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A review by beccak
Samir And Yonatan by Daniella Carmi
3.0
This tale--of a child growing up in a Palestinian village in Israel who must endure a stay in the "Jewish hospital" for surgery to his knee--was definitely written with an agenda. But it's an agenda that is admirable.
At times fanciful to the point of magical realism, and at other times harrowing, the book is targeted for children 11 and up to send a message of peace. I have been very, very disappointed by the books I have read on the Israel-Palestinian conflict (especially for that age range) in the past. This is definitely an improvement.
Samir and Yonatan differs from most books about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in notable ways:
1) While written by an Israeli, it is told from the viewpoint of a Palestinian boy. His viewpoint is very limited by both his age and location. Yet, the book acknowledges his lack of experience and this is what expands over the course of the novel.
2) There's no attempt to say which side is right or wrong. Samir lives in terror of "Israeli Occupiers"--Jewish soldiers--but also fears "avengers"--Palestinians who are willing to punish other Palestinians who are rumored to have cooperated with the Israelis. The only Jewish people Samir has encountered are the soldiers who have invaded his privacy, and whom he blames for the death of his brother and numerous other family tragedies. When he meets other Jews, he is first afraid, then in shock to discover they are friendly. The book only describes the experience of children like Samir, as well as to convey the eventual message that children everywhere can live together in peace and affection if removed from their political entanglements.
3) The setting of the novel removes the children from their natural environment, allowing them to become distinct from their national attachments. The children aren't invested in news broadcasts, messages from teachers, or the anger vented by parents. They are only invested in each others' healing.
The pacing was too slow and meandering for my taste, but the translation from the original Hebrew maintains Samir's voice beautifully. I'm not so enthusiastic about the book as to recommend it strongly, but I don't recommend you stay away from it with a 9 foot pole either. In a book about this topic, that's saying a lot.
At times fanciful to the point of magical realism, and at other times harrowing, the book is targeted for children 11 and up to send a message of peace. I have been very, very disappointed by the books I have read on the Israel-Palestinian conflict (especially for that age range) in the past. This is definitely an improvement.
Samir and Yonatan differs from most books about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in notable ways:
1) While written by an Israeli, it is told from the viewpoint of a Palestinian boy. His viewpoint is very limited by both his age and location. Yet, the book acknowledges his lack of experience and this is what expands over the course of the novel.
2) There's no attempt to say which side is right or wrong. Samir lives in terror of "Israeli Occupiers"--Jewish soldiers--but also fears "avengers"--Palestinians who are willing to punish other Palestinians who are rumored to have cooperated with the Israelis. The only Jewish people Samir has encountered are the soldiers who have invaded his privacy, and whom he blames for the death of his brother and numerous other family tragedies. When he meets other Jews, he is first afraid, then in shock to discover they are friendly. The book only describes the experience of children like Samir, as well as to convey the eventual message that children everywhere can live together in peace and affection if removed from their political entanglements.
3) The setting of the novel removes the children from their natural environment, allowing them to become distinct from their national attachments. The children aren't invested in news broadcasts, messages from teachers, or the anger vented by parents. They are only invested in each others' healing.
The pacing was too slow and meandering for my taste, but the translation from the original Hebrew maintains Samir's voice beautifully. I'm not so enthusiastic about the book as to recommend it strongly, but I don't recommend you stay away from it with a 9 foot pole either. In a book about this topic, that's saying a lot.