Palestine [School & Library Binding]

I emphasize that this is not the book to turn to in order to figure out whether to side with the Israelis or the Palestinians. It does not give that kind of information, and there are other books for that (Thomas Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem is a good one). For the most part there are no terrorists or major political figures interviewed and there is no survey of the historical background, the mistakes and crimes that have left both peoples in this mess. What I saw in this brilliant piece of comic journalism is an on the ground look at what is going on with people caught in the storm.

Palestine is about the human spirit, often humorous and courageous. It is also about the tragedy that is what happens when people suffer at each other's hands, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, as well as physically, and lose the ability to see the human face.

Victims turn into villains. The scenes of the settlers attacking the Arab villages at night reminded me chillingly of Kristalnacht. A 16 year old Palestinian terrorist-in-training is chilling as he describes his recruitment at 13, his loss of interest in anything but the violence, and the version of history that he believes in. Sixteen year old settlers strutting through town with their Uzis are just as chilling. You are appalled by them all, and by the societies that have turned children into murderers. And you are touched by the crowd scenes, where you see tiny figures of men and women in the background, hurrying their children away, keeping them away from the stone throwing crowds.

You see the mythologies that both sides, though mainly (because of the nature of the book) the Palestinians, have created in order to give themselves pride and explain all the pain. You see that these mythologies are not going to save anyone.

Sacco does not idolize his Palestinian subjects, though he is very sympathetic to most of them. He shows the irrational hatred, the elevation of victimhood to almost divine status, and the self-destructiveness of some of the people he interviewed. He really likes the children, especially inquisitive little girls, but he shows that there are some nasty kids too. I emphasize that he likes these people, despite their human failings. Their errors do not mean they are to be dismissed, just as their suffering does not mean that the lines on which Arab politicians have chosen to explain the situation are right. It was Sacco's irony, actually, that allowed me to trust his observations of life in an occupied region, with all that "occupied" implies.

The most troubling part to the book, therefore, was the portrayal of the Israeli soldiers. I wish that he had interviewed Israeli soldiers, since they (and settlers) are the only Israelis present in the Palestian refugee camps, and the soldiers come off looking brutal much of the time. But in looking through the book a second time, I noticed that many of the soldiers looked terrified. This terror coupled with the brutality throws another light on the tragedy afflicting both Israelis and Palestinians.

I've been left haunted by one particular image, the depressed face of his last guide, an educated, unemployed volunteer with a school for the handicapped. It is not a dramatic, self dramatizing depression. Sacco's skill is impressive here, as he shows the man's face change, subtly, according to what is going on (sad tales, checkpoints, the charming chatter of a 10 year old girl)--he has other feelings, but his hopelessness has smothered the intensity.

Palestinian terrorists are brutal, inhumane and ineffective. But, and this is a MAJOR but, what do you do about the plight of the Palestinian people? How can you defend what they experience day in and day out? Joe Sacco's drawings and writing offer us a glimpse of what these people have had to put up with.

I do have one major issue with this book.

Joe Sacco lets Palestinian/Muslim sexism off the hook. Yes, he tries to address the issue, but never seems to nail any central issue. In one series of panels he challenges a man about the veiling of women and how men should alter their behavior instead of the women. There's no response from the man he speaks to and Sacco drops the issue almost entirely. He does have several pages illustrating his discussions with women, but again, he throws softball questions and remarks.

There are a lot of books on the Middle East in print right now. Joe Sacco's book is, however, a rarity. I strongly recommend it simply because it's so unusual. Plus, it shows, in human terms, why there's so much rage on the Palestinian side.

For those who might be interested in this theme, I also strongly recommend "My Enemy, My Self" by Yoram Binur, a book written by an Israeli who goes undercover disguised as a Palestinian to see first hand what they experience.

Sacco is a skilled journalist, getting his interview subjects to talk about their lives and experiences in detail. As a comic artist, he brings those stories to life. His people often seem to have larger-than-life, exaggerated features -- all the better to convey emotion -- while he draws the world they live in in great detail. The contrast of the combination works very well.

Throughout the story, Sacco provides a running narration of his own thoughts as he moves from place to place chasing the story, while also filling in historical details where he feels it necessary. The narration gives an added dimension to the book, since it also becomes a story of Sacco's adjustments to conditions in the territories and his own mixed feelings about his ability to do anything about them -- feelings that readers will likely share when they finish reading this book.