذن الله ستذهب هذه الهموم إن لم يكن اليوم فغدا .. وإن لم يكن غدا فبعد غد"
حكاية جديدة من حكايات أبطال فلسطين .. حكايات البيوت والمخيمات .. وحكايات الشتات ولم الشمل .. ترويها الكاتبة الفلسطينية سوزان ابو الهوى لتضيف درة جديدة إلى تاج العزة والكرامة الفلسطينية.
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"رصاصكم عاجز عن قتل إنسانيتي! .. لا يستطيع قلع جذوري من هذه الأرض التي تريدونها لكم .. لا يمكن أن نترككم تسرقون أرضنا وبلادنا .. مهما بقيتم هنا .. ستظلون غرباء .. سارقين .. محتلين"
"لا شى يدوم على نفس الحال وباذن الله ستذهب هذه الهموم إن لم يكن اليوم فغدا .. وإن لم يكن غدا فبعد غد"
حكاية جديدة من حكايات أبطال فلسطين .. حكايات البيوت والمخيمات .. وحكايات الشتات ولم الشمل .. ترويها الكاتبة الفلسطينية سوزان ابو الهوى لتضيف درة جديدة إلى تاج العزة والكرامة الفلسطينية.
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September 12, 2015
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
Many times when we see the news coverage about conflicts in various places in the world, we tend to feel an affinity with one side or another for political , religious or philosophical reasons. What we tend to forget sometimes when thinking about this on those levels is that there are victims on both sides and that these are real human beings bearing the day to day to day , year to year and sometimes a life time of suffering . This is a decidedly pro- Palestinian novel and understandably so as the author is the child of Palestinian refugees . Many who read this may do just that and take a side but I'm not going to because the truth of the matter is that I honestly don't know how I feel and I have been torn for years. Instead I'll just give some of my observations about this book.
I liked this book for how the author depicts the importance of the women, the family and of love in this existence. The Barakas family is forced to leave their village of Beit Daras for a refugee camp by Gaza . The strength of the women here is amazing with my favorite being Nazmiyeh and the bee-keeper's widow who was "related by love."
There is brutal rape and violence here and suffering and it is heartbreaking and ugly and will get you in the gut . People are displaced from their homes . There is also suffering and abuse of young Nur when she's living in the U.S. There are fantasy elements of this story with a djinni, with special powers , with Khaled , so an appreciation or at the least an acceptance of of magical realism is required here . The story moves across generations and had a time travel like quality to it with Khaled moving across times . "It wasn't long after that when I went into the quiet blue, that place without time, where I could soak up all the juices of life and let them run through me like a river."
In addition to that quote there are many other beautifully written passages. "These were the women of my life , the songs of my soul." At times I felt there was just too much going on but perhaps that 's a true reflection of the times and place and the events both as depicted in the past and present day .
Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley.
Many times when we see the news coverage about conflicts in various places in the world, we tend to feel an affinity with one side or another for political , religious or philosophical reasons. What we tend to forget sometimes when thinking about this on those levels is that there are victims on both sides and that these are real human beings bearing the day to day to day , year to year and sometimes a life time of suffering . This is a decidedly pro- Palestinian novel and understandably so as the author is the child of Palestinian refugees . Many who read this may do just that and take a side but I'm not going to because the truth of the matter is that I honestly don't know how I feel and I have been torn for years. Instead I'll just give some of my observations about this book.
I liked this book for how the author depicts the importance of the women, the family and of love in this existence. The Barakas family is forced to leave their village of Beit Daras for a refugee camp by Gaza . The strength of the women here is amazing with my favorite being Nazmiyeh and the bee-keeper's widow who was "related by love."
There is brutal rape and violence here and suffering and it is heartbreaking and ugly and will get you in the gut . People are displaced from their homes . There is also suffering and abuse of young Nur when she's living in the U.S. There are fantasy elements of this story with a djinni, with special powers , with Khaled , so an appreciation or at the least an acceptance of of magical realism is required here . The story moves across generations and had a time travel like quality to it with Khaled moving across times . "It wasn't long after that when I went into the quiet blue, that place without time, where I could soak up all the juices of life and let them run through me like a river."
In addition to that quote there are many other beautifully written passages. "These were the women of my life , the songs of my soul." At times I felt there was just too much going on but perhaps that 's a true reflection of the times and place and the events both as depicted in the past and present day .
Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley.
June 12, 2015
What an extraordinary book. It sure packs one hell of an emotional punch. Actually I think there is too much emotion running through my body to write a review! To see Gaza, to see the Palestinians, through these characters and the stories that weaved throughout the book, from generation to generation, was indeed something special. This is a book for and about women, strong women, women who know what it means to endure, to love, to live. The men are there, in the background, and part of the stories, but it's a wonderful tale about your roots, your family, and discovering who you are, and what it means to be loved and part of something. I loved the mystical element with Khaled but I understand that wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. I hated the violence, when it happened, and some scenes upset me, but somehow, like the characters, I learnt to endure it. Because the love and friendship that binds everyone together is greater than it. I loved this book.
February 10, 2024
Having lived in Egypt for many years I did know about the Gaza Strip but not in so much detail. This book is a novel but it's really informative and hits hard.
I learnt so much while reading this book.
Not an enjoyable book but needs to be read.
I learnt so much while reading this book.
Not an enjoyable book but needs to be read.
September 9, 2022
تتناول سوزان أبو الهوى في روايتها الأزرق بين السماء والماء سيرة حياة عائلة بركة التي هجرت من قريتها بيت دراس الفلسطينية في العام ١٩٤٨ ، حيث تضم هذه العائلة نظمية البنت الكبرى، وممدوح الأخ، ومريم ذات الطبيعة الحالمة، وأمهم الأرملة.
تداهم قوات الاحتلال الصهيونية القرية وتحرقها وتنهب بيوتها، تقتل ما تقتل وتقوم بتهجير سكانها الذين بقوا على قيد الحياة. تنزح عائلة بركة إلى قطاع غزة وتستقر في مخيم النصيرات للاجئين الفلسطينيين. من خلال رحلة النزوح هذه، تعرض سوزان أبو الهوى محطات تختبر عزمهم وقدرتهم على الصمود.
ومع تعاقب السنين في اللجوء والمنافي، تقع نور حفيدة ممدوح في حب الدكتور النفسي جمال عندما تأتي إلى غزة لمعاينة خالد ابن ألوان الذي كان يعاني صدمة نفسية أقعدته حبيس كرسي متحرك وأفقدته القدرة على النطق. يعاني خالد من متلازمة المنحبس. تجعل هذه الحالة المرضية الجسم في حالة شلل تام بينما يكون المريض في حالة استيقاظ وإدراك عقلي كامل. حيث أن خالد يرى ويسمع كل شيء ولكنه لا يستطيع التعاطي مع الجو المحيط به...
تلتقي نور بألوان، لتكتشف نور أنها تنتمي لهذه العائلة وأنها حفيدة ممدوح
أخ الحاجة نظيمة الذي مات في أمريكا.
هذا العمل الثاني الذي أقرأه لسوزان أبو الهوى بعد روايتها بينما ينام العالم. كانت لغة هذا العمل شعرية وجميلة، كما أن الأسلوب والسرد كان شيقاً بحبكة فنية ساحرة.
مأخذي على هذا العمل أنه في جزئية معينة ابتعدت سوزان عن السياق الفلسطيني أو العربي في التعاطي مع بعض القضايا الحساسة لا سيما " قضايا الحمل خارج إطار الزواج"، حيث تحمل نور من الدكتور جمال والذي يتركها ويهاجر مع زوجته إلى كندا.
كان تعاطي الحاجة نظمية وعائلة نور في غزة طبيعياً، حتى أن الحاجة نظمية وعدتها بإيجاد حل يجعل كل أهالي مخيم النصيرات يفتخرون بهذا الحمل. في هذه الجزئية، لم أشعر أن سوزان أبو الهوى عكست الجانب الثقافي وجانب العادات والتقاليد في تعاطي المجتمع الفلسطيني مع هذا الجانب. حيث أن حمل المرأة خارج إطار الزواج في المجتمع الفلسطيني ليس مقبولاً، ولا تتقبله العائلات ولا المجتمع. فالنساء في المجتمعات العربية تُقتل على أسباب أتفه وأبسط بكثير من الحمل خارج إطار الزواج. عدا عن ذلك، العمل ساحر جداً وجميل.
تداهم قوات الاحتلال الصهيونية القرية وتحرقها وتنهب بيوتها، تقتل ما تقتل وتقوم بتهجير سكانها الذين بقوا على قيد الحياة. تنزح عائلة بركة إلى قطاع غزة وتستقر في مخيم النصيرات للاجئين الفلسطينيين. من خلال رحلة النزوح هذه، تعرض سوزان أبو الهوى محطات تختبر عزمهم وقدرتهم على الصمود.
ومع تعاقب السنين في اللجوء والمنافي، تقع نور حفيدة ممدوح في حب الدكتور النفسي جمال عندما تأتي إلى غزة لمعاينة خالد ابن ألوان الذي كان يعاني صدمة نفسية أقعدته حبيس كرسي متحرك وأفقدته القدرة على النطق. يعاني خالد من متلازمة المنحبس. تجعل هذه الحالة المرضية الجسم في حالة شلل تام بينما يكون المريض في حالة استيقاظ وإدراك عقلي كامل. حيث أن خالد يرى ويسمع كل شيء ولكنه لا يستطيع التعاطي مع الجو المحيط به...
تلتقي نور بألوان، لتكتشف نور أنها تنتمي لهذه العائلة وأنها حفيدة ممدوح
أخ الحاجة نظيمة الذي مات في أمريكا.
هذا العمل الثاني الذي أقرأه لسوزان أبو الهوى بعد روايتها بينما ينام العالم. كانت لغة هذا العمل شعرية وجميلة، كما أن الأسلوب والسرد كان شيقاً بحبكة فنية ساحرة.
مأخذي على هذا العمل أنه في جزئية معينة ابتعدت سوزان عن السياق الفلسطيني أو العربي في التعاطي مع بعض القضايا الحساسة لا سيما " قضايا الحمل خارج إطار الزواج"، حيث تحمل نور من الدكتور جمال والذي يتركها ويهاجر مع زوجته إلى كندا.
كان تعاطي الحاجة نظمية وعائلة نور في غزة طبيعياً، حتى أن الحاجة نظمية وعدتها بإيجاد حل يجعل كل أهالي مخيم النصيرات يفتخرون بهذا الحمل. في هذه الجزئية، لم أشعر أن سوزان أبو الهوى عكست الجانب الثقافي وجانب العادات والتقاليد في تعاطي المجتمع الفلسطيني مع هذا الجانب. حيث أن حمل المرأة خارج إطار الزواج في المجتمع الفلسطيني ليس مقبولاً، ولا تتقبله العائلات ولا المجتمع. فالنساء في المجتمعات العربية تُقتل على أسباب أتفه وأبسط بكثير من الحمل خارج إطار الزواج. عدا عن ذلك، العمل ساحر جداً وجميل.
July 4, 2015
The truth is there are not enough stars for this book, so I will suffice with 5. The fear I had with this book was, "would it live up to Susan Abulhawa's previous book, Mornings in Jenin?" I had really enjoyed that book and been deeply moved. Could Susan really do it again? The Blue Between Sky and Water did not achieve what Mornings in Jenin did, it completely and utterly surpassed it!
The entire time I was reading this book, I had a lump in my throat, and was often moved to both tears and laughter. Abulhawa has written with a poignancy that is so characteristic of her writing, yet even more matured and refined since Mornings in Jenin. She gets better with each book! It was not just the storyline but the very prose she utilises which is so striking and deeply emotive.
As with her previous book, she has the skill to develop characters in such a way that I was fully invested in each. I loved and hated fiercely throughout this book. The storyline is nothing short of marvellous and courageous in equal measure. Susan brings to the centre stage the plight of Palestinians and more specifically Gaza and holds us all to account with honesty, integrity, passion, wisdom and bravery. This isn't just a work of historical fiction, but an act of defiance and rebellion, a refusal to allow the Palestinian narrative of their history and their homelands to be so easily and irreverently whitewashed.
I loved the way Susan weaves real life heroes like Dr Madz Gilbert and Rachel Corrie into the narrative, forever reminding us that though this is a work of fiction, it's more real than we realise. I loved the omnipresent narrative of
Khaled, which was so cleverly done, a lesser skilled writer could have made it a very confusing affair, but she wrote with mastery. I loved Hajje Nazmiyeh. What a character! I loved Nur, Alwan, Rhat Shel and the beekeeper's widow, and above all I loved their relationship. This is the story of sisterhood and a schooling on how it should look.
I received this book from Bloomsbury Publishers UK having responded to a Facebook post of theirs. I am so glad they chose to send this book to me, it is definitely going down as an all time favourite. It is absolutely worth reading, you will not regret it!
The entire time I was reading this book, I had a lump in my throat, and was often moved to both tears and laughter. Abulhawa has written with a poignancy that is so characteristic of her writing, yet even more matured and refined since Mornings in Jenin. She gets better with each book! It was not just the storyline but the very prose she utilises which is so striking and deeply emotive.
As with her previous book, she has the skill to develop characters in such a way that I was fully invested in each. I loved and hated fiercely throughout this book. The storyline is nothing short of marvellous and courageous in equal measure. Susan brings to the centre stage the plight of Palestinians and more specifically Gaza and holds us all to account with honesty, integrity, passion, wisdom and bravery. This isn't just a work of historical fiction, but an act of defiance and rebellion, a refusal to allow the Palestinian narrative of their history and their homelands to be so easily and irreverently whitewashed.
I loved the way Susan weaves real life heroes like Dr Madz Gilbert and Rachel Corrie into the narrative, forever reminding us that though this is a work of fiction, it's more real than we realise. I loved the omnipresent narrative of
Khaled, which was so cleverly done, a lesser skilled writer could have made it a very confusing affair, but she wrote with mastery. I loved Hajje Nazmiyeh. What a character! I loved Nur, Alwan, Rhat Shel and the beekeeper's widow, and above all I loved their relationship. This is the story of sisterhood and a schooling on how it should look.
I received this book from Bloomsbury Publishers UK having responded to a Facebook post of theirs. I am so glad they chose to send this book to me, it is definitely going down as an all time favourite. It is absolutely worth reading, you will not regret it!
May 1, 2015
From the author of Mornings in Jenin
Most American's only know of Gaza from what they see on the nightly news. Unfortunately, much of the news is colored by the fact the United States and Israel are strong allies.
The Blue Between Sky and Water takes the reader into Gaza on a micro level. We join a multi-generational Palestinian family living in a Gaza refugee camp. We celebrate their joys and suffer their losses. This book will greatly expand your empathy and understanding toward the Palestinian women and children who are caught in the crossfire of the Israel/Palestinian dispute.
Most American's only know of Gaza from what they see on the nightly news. Unfortunately, much of the news is colored by the fact the United States and Israel are strong allies.
The Blue Between Sky and Water takes the reader into Gaza on a micro level. We join a multi-generational Palestinian family living in a Gaza refugee camp. We celebrate their joys and suffer their losses. This book will greatly expand your empathy and understanding toward the Palestinian women and children who are caught in the crossfire of the Israel/Palestinian dispute.
July 28, 2015
As May the 15th marked the day of Nakba (the catastrophe) and the 1948 exodus of Palestinians from their ancestral homeland, now seems a good time to review Susan Abulhawa’s latest novel, The Blue Between Sky and Water. Set in Palestine, it follows the lives of the Baraka family from Beit Daras to Gaza. In the wake of exile, as the family disperse across the world, a beautiful story of kinship and fractured roots unravels through the novel’s main female characters Nazmiyeh and Nur. It is a composite story of resilience and strength in the face of dispossession and humiliation underpinned by the Palestinian quest for freedom. Nazmiyeh, the matriarch at the heart of this novel is in many ways the embodiment of that resistance made flesh. She is strong, defiant, fiercely protective, poised in the face of tragedy and instantly likeable. Abulhawa’s attention to detail is arresting in this inherently strong female book. Through her dazzling characterisation, she writes with a strong sense of autobiography that establishes a relationship with a cultural past that transcends time, boundaries and language and is in many ways reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Her language, evocative and moving, exudes an emotional truth that is deeply affecting and will stir even the sternest of hearts.
Written from a mixed perspective, Abulhawa’s prose is rich, verbose and powerful, but for me it is the employment of the first person stream of consciousness that is crucial to the ownership and currency of this story. There is an interdependency between Palestine’s past and its brutal present that is having a devastating impact on future generations of Palestinians who have only known conflict and that to ‘die naturally is a blessing’. Nazmiyeh’s grandson, Khaled’s voice is a ubiquitous reminder of this ongoing violation of life, childhood and the right to live in peace. By chronicling the personal histories and the entrenched sense of dignity, endurance and the humanity of the Palestinian people that is so often overlooked, the depravity of occupation becomes shockingly clear. Abulhawa highlights this deftly, peppering her prose with references to real life witnesses and atrocities. She quotes Chris Hedges, the heroic Dr Madz Gilbert and pays heart breaking homage to Rachel Corrie, the American peace activist whose story is familiar to western audiences and cherished by Palestinians.
For me this is historical fiction of the highest order, interspersed with the tale are references to Palestinian fisherman shot at sea and children shot at ‘for sport’ that will have you guiltily scanning your mind for stories glossed over then forgotten in much of the western world. And yet, perhaps, Abulhawa does not absolve herself from this shameful voyeurism, ‘westerners came and went all the time on poverty and war tours just to go back and write books’, but what differentiates Abulhawa is her courage. The Blue Between Sky and Water is a brave and inspiring novel of forbearance and hope, reclaiming and preserving the cultural wealth of Palestine. Abulhawa writes with passion and honesty to create a profound retelling of the personal histories of her people in this epic multi-generational tale of loss, love and humanity. This is a must read.
Written from a mixed perspective, Abulhawa’s prose is rich, verbose and powerful, but for me it is the employment of the first person stream of consciousness that is crucial to the ownership and currency of this story. There is an interdependency between Palestine’s past and its brutal present that is having a devastating impact on future generations of Palestinians who have only known conflict and that to ‘die naturally is a blessing’. Nazmiyeh’s grandson, Khaled’s voice is a ubiquitous reminder of this ongoing violation of life, childhood and the right to live in peace. By chronicling the personal histories and the entrenched sense of dignity, endurance and the humanity of the Palestinian people that is so often overlooked, the depravity of occupation becomes shockingly clear. Abulhawa highlights this deftly, peppering her prose with references to real life witnesses and atrocities. She quotes Chris Hedges, the heroic Dr Madz Gilbert and pays heart breaking homage to Rachel Corrie, the American peace activist whose story is familiar to western audiences and cherished by Palestinians.
For me this is historical fiction of the highest order, interspersed with the tale are references to Palestinian fisherman shot at sea and children shot at ‘for sport’ that will have you guiltily scanning your mind for stories glossed over then forgotten in much of the western world. And yet, perhaps, Abulhawa does not absolve herself from this shameful voyeurism, ‘westerners came and went all the time on poverty and war tours just to go back and write books’, but what differentiates Abulhawa is her courage. The Blue Between Sky and Water is a brave and inspiring novel of forbearance and hope, reclaiming and preserving the cultural wealth of Palestine. Abulhawa writes with passion and honesty to create a profound retelling of the personal histories of her people in this epic multi-generational tale of loss, love and humanity. This is a must read.
August 11, 2018
الأزرق لونان...بين السماء والماء
والمهجر نوعان...غربة وطن وغربة داخل وطن
وهنا أبدعت الكاتبة الرائعة فى وصف الأزرق
هناك حيث ينطوي الزمن على نفسه.. بين السماء والماء
هناك حيث يضرب الفلسطينى المهجر جذوراً واهية فلا بلد غريبة
ويحاول الفلسطينى المهجر من وطنه داخل وطنه بناء حياة فى معسكرات يحوطها مستوطنات
والرحلة هذه المرة عبر الزمن
زمن بيت داراس حيث البلدة الأمنه كحال فلسطين كلها قبل النكبة
وعائلة من ام واطفالها تكتوى بنار فراق الام اثناء الهروب من نيران بشر ليسو ببشر
ومحاولات نظيمة وممدوح لبناء حياة
نظيمة فى غزة فى حياة الاجئين داخل وطنهم
وممدوح الذى استقر به الحال مع حب عمره فى امريكا
ويوم ان قرر الرجوع شاء القدر ان يموت ويدفن فى غربته
وتستمر الرحلة مع نور حياته...الابنة التى عاشت ظروف عائلية من الاقسى
ورحلة نور من امريكا الى غزة بصدفة عجيبة
وجودها وسط اهلها بدون علم الجميع
ولحظات اللقاء
يا الله
رواية مبهرة ووصف دقيق لكل المعاناة فى المهجرين
حياة مهجر فلسطينى وصعوباته مع ابنه
رحلة نور من الحياة فى كنف جد محب الى امها وزوجها مرورا بدور الرعاية
التغيرات فى شخصيتها...والرجوع الى الوطن
ورحلة نظيمة وحياة الاجئين ومن كتب عليهم الغربة داخل وطنهم
طريقة المقاومة والتعامل مع حياة فى منتهى الصعوبة
حتى الحرب والاجتياح الذى تمارسه اسرائيل بدون سبب
محاولات نظيمة للم الشمل وسند الجميع طول الوقت
وخالد...ألذى مر كالطيف
ومريم...البطلة المجهولة
لغة رائعة وترجمة فى غاية التميز
ورواية مبهرة لاتقل جمالاً عن بينما ينام العالم
ولكن تبقى بينما ينام العالم هى المفضلة حتى الان بالنسبة إلى مع الكاتبة
خمسة نجوم ورواية رائعة
انتهى الرفيو
#الكتاب_رقم_71_لسنة_2018
#عطر_فلسطين
والمهجر نوعان...غربة وطن وغربة داخل وطن
وهنا أبدعت الكاتبة الرائعة فى وصف الأزرق
هناك حيث ينطوي الزمن على نفسه.. بين السماء والماء
هناك حيث يضرب الفلسطينى المهجر جذوراً واهية فلا بلد غريبة
ويحاول الفلسطينى المهجر من وطنه داخل وطنه بناء حياة فى معسكرات يحوطها مستوطنات
والرحلة هذه المرة عبر الزمن
زمن بيت داراس حيث البلدة الأمنه كحال فلسطين كلها قبل النكبة
وعائلة من ام واطفالها تكتوى بنار فراق الام اثناء الهروب من نيران بشر ليسو ببشر
ومحاولات نظيمة وممدوح لبناء حياة
نظيمة فى غزة فى حياة الاجئين داخل وطنهم
وممدوح الذى استقر به الحال مع حب عمره فى امريكا
ويوم ان قرر الرجوع شاء القدر ان يموت ويدفن فى غربته
وتستمر الرحلة مع نور حياته...الابنة التى عاشت ظروف عائلية من الاقسى
ورحلة نور من امريكا الى غزة بصدفة عجيبة
وجودها وسط اهلها بدون علم الجميع
ولحظات اللقاء
يا الله
رواية مبهرة ووصف دقيق لكل المعاناة فى المهجرين
حياة مهجر فلسطينى وصعوباته مع ابنه
رحلة نور من الحياة فى كنف جد محب الى امها وزوجها مرورا بدور الرعاية
التغيرات فى شخصيتها...والرجوع الى الوطن
ورحلة نظيمة وحياة الاجئين ومن كتب عليهم الغربة داخل وطنهم
طريقة المقاومة والتعامل مع حياة فى منتهى الصعوبة
حتى الحرب والاجتياح الذى تمارسه اسرائيل بدون سبب
محاولات نظيمة للم الشمل وسند الجميع طول الوقت
وخالد...ألذى مر كالطيف
ومريم...البطلة المجهولة
لغة رائعة وترجمة فى غاية التميز
ورواية مبهرة لاتقل جمالاً عن بينما ينام العالم
ولكن تبقى بينما ينام العالم هى المفضلة حتى الان بالنسبة إلى مع الكاتبة
خمسة نجوم ورواية رائعة
انتهى الرفيو
#الكتاب_رقم_71_لسنة_2018
#عطر_فلسطين
March 21, 2018
Blu speranza
Dopo il grigiore e il fango dei campi profughi dei Territori occupati della Cisgiordania e del Libano, la delicata scrittura di Susan Abulhawa ci conduce nel blu di Gaza. Nel blu del suo mare, del suo cielo, della sua speranza. Già, perché se questa ha un colore, laggiù si tinge proprio di blu: quello profondo e scintillante del Mediterraneo che accarezza le spiagge di una striscia di terra tra le più densamente popolate al mondo, promettendo crudelmente libertà e suscitando strazianti desideri d’altrove e normalità. A Gaza, infatti, non si è liberi né si vive in condizioni normali: è una prigione a cielo aperto, una dimensione d’esilio perenne, un limbo che ogni giorno precipita nell’inferno della sopravvivenza all’occupazione militare israeliana.
Ma il blu, quello tra il cielo e il mare che il titolo evoca, è anche quel luogo di silenzi dove la vita e la morte si confondono e passato e futuro s’incontrano, così come vi si ritrovano insieme uomini e spiriti. È proprio quest’elemento magico dal sapore dolcemente onirico a impreziosire il romanzo che, ancor più che nel precedente “Ogni mattina a Jenin”, ci racconta una storia pressoché al femminile: una storia di donne unite tra loro da indissolubili legami di sangue, terra e disperazione sullo sfondo della Nakba, l’immane e ininterrotta catastrofe che da quasi settant’anni vivono gli arabi della Palestina nel disinteresse del mondo (“fratelli” arabi compresi) e dell’ipocrisia della diplomazia internazionale. E così le vicende delle donne di una famiglia palestinese come tante, dalla matriarca forte come una roccia alla nipotina dall’infanzia stravolta dalla guerra, s’intrecciano a quelle inferte dalla Storia alla loro terra, fino ad avvenimenti non lontani nel tempo come i bombardamenti su Gaza tra la fine del 2008 e l’inizio del 2009 o la liberazione del soldato israeliano Gilad Shalit da parte di Hamas nel 2011.
Grandi protagoniste del romanzo, la forza e la fragilità delle donne si alternano tra queste pagine, mentre dalle ormai croniche macerie di Gaza emergono non solo brandelli di vite spezzate e sogni recisi, ma anche tanta voglia di un nuovo inizio e, soprattutto, la speranza che si veste immancabilmente di blu.
Dopo il grigiore e il fango dei campi profughi dei Territori occupati della Cisgiordania e del Libano, la delicata scrittura di Susan Abulhawa ci conduce nel blu di Gaza. Nel blu del suo mare, del suo cielo, della sua speranza. Già, perché se questa ha un colore, laggiù si tinge proprio di blu: quello profondo e scintillante del Mediterraneo che accarezza le spiagge di una striscia di terra tra le più densamente popolate al mondo, promettendo crudelmente libertà e suscitando strazianti desideri d’altrove e normalità. A Gaza, infatti, non si è liberi né si vive in condizioni normali: è una prigione a cielo aperto, una dimensione d’esilio perenne, un limbo che ogni giorno precipita nell’inferno della sopravvivenza all’occupazione militare israeliana.
Ma il blu, quello tra il cielo e il mare che il titolo evoca, è anche quel luogo di silenzi dove la vita e la morte si confondono e passato e futuro s’incontrano, così come vi si ritrovano insieme uomini e spiriti. È proprio quest’elemento magico dal sapore dolcemente onirico a impreziosire il romanzo che, ancor più che nel precedente “Ogni mattina a Jenin”, ci racconta una storia pressoché al femminile: una storia di donne unite tra loro da indissolubili legami di sangue, terra e disperazione sullo sfondo della Nakba, l’immane e ininterrotta catastrofe che da quasi settant’anni vivono gli arabi della Palestina nel disinteresse del mondo (“fratelli” arabi compresi) e dell’ipocrisia della diplomazia internazionale. E così le vicende delle donne di una famiglia palestinese come tante, dalla matriarca forte come una roccia alla nipotina dall’infanzia stravolta dalla guerra, s’intrecciano a quelle inferte dalla Storia alla loro terra, fino ad avvenimenti non lontani nel tempo come i bombardamenti su Gaza tra la fine del 2008 e l’inizio del 2009 o la liberazione del soldato israeliano Gilad Shalit da parte di Hamas nel 2011.
Grandi protagoniste del romanzo, la forza e la fragilità delle donne si alternano tra queste pagine, mentre dalle ormai croniche macerie di Gaza emergono non solo brandelli di vite spezzate e sogni recisi, ma anche tanta voglia di un nuovo inizio e, soprattutto, la speranza che si veste immancabilmente di blu.
May 20, 2021
Pain seeps through the pages of this book but so does a shimmer of hope, defiant joy, humanity in the face of banality of existence and of love.
As for readers of Mornings in Jenin looking for comparison: this is a story in its own right, a book that uses multiple first person narrators, lacks the Israeli perspective (unlike Mornings in Jenin, there r no jewish characters or portrayals). It is exponentially a book strongly rooted in the depths of matriarchal culture of Palestine exploring the power of assistance and strength of women who stick together in the face of wars, rapes, exile, imprisonment, child births lack of medical facilities, disease and above all watching fire and death pour from the sky and leap from the earth to claim their fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers, spouses, friends and neighbours, indiscriminately.
This book might as well appeal to readers of Elif Shafak.
The element of MAGIC REALISM distinguishes it from Mornings in Jenin and has an undercurrent of mysticism of its own.
And last but not the least, I had to write a review for this one because of the goodread community's comments about it being pro Palestinian or anti semitic and the like. I will say only one thing in this regard (because I don't think it fair to belittle the inhuman misery of humans, under siege and pain, on the basis of mere cultural affiliations).
There is a consensus on the issue of Holocaust that it was bad and I stand by it , there aren't any objections to literature about the Jews' extermination as being pro-jewish or anti-Nazi, mainly because the "mighty" of the world have agreed to address the issue in one and only one light "abuse of power against the innocent regardless of their race and colour was wrong", the same rule applies to all the oppressed of the world be they Jews or the victims of certain Jews. Evil of few can't be generalised to define a whole race this applies to all communities. Until the world decides on this there will always be OPPRESSED.
As for readers of Mornings in Jenin looking for comparison: this is a story in its own right, a book that uses multiple first person narrators, lacks the Israeli perspective (unlike Mornings in Jenin, there r no jewish characters or portrayals). It is exponentially a book strongly rooted in the depths of matriarchal culture of Palestine exploring the power of assistance and strength of women who stick together in the face of wars, rapes, exile, imprisonment, child births lack of medical facilities, disease and above all watching fire and death pour from the sky and leap from the earth to claim their fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers, spouses, friends and neighbours, indiscriminately.
This book might as well appeal to readers of Elif Shafak.
The element of MAGIC REALISM distinguishes it from Mornings in Jenin and has an undercurrent of mysticism of its own.
And last but not the least, I had to write a review for this one because of the goodread community's comments about it being pro Palestinian or anti semitic and the like. I will say only one thing in this regard (because I don't think it fair to belittle the inhuman misery of humans, under siege and pain, on the basis of mere cultural affiliations).
There is a consensus on the issue of Holocaust that it was bad and I stand by it , there aren't any objections to literature about the Jews' extermination as being pro-jewish or anti-Nazi, mainly because the "mighty" of the world have agreed to address the issue in one and only one light "abuse of power against the innocent regardless of their race and colour was wrong", the same rule applies to all the oppressed of the world be they Jews or the victims of certain Jews. Evil of few can't be generalised to define a whole race this applies to all communities. Until the world decides on this there will always be OPPRESSED.
October 21, 2018
شاءت المصادفة أن اشتري هذه الرواية من مكتبة في غزة الحبيبة و أن ابدأ قراءة صفحاتها في طريق العودة من غزة.
لامست هذه الرواية قلبي كما و أنني اشهد على هذا الأمل العجيب و القوة لسكان غزة.
ام ممدوح، نظمية، ألوان ، نور و جميع نساء هذه الرواية ما هنّ إلا حكايا هذا الوطن و حكاياته من ألم و أمل و غربة و شوق.
لامست هذه الرواية قلبي كما و أنني اشهد على هذا الأمل العجيب و القوة لسكان غزة.
ام ممدوح، نظمية، ألوان ، نور و جميع نساء هذه الرواية ما هنّ إلا حكايا هذا الوطن و حكاياته من ألم و أمل و غربة و شوق.
May 14, 2015
This is the other side of the story, so to speak- about refugees forced into the Gaza strip. Nazmiyeh is the matriarch, and we follow generations of the family as they suffer the humiliations and struggles of displacement (exile really). With a daughter sick with cancer and cut from resources (medicine included) she will turn to the beekeepers wife for healing. But it is more than just a story about horrific history, there is no doubt it has shaped and destroyed the family in different ways. There is so much loss and abuse and yet Nazmiyeh holds the family together. There is magical realism as well which really made for an interesting unexpected dynamic to this tale. My heart ached with the beautiful love Nur and her grandfather shared- only to be rent by the horrible situations she ends up in upon losing him. My favorite quote comes from her grandfather, who loved to tell her stories. "Stories matter. We are composed of our stories. The human heart is made of the words we put in it. If someone ever says mean things to you, don't let those words go into your heart, and be careful not to put mean words into other people's hearts."
It's hard to sum this novel into a neat package, because there is always something happening and it's not just a story about refugees in the Gaza. It was interesting to read about the women as being fiery and strong, not because I don't believe they are but many people in the western world often believe them to be submissive and retreating. They don't imagine a woman can carry a family or be respected, but mothers are often revered. It is easy to dismiss a people and never imagine their sufferings, this novel certainly sheds light on the conflict. Politics aside, for the family tale alone the novel is wonderfully written. There are many wonderful quotes I highlighted, and the writing is good. There is much horror and pain, but there is love and hope as well. I have always enjoyed reading different perspectives, we really all do carry stories not just of how we are shaped by our family (good or bad) but also by our people collectively, whatever country we call home. We all suffer over those we love and hope to protect, regardless of our ethnic background or religious beliefs, to think otherwise is to dehumanize. The visions make sense at the end,' that place between the sky and water where all is as it once was, and where all will meet again.' I cannot begin to imagine the severed roots, the refugee existence though my own father and grandparents were briefly refugees from Hungary until they made it to America. Hearing about it is one thing, living it is another. History is rife with brutality and there is not a people incapable of committing atrocities, good and bad- the lines blur. The only thing we have to share our experience is often storytelling. Well done.
It's hard to sum this novel into a neat package, because there is always something happening and it's not just a story about refugees in the Gaza. It was interesting to read about the women as being fiery and strong, not because I don't believe they are but many people in the western world often believe them to be submissive and retreating. They don't imagine a woman can carry a family or be respected, but mothers are often revered. It is easy to dismiss a people and never imagine their sufferings, this novel certainly sheds light on the conflict. Politics aside, for the family tale alone the novel is wonderfully written. There are many wonderful quotes I highlighted, and the writing is good. There is much horror and pain, but there is love and hope as well. I have always enjoyed reading different perspectives, we really all do carry stories not just of how we are shaped by our family (good or bad) but also by our people collectively, whatever country we call home. We all suffer over those we love and hope to protect, regardless of our ethnic background or religious beliefs, to think otherwise is to dehumanize. The visions make sense at the end,' that place between the sky and water where all is as it once was, and where all will meet again.' I cannot begin to imagine the severed roots, the refugee existence though my own father and grandparents were briefly refugees from Hungary until they made it to America. Hearing about it is one thing, living it is another. History is rife with brutality and there is not a people incapable of committing atrocities, good and bad- the lines blur. The only thing we have to share our experience is often storytelling. Well done.
March 23, 2016
The Western media and Governments paint Palestinians as the bad guys. But they are people and this book so movingly relates the lives of one Palestinian family from the time of establishing Israel to today. The family came from simple farming and fishing stock and held centuries long customs and beliefs focused on God and the family. There is superstition and the evil eye to be avoided. Forced to live in Gaza they hang on to their dignity and traditions waiting for the day they can live peacefully away from the violence and military power of Israel.
One of their family migrates to America and a granddaughter. Nur becomes a powerful comparison between life in Gaza and the Western world which has walked away from family, belief and respect. She is molested by her stepfather, despised by her mother and left to grow up in foster homes. The only person who stays in contact with Nur through these years is a child welfare office, herself a refugee from South Africa. She finally finds love and people who want her in their lives when she goes back to Gaza.
The prose shines. The words come out of the pages. Strong women abound. Just a wonderful and memorable book.
One of their family migrates to America and a granddaughter. Nur becomes a powerful comparison between life in Gaza and the Western world which has walked away from family, belief and respect. She is molested by her stepfather, despised by her mother and left to grow up in foster homes. The only person who stays in contact with Nur through these years is a child welfare office, herself a refugee from South Africa. She finally finds love and people who want her in their lives when she goes back to Gaza.
The prose shines. The words come out of the pages. Strong women abound. Just a wonderful and memorable book.
October 11, 2023
Israel-stat terorist!
"Documente desecretizate,obtinute multi ani mai tarziu,au dezvaluit cutremuratoarea precizie cu care israelul calcula necesarul de calorii pentru cei 1,8 milioane de palestinieni din Gaza pentru a-i face sa flamanzeasca ,dar sa nu moara de foame"
"Insa n-am mai vazut soldati ademenind copiii ca pe niste soareci in cursa si omorandu-i ca sa se distreze"
"Documente desecretizate,obtinute multi ani mai tarziu,au dezvaluit cutremuratoarea precizie cu care israelul calcula necesarul de calorii pentru cei 1,8 milioane de palestinieni din Gaza pentru a-i face sa flamanzeasca ,dar sa nu moara de foame"
"Insa n-am mai vazut soldati ademenind copiii ca pe niste soareci in cursa si omorandu-i ca sa se distreze"
Read
October 16, 2015Am going to put this aside for the moment and hope to come back to it at some stage as its just not holding my attention right now.
October 27, 2023
This book broke my heart so many times I lost track but it's also strikingly beautiful. Normally I'm not really one for family sagas because I struggle with names, but Abulhawa managed to make it easy somehow.
Every character was beautiful and yet very human and imperfect.
If you're in the market for an utterly devastating but also sweet and hopeful story which doubles as a love letter to family and the Palestinian people this one would be a great pick.
Every character was beautiful and yet very human and imperfect.
If you're in the market for an utterly devastating but also sweet and hopeful story which doubles as a love letter to family and the Palestinian people this one would be a great pick.
January 29, 2016
20/20
Un coup de coeur si fort pour ce roman qui nous plonge dans la culture orientale et dans la vie tellement douloureuse des palestiniens dans les camps de réfugiés où ils doivent apprendre à vivre, grandir, mourir. Un roman sur la famille qui nous fait voyager entre les Etats-Unis et l’Orient et qui m’a beaucoup touché et appris. Une petite touche de magie qui ajoute une beauté sans fin à cette histoire unique.
Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
Un coup de coeur si fort pour ce roman qui nous plonge dans la culture orientale et dans la vie tellement douloureuse des palestiniens dans les camps de réfugiés où ils doivent apprendre à vivre, grandir, mourir. Un roman sur la famille qui nous fait voyager entre les Etats-Unis et l’Orient et qui m’a beaucoup touché et appris. Une petite touche de magie qui ajoute une beauté sans fin à cette histoire unique.
Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
August 8, 2018
Da quando ho cominciato a leggere romanzi e saggi provenienti dal mondo arabo questo è stato uno dei più difficili che ho incontrato ma che, dopo essere stato lasciato doverosamente a sedimentare qualche giorno, mi ha lasciato più arricchito.
L' autrice ha sicuramente tratto la forza dalla dura e travagliata esperienza della sua famiglia (travolta dal conflitto israelo-palestinese) per darci uno spaccato della vita all'interno di Gaza e dei territori occupati: un popolo indurito dalle sofferenze ma anche appassionato, vitale, quasi poetico nel suo modo di vedere il mondo; legato con ferocia alle proprie identità ed alle proprie tradizioni che di fatto sono l'unica garanzia contro l'annientamento culturale che sembra essere imposto con la forza dalla schiacciante pressione della vicina Israele, che passa da una vittoria all'altra.
Se si vuole capire almeno in parte il popolo palestinese bisogna leggere pagine come queste, pure mentre affrontavo i primi capitoli, la lettura mi aveva infastidito. Perchè le sofferenze subite da questa gente quasi mai si traducono in una giusta volontà di lotta per la libertà e la giustizia ma, condita da orgoglio e spirito di rivalsa sicuramente molto forti, si trasformavano in ansia di vendetta. Quasi ho pensato che non si piangesse il sopruso ma la sconfitta; che non si desiderasse prima la giustizia e poi la pace ma prima di tutto la posizione di privilegio e di dominazione. Questo, unito ad un senso strisciante di superiorità e di disprezzo nei confronti degli occidentali, le cui debolezze vengono esaltate e generalizzate in modo abbastanza goffo e pregiudiziale, stava per farmi interrompere la lettura. Come si permette questa gente che guarda con compiacimento al marito che prende a schiaffoni la moglie se non si comporta bene, che ancora avanza per matrimoni combinati, di dare lezioni di civiltà a me? Detto che è abbastanza naturale che avvenga questo (quasi mai le rivoluzioni avvengono per la giustizia, ma segretamente per sostituire la classe dirigente nella posizione di comando), in un secondo momento ho pensato che questo ragionamento non fosse corretto. La realtà è che se si compiono passi per andare incontro all'altro da sè, è quasi normale aspettarsi una diversità che scandalizza, che potrebbe quasi offendere: altrimenti che altro sarebbe? Non avevo nessun diritto di sentirmi giudicato nè di giudicare, soprattutto considerato che si parla di un popolo esacerbato da decenni di oppressioni. Può sembrare banale ma resta un passo importante da tener sempre presente, soprattutto quando si vive bersagliati da messaggi di segno opposto.
Dal punto di vista storico-culturale la lettura è importantissima. "Nel blu tra il cielo ed il mare" ancor più di "Ogni mattina a Jenin" ci dà un'idea chiara di un popolo, del suo modo di vivere e di pensare, della sua idea di casa, ma anche e soprattutto di che cosa significhi il dramma dell'esilio e dell'emigrazione (si possono immaginare argomenti più attuali, visti i tempi)? Le pagine dell'emigrazione di Mamduh negli Stati Uniti che porterà alla crescita forzata della piccola Nur in un paese straniero da un lato descrivono molto bene il senso di straniamento ed il dolore dello strappo, dall'altra prestono il fianco a critiche secondo me oggettive.
La visione che Susan Abulhawa dà dell'americano medio (per bocca dei protagonisti, ma parrebbe che lo pensi anche lei) è quello di un vizioso immorale, nel peggiore dei casi un maniaco pervertito. Leggendo questa parte appare al lettore quasi normale che la madre americana di Nur (nata da un matrimonio misto) sia poco più che una sgualdrina mentre il padre musulmano virtuosissimo, così come appare più che giustificato che alla morte del padre si faccia di tutto per strappare il figlio alla madre (la quale nel frattempo si è risposata con un uomo che -ovviamente- è un pedofilo) e riportarlo in Palestina. Al di là che leggendo romanzi mi ha sempre dato fastidio che si concentrino troppe deviazioni tutte insieme, perchè non è credibile (ho recensito severamente Maurizio de Giovanni riguardo a questo, per esempio), chi parla della fatica di un matrimonio misto deve mostrare anche il pianto delle madri che hanno sposato ed avuto figli da mariti arabi e se li sono visti portare via, ad esempio. Se poi penso che la madre in questione è spagnola (l'autrice la definisce Castigliana - perchè non abbia voluto dare alla Spagna la dignità di nazione non si capisce), la scena diventa ancor meno credibile, perchè il popolo spagnolo è in assoluto tra i più legati al valore della famiglia specialmente nelle sue fasce più conservatrici, alle quali il personaggio in questiomne sembra appartenere.
Non sto dicendo che una nichilistica mancanza di valori che spesso porta al vizio non sia presente negli USA, e ci sono opere di letteratura americana che ce la mostrano molto bene - ma qui si sta parlando d'altro, ed infatti siccome spazio e risorse sono pochi, il tutto si riduce a poco più che al ribadire un pregiudizio ed una generalizzazione abbastanza inaccettabili.
Se si vuole leggere del declino dei valori negli Stati Uniti Francis Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Kent Haruf, Philip Roth e molti altri lo hanno fatto meglio, in modo ancor più incisivo se possibile, a ragion veduta, e senza pregiudizi e generalizzazioni.
Sono invece bellissime ed intrise di struggente solitudine le pagine che ci descrivono il peregrinare di Nur da casa di accoglienza a casa di accoglienza, da affido ad affido, uno più problematico dell'altro. Sono temi importanti e problematici, su cui il libro fa riflettere.
Punto molto importante da cogliere MAI, in tutto il libro, il confronto tra palestinesi ed ebrei, tra palestinesi ed americani, si svolge sul piano religioso. Il cristianesimo compare una sola volta in questa storia, e quando lo fa, lo fa per dirsene bene. Il palestinese di religione cristiana Abu Michele vive tra la sua gente rispettato da tutti e senza che nessuno pensi minimamente di toccargli un capello per questo, e sarà la repressione israeliana ad abbatterlo senza motivo. Sarebbe bene che le persone se lo ricordassero, quando Trump o Salvini invitano alla crociata per la difesa del creocifisso o altre amenità del genere.
E' un bel libro che mi ha fatto conoscere meglio il popolo palestinese e la sua storia, incluse alcune figure molto belle del suo immaginario fantastico come il Djinn, un personaggio mitologico che avevo già incontrato ma solo di sfuggita. E' un libro che strappa il velo sui crimini e le mostruosità commesse da Israele nel corso del suo conflitto col popolo palestinese. Ma è anche un libro intriso di un senso di superiorità del mondo arabo nei confronti del suo altro, un senso di superiorità che non viene giustificato in alcun modo dalla lettura: se è umano e naturale in una nazione che ha sofferto molto come quella palestinese (quanta simpatia mi ispira Umm Mamduh, anche quando dice che "per fortuna Nur non è più americana"!), l'autrice lo fa suo con troppa facilità, dimenticando la sua responsabilità di scrittrice.
In questi anni sempre di più mi sforzo di dividere le persone non per razza o nazione o cultura, ma tra uomini di pace e uomini di guerra. Il mio avvicinarmi alla letteratura contemporanea del mondo arabo nasce dalla mia convinzione che la pace si fondi sulla conoscenza, sull'incontro, sullo sforzo di comprendere l'altro ma soprattutto dall'integrazione, cioè la disponibilità di lasciarsi cambiare dall'altro. "Nel blu tra il cielo ed il mare" mi ha fatto rendere conto di quanto in realtà io fossi indietro da questo punto di vista, e per questo sono grato a Susan Abulhawa. Però, leggendo questo libro ho avuto la definita sensazione che Susan Abulhawa sia, per certi versi, l'alter ego di Oriana Fallaci, e che nella suddivisione suddetta, la dovrei mettere tra le donne di guerra.
E questo non glielo perdono. Tre stelle.
L' autrice ha sicuramente tratto la forza dalla dura e travagliata esperienza della sua famiglia (travolta dal conflitto israelo-palestinese) per darci uno spaccato della vita all'interno di Gaza e dei territori occupati: un popolo indurito dalle sofferenze ma anche appassionato, vitale, quasi poetico nel suo modo di vedere il mondo; legato con ferocia alle proprie identità ed alle proprie tradizioni che di fatto sono l'unica garanzia contro l'annientamento culturale che sembra essere imposto con la forza dalla schiacciante pressione della vicina Israele, che passa da una vittoria all'altra.
Se si vuole capire almeno in parte il popolo palestinese bisogna leggere pagine come queste, pure mentre affrontavo i primi capitoli, la lettura mi aveva infastidito. Perchè le sofferenze subite da questa gente quasi mai si traducono in una giusta volontà di lotta per la libertà e la giustizia ma, condita da orgoglio e spirito di rivalsa sicuramente molto forti, si trasformavano in ansia di vendetta. Quasi ho pensato che non si piangesse il sopruso ma la sconfitta; che non si desiderasse prima la giustizia e poi la pace ma prima di tutto la posizione di privilegio e di dominazione. Questo, unito ad un senso strisciante di superiorità e di disprezzo nei confronti degli occidentali, le cui debolezze vengono esaltate e generalizzate in modo abbastanza goffo e pregiudiziale, stava per farmi interrompere la lettura. Come si permette questa gente che guarda con compiacimento al marito che prende a schiaffoni la moglie se non si comporta bene, che ancora avanza per matrimoni combinati, di dare lezioni di civiltà a me? Detto che è abbastanza naturale che avvenga questo (quasi mai le rivoluzioni avvengono per la giustizia, ma segretamente per sostituire la classe dirigente nella posizione di comando), in un secondo momento ho pensato che questo ragionamento non fosse corretto. La realtà è che se si compiono passi per andare incontro all'altro da sè, è quasi normale aspettarsi una diversità che scandalizza, che potrebbe quasi offendere: altrimenti che altro sarebbe? Non avevo nessun diritto di sentirmi giudicato nè di giudicare, soprattutto considerato che si parla di un popolo esacerbato da decenni di oppressioni. Può sembrare banale ma resta un passo importante da tener sempre presente, soprattutto quando si vive bersagliati da messaggi di segno opposto.
Dal punto di vista storico-culturale la lettura è importantissima. "Nel blu tra il cielo ed il mare" ancor più di "Ogni mattina a Jenin" ci dà un'idea chiara di un popolo, del suo modo di vivere e di pensare, della sua idea di casa, ma anche e soprattutto di che cosa significhi il dramma dell'esilio e dell'emigrazione (si possono immaginare argomenti più attuali, visti i tempi)? Le pagine dell'emigrazione di Mamduh negli Stati Uniti che porterà alla crescita forzata della piccola Nur in un paese straniero da un lato descrivono molto bene il senso di straniamento ed il dolore dello strappo, dall'altra prestono il fianco a critiche secondo me oggettive.
La visione che Susan Abulhawa dà dell'americano medio (per bocca dei protagonisti, ma parrebbe che lo pensi anche lei) è quello di un vizioso immorale, nel peggiore dei casi un maniaco pervertito. Leggendo questa parte appare al lettore quasi normale che la madre americana di Nur (nata da un matrimonio misto) sia poco più che una sgualdrina mentre il padre musulmano virtuosissimo, così come appare più che giustificato che alla morte del padre si faccia di tutto per strappare il figlio alla madre (la quale nel frattempo si è risposata con un uomo che -ovviamente- è un pedofilo) e riportarlo in Palestina. Al di là che leggendo romanzi mi ha sempre dato fastidio che si concentrino troppe deviazioni tutte insieme, perchè non è credibile (ho recensito severamente Maurizio de Giovanni riguardo a questo, per esempio), chi parla della fatica di un matrimonio misto deve mostrare anche il pianto delle madri che hanno sposato ed avuto figli da mariti arabi e se li sono visti portare via, ad esempio. Se poi penso che la madre in questione è spagnola (l'autrice la definisce Castigliana - perchè non abbia voluto dare alla Spagna la dignità di nazione non si capisce), la scena diventa ancor meno credibile, perchè il popolo spagnolo è in assoluto tra i più legati al valore della famiglia specialmente nelle sue fasce più conservatrici, alle quali il personaggio in questiomne sembra appartenere.
Non sto dicendo che una nichilistica mancanza di valori che spesso porta al vizio non sia presente negli USA, e ci sono opere di letteratura americana che ce la mostrano molto bene - ma qui si sta parlando d'altro, ed infatti siccome spazio e risorse sono pochi, il tutto si riduce a poco più che al ribadire un pregiudizio ed una generalizzazione abbastanza inaccettabili.
Se si vuole leggere del declino dei valori negli Stati Uniti Francis Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Kent Haruf, Philip Roth e molti altri lo hanno fatto meglio, in modo ancor più incisivo se possibile, a ragion veduta, e senza pregiudizi e generalizzazioni.
Sono invece bellissime ed intrise di struggente solitudine le pagine che ci descrivono il peregrinare di Nur da casa di accoglienza a casa di accoglienza, da affido ad affido, uno più problematico dell'altro. Sono temi importanti e problematici, su cui il libro fa riflettere.
Punto molto importante da cogliere MAI, in tutto il libro, il confronto tra palestinesi ed ebrei, tra palestinesi ed americani, si svolge sul piano religioso. Il cristianesimo compare una sola volta in questa storia, e quando lo fa, lo fa per dirsene bene. Il palestinese di religione cristiana Abu Michele vive tra la sua gente rispettato da tutti e senza che nessuno pensi minimamente di toccargli un capello per questo, e sarà la repressione israeliana ad abbatterlo senza motivo. Sarebbe bene che le persone se lo ricordassero, quando Trump o Salvini invitano alla crociata per la difesa del creocifisso o altre amenità del genere.
E' un bel libro che mi ha fatto conoscere meglio il popolo palestinese e la sua storia, incluse alcune figure molto belle del suo immaginario fantastico come il Djinn, un personaggio mitologico che avevo già incontrato ma solo di sfuggita. E' un libro che strappa il velo sui crimini e le mostruosità commesse da Israele nel corso del suo conflitto col popolo palestinese. Ma è anche un libro intriso di un senso di superiorità del mondo arabo nei confronti del suo altro, un senso di superiorità che non viene giustificato in alcun modo dalla lettura: se è umano e naturale in una nazione che ha sofferto molto come quella palestinese (quanta simpatia mi ispira Umm Mamduh, anche quando dice che "per fortuna Nur non è più americana"!), l'autrice lo fa suo con troppa facilità, dimenticando la sua responsabilità di scrittrice.
In questi anni sempre di più mi sforzo di dividere le persone non per razza o nazione o cultura, ma tra uomini di pace e uomini di guerra. Il mio avvicinarmi alla letteratura contemporanea del mondo arabo nasce dalla mia convinzione che la pace si fondi sulla conoscenza, sull'incontro, sullo sforzo di comprendere l'altro ma soprattutto dall'integrazione, cioè la disponibilità di lasciarsi cambiare dall'altro. "Nel blu tra il cielo ed il mare" mi ha fatto rendere conto di quanto in realtà io fossi indietro da questo punto di vista, e per questo sono grato a Susan Abulhawa. Però, leggendo questo libro ho avuto la definita sensazione che Susan Abulhawa sia, per certi versi, l'alter ego di Oriana Fallaci, e che nella suddivisione suddetta, la dovrei mettere tra le donne di guerra.
E questo non glielo perdono. Tre stelle.
June 30, 2017
[5/5] No words could possibly convey how much I loved this book . Susan Abulhawa has done a remarkable job at writing this phenomenal and breathtaking novel
Read
May 17, 2019✏️
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اسم الكتاب: #الأزرق_بين_السماء_والماء
المؤلف: #سوزان_أبو_الهوى
نوع الكتاب: رواية
مكان الشراء: طباعة
عدد الصفحات: 301
الدار: دار جامعة حمد بن خليفة للنشر
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- نوع الكتاب: رواية
- اللغة اللفظية: فصحى - عامية
- اللغة السردية: جميلة جدًا ومشوقة جدًا جدًا جدًا.
- التسلسل وترابط الأفكار: كانت رائعة، الترابط بين الأفكار كان رشيقًا وممتعًا.
- الحبكة والخاتمة: من أول صفحة تشد القارئ للقراءة ومتابعة الأحداث، حبكة الرواية في تنقلها بين الماضي والحاضر والمستقبل، أبدعت الكاتبة فيها، إلا أن النهاية لفلسطين لم تأتِ بعد.
- نوع الإضافات العلمية والمعرفية:
1- في كل قراءة عن فلسطين أكتشف بأن الحديث عنها يطول ويطول، وبأن حكاياتها لم ولن تنتهي.
2- عشتُ تفاصيل التفاصيل في هذه الرواية، أغمضت عينيّ وتخيلت المنزل بغرفه وناسه، رسمتُ الشخصيات (ستي نظمية، ممدوح، مريم، ألوان، خالد، نور) وكل شخصية في الرواية.
3- وحشية الإسرائليين أثناء القصف، لم يكونوا بشرًا، بل وحوشًا على هيئة بشر، نهب وسلب، قتل، اعتداء واغتصاب - وهو أكثر ما آلمني- دمار وهدم، وكل ما لا يخطر على البال من وحشية.
4- تعرفتُ على كيفية بناء الأنفاق، وما هي الأنفاق، وكيف يتم عن طريقها تهريب كل شيء، كل شيء، بعد أن لم يكن هناك شيء.
5- بكيتُ وبكيتُ لأحداث 2008، حيث كان أول قصف عنيف على غزة، يا الله، فالكلمات لا يمكنها وصف ما حدث آنذاك.
6- تعلمتُ من هذا الشعب المناضل قيمة الأشياء، كل الأشياء، مثلًا: الماء، حيث إنَّ الماء المستخدم، يتم استخدامه أيضًا لأغراض أخرى أو لاستخدامات عديدة، فلا يمكنهم إهدار الماء، فالماء الذي يستحمون به، يستخدمونه مرةً أخرى لاحتياجات أخرى. {وجعلنا من الماء كل شيء حي}
6- صديقتي - غزاوية - تقول: بأن المخيمات هي أصل الثورة، نعم رأيتها كذلك، المخيمات واللجوء لها، أمر مبكي، رأيتُ كيف تحولت هذه المخيمات إلى بيوت متلاصقة ببعضها البعض، والتحام الجيران مع بعضهم، وكأنهم في بيت واحد، وعائلة واحدة.
7- أثبتت الرواية كيف أن أرواح الناس - الفلسطينين - عند الإسرائيليين رخيصة، وروح واحدة فقط لإي إسرائيلي غالية، حيث تم تبادل 1000 أسير فلسطيني، مقابل جندي إسرائيلي واحد فقط، وكأن هذه الروح غالية وأرواح الآخرين لا شيء.
8- الهجرة والغربة والبعد عن تراب الوطن، كم هو مؤلم، ومؤلم بشدة، إن كانت الأرض محتلة، فالهجرة هي الملاذ الوحيد، هي المأمن غير الآمن، غربة ممتدة إلى أن يجعل الله لهم فرجًا. ولكن تظل الأرض في ��لوبهم، وترابها من عجين طينتهم.
9- رأيتُ الفرح والحزن في عيون الفلسطيني المهاجر، فرح لأنه نجا بنفسه من وحشية هؤلاء، وحزن مخيف من نسيانه وأولاده وأحفاده لفلسطين وترابها.
10- قوة وكبرياء وعظمة الأم الفلسطينية، وتكبدها عناء رحلة تمتد لساعات وساعات، فقط من أجل زيارة إبنها الأسير في السجون الإسرائيلية، حيث لا يسمحون لغير الأم والأب بزيارته، ناهيك عن الإذلال الذي يتعرض له أهالي الأسرى، مبكي، مبكي جدًا.
11- إنعدام الإنسانية لدى الإسرائيليين، فلا يوجد علاج بسيط للمرضى، ولا توجد أجهزة طبية، صعوبة بالغة في تلقي المريض للعلاج أو الفحص أو مساعدته على الشفاء، أو ح��ى نقله للخارج، معنى ذلك، بأن أرواح الناس بمنتهى الرخص لديهم، والموت قد يكون أرحم لهم في ظل هذه الظروف الصعبة.
12- ويبقى الحديث عن فلسطين وأرضها المحتلة ممتدًا، إلى أن تستيقظ الشعوب العربية من سباتها، إلى متى؟ وحده الله يعلم.
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كلمة مني كـ قارئة:
📝 أولًا: للكاتب: أبدعت الكاتبة في سرد الرواية، وألمّت بالحديث عن فلسطين منذ بداية النكبة إلى الألفية، رواية مؤثرة وعميقة، مشحونة بالأحداث والشخصيات، بأسلوب بسيط ورائع ومشوق جدًا، للمرة الثانية أقرأ للكاتبة #سوزان_أبو_الهوى، لتكون ضمن الكتّاب المفضلين لدي.
📝 ثانيًا: للقارئ: أنصحك عزيزي القارئ بقراءة أعمال #سوزان_أبو_الهوى، إن كنت تريد أن تقرأ عن فلسطين من الداخل، بيوتها وشعبها، ستقرأ هنا عن الهجرة والنجاة والحب والفقدان، ستكون قريبًا جدًا من الشعب الفلسطيني.
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💡قال الإمام الجواد (عليه السلام): "كُفْرُ النِعمَةِ داعيَةُ المَقْتِ، ومَنَ جازاك بالشُكر فقد اعطاك أكثر ممَّا أخذ منك".
تعلّمتْ نجاة: أن تكون راضية دائمًا بما قسم الله تعالى لها، فهو بالمقارنة مع غيرها نعمةٌ يتمناها كثيرون، وبالشكر تدوم النِعم. أمّا إذا أعطت نجاة شيئًا لأحد وشكرها، فشكره أعظم من عطائها، فلن تستعظم عطاءً تعطيه مهما بلغ..
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#مثقفات #قارئات #محبي_القراءة #أصدقاء_القراءة #أصدقاء_الكتاب #كلنا_نقرأ #القراءة_للجميع #الحياة_بين_الكتب #تحدي_القراءة #تحدي_100_كتاب #كتبي #مكتبي #أمة_إقرأ_تقرأ #ماذا_تقرأ #القراءة_عالم_جميل #البحرين_تقرأ_10000_كتاب #الغرق_في_الكتب_نجاة #أحلم_بشغف #تحدي_الألم_بالقراءة #أنا_وكتبي #نجاتي_تقرأ
#najati_books #ichooseabook #أنا_أختار_كتاب
#استراحة_سيدات #تحدي_استراحة_سيدات - أدب فلسطيني
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اسم الكتاب: #الأزرق_بين_السماء_والماء
المؤلف: #سوزان_أبو_الهوى
نوع الكتاب: رواية
مكان الشراء: طباعة
عدد الصفحات: 301
الدار: دار جامعة حمد بن خليفة للنشر
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- نوع الكتاب: رواية
- اللغة اللفظية: فصحى - عامية
- اللغة السردية: جميلة جدًا ومشوقة جدًا جدًا جدًا.
- التسلسل وترابط الأفكار: كانت رائعة، الترابط بين الأفكار كان رشيقًا وممتعًا.
- الحبكة والخاتمة: من أول صفحة تشد القارئ للقراءة ومتابعة الأحداث، حبكة الرواية في تنقلها بين الماضي والحاضر والمستقبل، أبدعت الكاتبة فيها، إلا أن النهاية لفلسطين لم تأتِ بعد.
- نوع الإضافات العلمية والمعرفية:
1- في كل قراءة عن فلسطين أكتشف بأن الحديث عنها يطول ويطول، وبأن حكاياتها لم ولن تنتهي.
2- عشتُ تفاصيل التفاصيل في هذه الرواية، أغمضت عينيّ وتخيلت المنزل بغرفه وناسه، رسمتُ الشخصيات (ستي نظمية، ممدوح، مريم، ألوان، خالد، نور) وكل شخصية في الرواية.
3- وحشية الإسرائليين أثناء القصف، لم يكونوا بشرًا، بل وحوشًا على هيئة بشر، نهب وسلب، قتل، اعتداء واغتصاب - وهو أكثر ما آلمني- دمار وهدم، وكل ما لا يخطر على البال من وحشية.
4- تعرفتُ على كيفية بناء الأنفاق، وما هي الأنفاق، وكيف يتم عن طريقها تهريب كل شيء، كل شيء، بعد أن لم يكن هناك شيء.
5- بكيتُ وبكيتُ لأحداث 2008، حيث كان أول قصف عنيف على غزة، يا الله، فالكلمات لا يمكنها وصف ما حدث آنذاك.
6- تعلمتُ من هذا الشعب المناضل قيمة الأشياء، كل الأشياء، مثلًا: الماء، حيث إنَّ الماء المستخدم، يتم استخدامه أيضًا لأغراض أخرى أو لاستخدامات عديدة، فلا يمكنهم إهدار الماء، فالماء الذي يستحمون به، يستخدمونه مرةً أخرى لاحتياجات أخرى. {وجعلنا من الماء كل شيء حي}
6- صديقتي - غزاوية - تقول: بأن المخيمات هي أصل الثورة، نعم رأيتها كذلك، المخيمات واللجوء لها، أمر مبكي، رأيتُ كيف تحولت هذه المخيمات إلى بيوت متلاصقة ببعضها البعض، والتحام الجيران مع بعضهم، وكأنهم في بيت واحد، وعائلة واحدة.
7- أثبتت الرواية كيف أن أرواح الناس - الفلسطينين - عند الإسرائيليين رخيصة، وروح واحدة فقط لإي إسرائيلي غالية، حيث تم تبادل 1000 أسير فلسطيني، مقابل جندي إسرائيلي واحد فقط، وكأن هذه الروح غالية وأرواح الآخرين لا شيء.
8- الهجرة والغربة والبعد عن تراب الوطن، كم هو مؤلم، ومؤلم بشدة، إن كانت الأرض محتلة، فالهجرة هي الملاذ الوحيد، هي المأمن غير الآمن، غربة ممتدة إلى أن يجعل الله لهم فرجًا. ولكن تظل الأرض في ��لوبهم، وترابها من عجين طينتهم.
9- رأيتُ الفرح والحزن في عيون الفلسطيني المهاجر، فرح لأنه نجا بنفسه من وحشية هؤلاء، وحزن مخيف من نسيانه وأولاده وأحفاده لفلسطين وترابها.
10- قوة وكبرياء وعظمة الأم الفلسطينية، وتكبدها عناء رحلة تمتد لساعات وساعات، فقط من أجل زيارة إبنها الأسير في السجون الإسرائيلية، حيث لا يسمحون لغير الأم والأب بزيارته، ناهيك عن الإذلال الذي يتعرض له أهالي الأسرى، مبكي، مبكي جدًا.
11- إنعدام الإنسانية لدى الإسرائيليين، فلا يوجد علاج بسيط للمرضى، ولا توجد أجهزة طبية، صعوبة بالغة في تلقي المريض للعلاج أو الفحص أو مساعدته على الشفاء، أو ح��ى نقله للخارج، معنى ذلك، بأن أرواح الناس بمنتهى الرخص لديهم، والموت قد يكون أرحم لهم في ظل هذه الظروف الصعبة.
12- ويبقى الحديث عن فلسطين وأرضها المحتلة ممتدًا، إلى أن تستيقظ الشعوب العربية من سباتها، إلى متى؟ وحده الله يعلم.
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كلمة مني كـ قارئة:
📝 أولًا: للكاتب: أبدعت الكاتبة في سرد الرواية، وألمّت بالحديث عن فلسطين منذ بداية النكبة إلى الألفية، رواية مؤثرة وعميقة، مشحونة بالأحداث والشخصيات، بأسلوب بسيط ورائع ومشوق جدًا، للمرة الثانية أقرأ للكاتبة #سوزان_أبو_الهوى، لتكون ضمن الكتّاب المفضلين لدي.
📝 ثانيًا: للقارئ: أنصحك عزيزي القارئ بقراءة أعمال #سوزان_أبو_الهوى، إن كنت تريد أن تقرأ عن فلسطين من الداخل، بيوتها وشعبها، ستقرأ هنا عن الهجرة والنجاة والحب والفقدان، ستكون قريبًا جدًا من الشعب الفلسطيني.
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💡قال الإمام الجواد (عليه السلام): "كُفْرُ النِعمَةِ داعيَةُ المَقْتِ، ومَنَ جازاك بالشُكر فقد اعطاك أكثر ممَّا أخذ منك".
تعلّمتْ نجاة: أن تكون راضية دائمًا بما قسم الله تعالى لها، فهو بالمقارنة مع غيرها نعمةٌ يتمناها كثيرون، وبالشكر تدوم النِعم. أمّا إذا أعطت نجاة شيئًا لأحد وشكرها، فشكره أعظم من عطائها، فلن تستعظم عطاءً تعطيه مهما بلغ..
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#مثقفات #قارئات #محبي_القراءة #أصدقاء_القراءة #أصدقاء_الكتاب #كلنا_نقرأ #القراءة_للجميع #الحياة_بين_الكتب #تحدي_القراءة #تحدي_100_كتاب #كتبي #مكتبي #أمة_إقرأ_تقرأ #ماذا_تقرأ #القراءة_عالم_جميل #البحرين_تقرأ_10000_كتاب #الغرق_في_الكتب_نجاة #أحلم_بشغف #تحدي_الألم_بالقراءة #أنا_وكتبي #نجاتي_تقرأ
#najati_books #ichooseabook #أنا_أختار_كتاب
#استراحة_سيدات #تحدي_استراحة_سيدات - أدب فلسطيني
June 18, 2017
Although I have Mornings in Jenin on my kindle ready to read, it was this book - Abulhawa's second novel - that I read first. Abulhawa writes with a distinct style, and I'll be interested to see if this is also the case in Mornings or if it is peculiar to this novel.
This book opens with families leaving their ancient farms for Gaza as their homes are invaded. Those who are sensitive to reading about sexual assault should be aware there is a distressing rape scene, as well as other violence committed. This opening section of the book - say, the first 70 pages or so - I struggled with a little. Not necessarily due to content, though that was difficult to read as it is for any book including such events, but rather I felt the authorial tone was too didactic for my taste. I'm not sure why that bugged me so much, perhaps because I felt a little like I was being lectured to rather than being presented with a story that would engage me and lead me to think for myself. I think many (most?) of us like to be able to form our own conclusions rather than having them forced on us?
Where the book gained strength for me was in the contemporary sections set in Gaza. Abulhawa shows us the lives of people living in Gaza: the conditions they live under and the way they try to ensure they have their needs met (the tunnels). In addition, there are glimpses into aid workers assisting in Gaza. Life in the world's largest open air prison is challenging; from air raids, to calorific restrictions, limited medical supplies, and a thousand other privations that comes with living in a war zone. The didacticism I struggled with in the first section resolved in the contemporary sections - perhaps because we followed the lives of characters, rather than of a an event.
This book is unabashedly pro-Palestine, but I have no issue with that. The voices of Palestine have been silenced, and this book tries to give a voice again; to show what is happening in Gaza.
This book opens with families leaving their ancient farms for Gaza as their homes are invaded. Those who are sensitive to reading about sexual assault should be aware there is a distressing rape scene, as well as other violence committed. This opening section of the book - say, the first 70 pages or so - I struggled with a little. Not necessarily due to content, though that was difficult to read as it is for any book including such events, but rather I felt the authorial tone was too didactic for my taste. I'm not sure why that bugged me so much, perhaps because I felt a little like I was being lectured to rather than being presented with a story that would engage me and lead me to think for myself. I think many (most?) of us like to be able to form our own conclusions rather than having them forced on us?
Where the book gained strength for me was in the contemporary sections set in Gaza. Abulhawa shows us the lives of people living in Gaza: the conditions they live under and the way they try to ensure they have their needs met (the tunnels). In addition, there are glimpses into aid workers assisting in Gaza. Life in the world's largest open air prison is challenging; from air raids, to calorific restrictions, limited medical supplies, and a thousand other privations that comes with living in a war zone. The didacticism I struggled with in the first section resolved in the contemporary sections - perhaps because we followed the lives of characters, rather than of a an event.
This book is unabashedly pro-Palestine, but I have no issue with that. The voices of Palestine have been silenced, and this book tries to give a voice again; to show what is happening in Gaza.
June 25, 2015
This was amazing and heartbreaking all at the same time.
To read about such horrific events that are not fictional.
To read about a family going through so much negative events, but to stay together, to keep helping people and to just keep their heads up.
It was so amazing.
I cried like a baby several times, not going to lie :p
This book is really an eye opener to the culture of these refugees and an insight into their lives.
I love that every character in this has their own strength, and that they use it to build a life. To help other people and to just keep on going.
To read about such horrific events that are not fictional.
To read about a family going through so much negative events, but to stay together, to keep helping people and to just keep their heads up.
It was so amazing.
I cried like a baby several times, not going to lie :p
This book is really an eye opener to the culture of these refugees and an insight into their lives.
I love that every character in this has their own strength, and that they use it to build a life. To help other people and to just keep on going.
August 5, 2015
A thinly veiled political rant disguised as fiction. Every single Palestinian female is painted in the most noble light, while Abulhawa veers into Goebbels-level stereotypes against Jews (besides one soldier who gives a stick of gum to a child) Even more purple prose abounds, at one point, going into all caps lock.
And the ending? Marry a second cousin? Sure, that's feminist.
Seriously, read an action fiction writer like Yasmine Khadra who is just as critical of Israel but actually has nuance.
And the ending? Marry a second cousin? Sure, that's feminist.
Seriously, read an action fiction writer like Yasmine Khadra who is just as critical of Israel but actually has nuance.
December 28, 2015
I am woefully ignorant about this part of the world in any time period -- most of our history is made up of European and American conflict. This book painted a beautiful and painful picture of family and tradition and history of one family stretched so thin and it was a wonder they didn't break.
I have also not cried so much while reading a book in a very long time.
I have also not cried so much while reading a book in a very long time.
July 11, 2015
I really liked Mornings in Jenin and was looking forward to this book. I made three concerted efforts to get through it and made it to half way through the book, but decided it was just too overly sentimental for me and life is too short to read a book you are not enjoying.
June 19, 2017
The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa tells the story of the Baraka family from the Palestinian village of Beit Daras. The story spans four generations, focusing on the plight of the women.
When the family is forced out of their ancestral home by the Israeli military, they make the trek to Gaza. Some are killed along the way; some sustain life-long injuries; others survive physically intact but emotionally devastated by the loss of their home and way of life. They settle in a refugee camp, cobbling bits and pieces of their lives to make a new home. At the center of it all is Hajje Nazmiyeh, the matriarch. She is the glue that holds the family together.
With vivid detail, Abulhawa describes the harsh reality of living under Israeli occupation and the challenges of survival during the Gaza blockade that made of the area a virtual prison. Forced to navigate Israeli checkpoints, food shortages, intermittent electricity and water supplies, unemployment, harassment by the Israeli military, daily humiliations, displacement, incarceration of loved ones, etc., the Baraka family confronts the challenges with a determination and resilience. The family is able to eke out a living, survive, and even laugh and love through pain and tears. The strength of their family bond is unshakeable.
The novel addresses the loneliness and displacement of the Palestinian diaspora through the figure of Hajje Nazmiyeh’s brother, Mamdouh, who emigrates to the United States with his wife, Yasmine. Mamdouh never feels fully at home in America. He is wounded by the alienation of his son who rejects his cultural heritage. After his son’s death in an accident, Mamdouh takes custody of his young granddaughter, Nur. His plans to take her to Gaza are thwarted by his sudden death. Nur is thrust into a downward spiral. Molested by her mother’s boyfriend, she is shuttled from one foster home to another until she reaches adulthood. Eventually she reunites with her family in Gaza where she finds herself wrapped in their cocoon of unconditional love and acceptance.
Abulhawa weaves actual historical events in the novel: the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their villages, the death of the peace activist Rachel Corrie at the hands of an Israeli soldier, the Gaza blockade, and the prisoner exchange. The novel’s strength lies in its depiction of the resilience and fierce determination of Palestinians to survive. The women, especially Nazmiyeh, are credited with holding the family together. Through her cooking, Nazmiyeh nourishes the bodies of her husband and children; through her unconditional love and devotion, she nourishes their spirits, restoring dignity and respect to a people living in a hostile climate whose intent is to strip them of both.
There is an element of magical realism threaded throughout the novel with the presence of a djinn with special powers; a sister who predicts the future while alive and guides the living after her death; and a young man who navigates across different time zones, communicating with the living and the dead.
Abulhawa covers a lot of ground in this novel, so much so that it suffers from a lack of cohesion. The incidents pile on, one after the other with little time to digest them; the characters are insufficiently developed; the situations seem contrived; the coincidence of Nur finding her family in a sprawling refugee camp in Gaza is far-fetched. The work reads more like the biography of a family than a literary novel. It lacks subtlety and nuance and is transparent in its use of events and characters as a platform to promote a political agenda.
Although it is regrettable her treatment of this important subject was not as effective as it could have been, nevertheless Abulhawa is to be credited for shining a light on the plight of the Palestinian people. We see the world through their eyes; experience with them their forced eviction from their homeland; witness their losses, pain, and suffering; and empathize with their longing to return to their homes.
Recommended with reservations.
When the family is forced out of their ancestral home by the Israeli military, they make the trek to Gaza. Some are killed along the way; some sustain life-long injuries; others survive physically intact but emotionally devastated by the loss of their home and way of life. They settle in a refugee camp, cobbling bits and pieces of their lives to make a new home. At the center of it all is Hajje Nazmiyeh, the matriarch. She is the glue that holds the family together.
With vivid detail, Abulhawa describes the harsh reality of living under Israeli occupation and the challenges of survival during the Gaza blockade that made of the area a virtual prison. Forced to navigate Israeli checkpoints, food shortages, intermittent electricity and water supplies, unemployment, harassment by the Israeli military, daily humiliations, displacement, incarceration of loved ones, etc., the Baraka family confronts the challenges with a determination and resilience. The family is able to eke out a living, survive, and even laugh and love through pain and tears. The strength of their family bond is unshakeable.
The novel addresses the loneliness and displacement of the Palestinian diaspora through the figure of Hajje Nazmiyeh’s brother, Mamdouh, who emigrates to the United States with his wife, Yasmine. Mamdouh never feels fully at home in America. He is wounded by the alienation of his son who rejects his cultural heritage. After his son’s death in an accident, Mamdouh takes custody of his young granddaughter, Nur. His plans to take her to Gaza are thwarted by his sudden death. Nur is thrust into a downward spiral. Molested by her mother’s boyfriend, she is shuttled from one foster home to another until she reaches adulthood. Eventually she reunites with her family in Gaza where she finds herself wrapped in their cocoon of unconditional love and acceptance.
Abulhawa weaves actual historical events in the novel: the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their villages, the death of the peace activist Rachel Corrie at the hands of an Israeli soldier, the Gaza blockade, and the prisoner exchange. The novel’s strength lies in its depiction of the resilience and fierce determination of Palestinians to survive. The women, especially Nazmiyeh, are credited with holding the family together. Through her cooking, Nazmiyeh nourishes the bodies of her husband and children; through her unconditional love and devotion, she nourishes their spirits, restoring dignity and respect to a people living in a hostile climate whose intent is to strip them of both.
There is an element of magical realism threaded throughout the novel with the presence of a djinn with special powers; a sister who predicts the future while alive and guides the living after her death; and a young man who navigates across different time zones, communicating with the living and the dead.
Abulhawa covers a lot of ground in this novel, so much so that it suffers from a lack of cohesion. The incidents pile on, one after the other with little time to digest them; the characters are insufficiently developed; the situations seem contrived; the coincidence of Nur finding her family in a sprawling refugee camp in Gaza is far-fetched. The work reads more like the biography of a family than a literary novel. It lacks subtlety and nuance and is transparent in its use of events and characters as a platform to promote a political agenda.
Although it is regrettable her treatment of this important subject was not as effective as it could have been, nevertheless Abulhawa is to be credited for shining a light on the plight of the Palestinian people. We see the world through their eyes; experience with them their forced eviction from their homeland; witness their losses, pain, and suffering; and empathize with their longing to return to their homes.
Recommended with reservations.
April 3, 2024
Se logró terminar a tiempo y es un libro precioso, muy triste pero muy esperanzador. Increíble aaaaa.
August 7, 2017
3,5
Kitabı sevip sevmediğimden emin olamamakla birlikte kitapta anlatılanlardan etkilendiğimi söyleyebilirim. Gazze'de savaşın ortasında kalmış, ordan sürülmüş, dünyanın dört bir yanına dağılmış bir ailenin yaşadıklarını okurken etkilenmemek elde değil zaten. Ama kitapta beni rahatsız eden şeylerde vardı. Bunlardan biri devamlı bir kopukluk yaşamamdı. Bi kişiden diğer kişiye atlarken sanırım koptum gittim, kitaba bu şekilde bakakaldım;
Kitapta neredeyse herkesin cinlerle ya da başka türlü bağlantıları olması beni rahatsız etti ve hikayeyi daha yapay bulmama sebep oldu. Süleyman'ı her okuduğumda böyleydim;
Ve son olarakta beni duygulandıran her sahnede ;
Yani kısaca beni duygudan duyguya sürükledi. O yüzden de sevip sevmediğimden emin olamıyorum.
Kitabı sevip sevmediğimden emin olamamakla birlikte kitapta anlatılanlardan etkilendiğimi söyleyebilirim. Gazze'de savaşın ortasında kalmış, ordan sürülmüş, dünyanın dört bir yanına dağılmış bir ailenin yaşadıklarını okurken etkilenmemek elde değil zaten. Ama kitapta beni rahatsız eden şeylerde vardı. Bunlardan biri devamlı bir kopukluk yaşamamdı. Bi kişiden diğer kişiye atlarken sanırım koptum gittim, kitaba bu şekilde bakakaldım;
Kitapta neredeyse herkesin cinlerle ya da başka türlü bağlantıları olması beni rahatsız etti ve hikayeyi daha yapay bulmama sebep oldu. Süleyman'ı her okuduğumda böyleydim;
Ve son olarakta beni duygulandıran her sahnede ;
Yani kısaca beni duygudan duyguya sürükledi. O yüzden de sevip sevmediğimden emin olamıyorum.
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