Thursday, 11 June 2015

A Thousand Farewells by Nahlah Ayed

13485053
from goodreads
3 stars

The Middle East has always fascinated me. I am in no way a dedicated student of its history but, whenever there is a tidbit of information about the Middle East my ears prick up and I want to learn more.

It is definitely a region that my heart goes out to. There are beautiful histories and beautiful people there, yet horredeous things happen that makes me shake my head and go why? European colonial powers didn't really help the situation at all, instead it has made it into a bit of a powder keg.

How things play out will be interesting and hopefully the innocent and beautiful cultures will be safe and be able to thrive again.

Synopsis

Journalist and CBC reporter Nahlah Ayed talks about her life as a Palestinian-Canadian, her time in a Jordanian refugee camp, and her time back in the Middle East covering events post 9-11.

My Thoughts

This is a book that is really hard to review. Some parts were flowing and engaging and compelling to read. Other parts were confusing and full of people's names that I had to try and place and seemed more like a boring history text. But, I am glad that I read it, I didn't feel like I wasted my time, so it is definitely a solid 3 stars.

The beginning sections when she was talking about her family and her time in Winnipeg and in Jordan were great. They were interesting and allowed you to glimpse who Nahlah the person was. It was very nice to see.

The rest of the sections that dealt with her on the job as a journalist. It was written in a more journalistic style, and you lost a bit of Nahlah the person in the writing and instead it was Nahlah the journalist. The writing became a lot more concise and in a way clipped.

It was interesting to learn how foreign journalists have to navigate the region, with drivers and fixers and finding people who are willing to put it all on the line to help them capture a story for a 3 minute newsbit back home. I definitely have a new found respect for those journalists. They are amazing.

I liked the background that she gave to the region. It helped me learn a bit more about the region and why certain groups don't like others. Man, some grudges last centuries and that is pretty crazy. I almost want to say "enough already let's all play nice and just chillax".

So if you want to learn more about life in the Middle East, refugees and their struggles and all that this is definitely a worthwhile read. If you are looking more for an engaging memoir, this isn't your best bet, but you still might like it.

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