By Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco
Published by Fantagraphics
Mom's Review
I read Palestine a couple of weeks ago. I had planned to read Requiem for Gaza right afterward. I couldn't. Palestine is the hardest book I've read, and I followed it up with Abyss of Oblivion, which was incredibly powerful and moving. After those, I needed a break before I could bring myself to pick up Requiem for Gaza. I have now begun it - I'm two days and 48 pages in, and it is even more difficult reading than Palestine. I've had to stop reading because I was crying. The inhumane treatment, the brutality, the (to me) unimaginable experiences that Palestinians are suffering without end is so much more than we (or I, at least) see in the news. First hand account after first hand account hits in a personal way that reporting across a screen does not. Sacco and Hedges offer us a glimpse into the lives of real individuals: Osama who was forced to walk in his underwear for miles on the sand, children who have seen their friends butchered, little Zaina who is mocked by Israeli soldiers when she flinched because she was fired at.
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I've finished reading and would like to say in conclusion:
The people and experiences I learned about (and make no mistake, I learned so much more from Hedges and Sacco's experiences and research than any other source) stay with me. Requiem for Gaza is more powerful for its combination of text and graphics. Sometimes overwhelming, this requiem (for that is what it is) for Gaza is a tribute to the Palestinian people.
Extra:
Chris Hedges "Requiem for Gaza" Book Launch Interview by Chris Hedges
Extra:
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