Reviews with TLC

Rifqa by Mohammed El-Kurd is a lyrical, intense, raw, honest book of poetry. The beauty of Rifqa, El-Kurd's grandmother, shines through in his detailing of her resilience juxtaposed with her tenderness. El-Kurd made me miss my own grandmothers through poetry that shines a light on the humanity within each of us that connects us in some way even when we think connection is unimaginable. I saw Rifqa's struggle and El-Kurd's struggle through his words but even more so I saw the beauty of Palestine through both their eyes. The longing for home and the need for connection weaves throughout his poems exposing the occupier through the eyes of the occupied. The use of the Arabic language dotted throughout the book looks beautiful on the page and had me reaching out to my husband for translation enhancing the experience. Rifqa reminded me how the arts can bring us closer to understanding each other in ways that are revolutionary and inspirational. Currently Reading: The January 6t

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe came highly recommended by several sources. After I watched a few interviews with Pappe, I finally found the book available and immediately ordered it. It is a fascinating, must-read book for anyone who wants to better understand how Israel came into existence on land inhabited by Palestinians and known as Palestine. Pappe is an Israeli historian who used Israel's historical documents to expose the history that has been obfuscated and manipulated to manufacture a narrative more palatable to much of the world than the truth. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine explores the atrocities of the Nakba and the years leading up to the Nakba as well as the invention of Zionism. Pappe explores and explains attitudes, behaviors, and decisions made by those in charge using their own diaries and official records in a way that brings the people of the time and the moments they experienced to life. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine is well-research

The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton 1965-2010  by Lucille Clifton (edited by Kevin Young and Michael S. Glaser) brought all the feelings to the table. Clifton's poems have a sophisticated simplicity that lends beautifully to the complex issues she covers in this wide-ranging book of poems. Some of the more personal poems felt almost voyeuristic but left me wanting to know more. Clifton made me think and feel in poems that pulled me into the world from her point of view. As with any collection, some of Clifton's poems resonated with me more deeply than others. I enjoy poems that make me question what I think I know and challenge me to feel things beyond my experience. The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton 1965-2010 certainly accomplished both. Currently Reading: The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine  by Ilan Pappe The January 6th Report  Rifqa  by Mohammed El-Kurd Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a co

The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day Expanded Edition by Lisa Tener was both better and worse than I expected. I bought this journal more as research in how it was designed than in thinking I needed the promised spark to my creativity; however, it did add a spark to my creativity most days. I found the 8 minutes a day more of an aspiration than a reality on several days, but I was okay with that. A few of the prompts didn't work that well for me, but others were great. The videos were nice but didn't really seem necessary. I quite enjoyed the meditations Tener provided links to. Tener offers creative prompts that allow the writer to mold them to their own needs. I did all the expanded exercises, so The Joy of Writing Journal took me a little over two months to complete. Overall, I would suggest The Joy of Writing for anyone who feels a lull in their creativity, enjoys writing prompts, or likes to journal. Currently Reading: The Ethnic Cleansin

A Land With a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism: A collection of personal stories, history, poetry, and art  edited by Esther Farmer, Rosalind Petchesky, and Sarah Sills offers insight into the experiences of myriad people on their journey to understand zionism and confront it in their own ways. A Land With a People seeks to explain the history of Palestine and to remind the world there were people living in Palestine before Israel was created. Several of the essays also explore the difference in antisemitism and antizionism. The photographs and the artwork included in A Land With a People enhance the writings .  A Land With a People is an intense collection of beautiful writings that can be heart-wrenching at times and heart-warming at others and sometimes both at the same time. The vision of the myriad artists who contributed to A Land With a People gives me hope that people can find a way to create a better world.  Currently Reading: The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestin

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. felt like being in therapy and studying the therapy technique at the same time. At about the 20% mark, I think, I texted a psychologist friend and arranged a book discussion for when I finished it.  The research Van De Kolk has participated in over his career is fascinating as is the other research he gathered in this book. I repeatedly wished I'd found this research twenty or thirty years ago. That said, there were several times word choices that made me feel uncomfortable and earlier in my life likely would have been triggering for me. I'm certain the research has continued to evolve as research tends to do, but The Body Keeps the Score made me finally realize that all those times I felt like my body was betraying me was it having a normal reaction to trauma. Several of the life techniques discussed in the book, I discovered through a more painstaking and lonely process of

Let's take a slight detour from my usual reviews.  Recently, I was compiling a list of books I've read about Palestine and Jerusalem to possibly share for the Corvallis Palestine Solidarity resource guide and realized I haven't reviewed most of those books or otherwise shared them. I decided to share a list of these books I've previously read complete with a few of my thoughts on each one. Future books will receive their own reviews like all the other books I read. In the meantime, if you're looking for more information on Palestine, Israel, and Jerusalem as well as the intersection of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the discussion, here are a few books to get you started. Nonfiction: The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi – A very informative and well-written book. See my full thoughts in my earlier review . The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilian Pappe - I just started this one, s