“I don’t know. You’re
gonna think I’m crazy. I just thought I knew what I felt about this place and
now I’m all messed up,” Glidden says confused. In the critically acclaimed
novel, How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, Sarah Glidden
realizes that the culture she is a part of is not known to her at all. In this
week’s blog post, to unravel the internal complexities of Glidden’s firsthand
experience in understanding her culture, we open Pandora’s box eliciting the
details of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Glidden’s subconscious perception of Israeli lifestyle
changes drastically as she sees the real Israel through her own eyes and slowly
learns the truth about her culture’s safe haven.
Glidden’s Birthright
trip encapsulates the complexity of the Israel-Palestine conflict. As we read
the beginning of her memoir, it becomes apparent that she starts out
antagonistic towards the Israelis. She regards the trip to be a medium by which
Israeli propaganda can be dispersed. This perspective is understood when she
visits the Golan Heights and describes the films shown as “heavy on
propaganda.” We, as readers, favor Glidden’s side since we view Israel through
her lens. However, as the novel continues, we discover that these films are the
first step to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After spending time
on the Birthright trip, Glidden’s perspective begins the change as she
understands the reality of Israeli political situation.
When Glidden attends the
guest speaker session in Jerusalem, she shares authentic stories of those who
suffered from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As both Amit and Maha talk
about their experiences, conveying that they had lost loved ones due to this
international conflict, the trip members begin to understand the severity of
the issue. We know that Glidden experiences pain and suffering and has no
choice but to empathize with them as she recalls the death of her own loved one
in a tragic accident. Glidden admires Amit and Maha for speaking up and thinks,
“They allow themselves to go through [constant pain], talking to groups of
privileged foreigners, hoping something will stick.” The conflict is no longer
something distant, but something that hits close to home. But, what does this
all mean and what does it lead to? We know what you’re thinking right now:
“You’re killin’ me, smalls.”
Accordingly, we respond: “But, just you wait.” Glidden’s firsthand storytelling allows her to recognize that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are to be blamed entirely, and that there is no black or white answer to such a complicated situation. That is why Glidden had to rely on color to tell her story.
Glidden’s experience is
illustrated through a loose style of pen-work that adds to the story-like
quality of her narrative, pushing the reader to further see the story as a fictional
representation of reality. She draws with a watercolor-like technique to add to
the dreaminess of her narration. This effect is observed through the simple
facial structures and color combinations that she uses in the following comic
strip, such as a simple profile of the main character. Is it a problem that her
calligraphy is more childish than some 5th graders’ drawings?
NO! We believe that
Glidden meant to follow this format, as her soft and simple style is a clear
strength that differentiates this story from other ones. Her simplicity invites
you to take the character’s perspective, giving you a more personal connection
with the story. Glidden shares her experiences regarding learning the truth
about the Israeli culture through the use of an uncomplicated drawing style.
While her conflicts can be described in a textbook or through loosely-related
series of photo journals, the only way to achieve a personal connection with
Glidden’s story, like we did, is through a graphic novel. We found this
representation to be a very effective tool that assisted us while we followed
her through her journey.
Overall, Glidden’s novel
effectively illustrates the author’s experiences regarding her understanding
with her religion and culture. While skeptical of the Israeli lifestyle at
first, her birthright trip brought to light a new perspective about Israel.
Glidden’s 206 pages of action, doubt, and realization allow us to read this
novel through an unbiased and factual lens. While the memoir lets us understand
Israeli side of the conflict, Glidden never exposes us to the Palestinian side.
Never offering a resolution, Glidden leads us to form our own opinions and
reach our own conclusion about the conflict. Ultimately, where we decide to
stand is up to us.
1 comment:
Your review is detailed and specific and tends to back up its assertions with text. You anticipate the reader's needs with a link to a reliable website for background on the conflict. You also let the reader know what you appreciate about Glidden's comic and why. The pop culture references leaven your approach to a serious topic with humor.
There's a tension between describing Glidden's account as "unbiased and factual" and acknowledging that it doesn't represent the Palestinian side of the conflict. Doesn't the book's value largely come from Glidden's subjectivity? One small aside: you refer to Glidden's comic as a "novel" in a couple places; "graphic novel" or memoir would be more accurate.
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