Sorting by

×
ePALESTINE NOTES
ePalestine.ps - Sam Bahour

SUBSCRIBE | DONATE | CONTACT

News & opinions from a Palestinian-American
living & working in Ramallah/Al-Bireh, Palestine

Writings


‘The Two-State Delusion,’ a well-researched but mistitled saga of a failed peace process [Book Review]

‘The Two-State Delusion,’ a well-researched but mistitled saga of a failed peace process [Book Review]

by | December 3, 2016 | Books, Writings

University of Massachusetts Boston professor Padraig O’Malley’s The Two-State Delusion’s title suggests that there is something paradoxical in persevering with a proposed solution of two states, Israel and Palestine, as a way forward; the thrust of the historical accounts and the arguments made, however, are actually geared more toward convincing the reader that what failed is the process rather than the two-state paradigm itself, which has never yet been tested. A more accurate title would have been “Eulogy for a U.S.-Monopolized Peace Process.”


The frozen Chosen: Michael Chabon’s “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union” [Book Review]

The frozen Chosen: Michael Chabon’s “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union” [Book Review]

by | November 1, 2016 | Books, Writings

Reading fiction does not come easy for me. I guess, while living under a military occupation, there is too much non-fiction pounding at our lives to allow us to get happily lost in fiction. Reading The Yiddish Policemen’s Union may have changed that. No wonder this novel received a ton of awards; it takes fiction to new levels. Not only does Michael have a truly amazing command of the English language (proof being that my dictionary accompanied me in turning each of the 414 pages), but it turns out his Yiddish is not so bad too. Add to that a true historic premise to base his plot on, and linking the story to a few themes that are alive and well, albeit repulsive (think murder, racism, substance abuse, and more) in today’s real world, and what comes to life is something that you’ll be reflecting on long after the book takes its well-earned place on your bookshelf.