Reviews with TLC

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn challenged me before I even opened it. The length seemed daunting and yet when I finished it also seemed liked it could've been much longer, perhaps even multiple volumes. I took my time with A People's History of the United States . I even listened to part of it as an audiobook but also read those same parts in the paper copy. Zinn tells the history of the United States that gets left out of the official history books by telling the story of the people instead of the elite. A People's History of the United States made me think about how lacking all my history classes were. It's fascinating to study the actions and interactions of regular people, especially when those actions dispel the myths of the romanticized history that offers people the excuse to ignore the parts they don't like. Zinn demonstrates repeatedly how change comes when the general population gets tired of being trodden on by the rich and u...

Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer changed the way I see moss. Before I started reading Gathering Moss , I jokingly told my husband that by the time I finished the book I would probably never let him clear the moss from our yard again. Turns out it was no joke. Kimmerer examines, explains, and describes mosses in a way that had me increasingly appreciating the role they play in our ecosystems. I felt like Kimmerer took me into the forest, the bog, and the river with her as she researched myriad mosses. The microecosystems living within the moss fascinated me while the resiliency of the mosses gave me hope. Kimmerer also shines a very bright light on the destructiveness of people and how that destructiveness is sometimes wrapped up in what are expressed as good intentions.  Gathering Moss brought me to a place of appreciation for the mosses on my trees, in my yard, and on my porch by making Kimmerer's research feel relevant to my life....

One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse by Ali Abunimah examines the history of Palestine in the context of the creation and reasoning behind the two-state solution often presented by those in power.  Abunimah demonstrates clearly how interwoven the the Palestinian and Israeli societies are and the difficulties that would arise from trying to unweave the reality of the economics and geography of the two. He breaks down the issues with the two-state solution in a methodical way before putting forth a proposal for a one-state solution based on equality, fairness, and justice. One Country is filled with interesting ideas and puts forth the beginnings of a plan for a path forward that seems at once reasonable and unlikely. Currently Reading: Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom  by Grace Blakely Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links meaning if you click on those links and make a purchase, I earn a ...

Popular Resistance in Palestine: A History of Hope and Empowerment by Mazin B. Qumsiyeh is a dense book in many ways, especially because  it is packed full of history, context, and experiences. Qumsiyeh presents a historical context for resistance that comes in myriad ways appropriate to individual moments over time. Qumsiyeh addresses the humanity of the Palestinian people in a clear and decisive way by personifying Palestinian life throughout history. Popular Resistance in Palestine is an interesting, informative, intense, and inspiring look at the layers of resistance necessary for people living under occupation.   Currently Reading: A Manual for Creating Atheists  by Peter Boghossian Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts, and the Death of Freedom  by Grace Blakely One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse  by Ali Abunimah Morning In The Burned House: Poems  by Margaret Atwood Disclosure: This blog contains a...

Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History by Nur Masalha delves into the variations of the name of Palestine as well as the history of the peoples who have inhabited the land for the past four thousand years. Masalha explains the reasons the names have slight variations over time, mostly linguistic variations of the same name. He illustrates how the culture has changed over the years as well as traditions that have survived. Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History details the importance of the ports and the land for trade among myriad countries. Masalha also delves the importance of farming to Palestine over the past four thousand years. He really focuses on how the name of Palestine and the people have survived over the past four thousand years. He demonstrates how multi-cultural Palestine was for centuries as well as how myriad religions survived in land with the peoples of those religions interacting peacefully, building community, and living as friends and neighbors. While at time...

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...

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 Cleansi...

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...

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi is a must-read for anyone striving to better understand not only Palestine/Israel/Middle East history but the history of the world. Khalidi dives into the history of settler colonialism, war, antisemitism, anti-Arab sentiment, and the power brokers that make the deals to promote all of the above. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine traces the violence and the failed attempts at peace alongside the excuses for cruelty. He shares his own family's history in Palestine and as refugees including their attempts to negotiate for the Palestinian people over the years. Khalidi holds a large number of historical figures and powerful people accountable for their handling of Palestine using facts and documents that show how the decisions were made without giving any thought to the people who lived in Palestine at the time. It's a fascinating book that comes through mo...

Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography by Dominic Streatfeild explores the history of cocaine starting with the chewing of coca leaves by the natives of South America. Coca's history, use, misuse, and abuse is a fascinating tale of how humans can take something good and corrupt it with just a little effort. The effects of imperialism on the coca plant and its transition into cocaine and the various forms of cocaine are scary and yet somehow felt unavoidable. I was torn between what I thought I knew and what the facts and evidence show in regards to the coca plant, cocaine use, and cocaine trafficking based on Streatfeild's research. The intersection of political aspirations and cocaine is incredibly disheartening leaving one to wonder just how much those in power drove or at least ignored cocaine trafficking for political benefit. As I reached the latter part of the book, the realization kept coming to me that criminalizing cocaine and other drugs created the prices that made traf...

  I read quite a few nonfiction books in 2022 over a relatively wide range of topics. I enjoy learning new things, so I tend to read a lot of nonfiction. This was an interesting year of reading for me in that I was working through my to-be-read piles but couldn't resist a few new releases. I found most of the nonfiction I read in 2022 interesting and informative.   The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss  by Mary-Francis O'Connor, PhD offers an interesting perspective on the grieving process. The research O'Connor has done as well as other research she cites offers a glimpse into the functioning of the grieving brain as we move through the process of grief. The idea of the brain needing to relearn habits as part of the grieving process struck me as particularly important and interesting. While much of the research O'Connor discusses is still influx and therefore perhaps not as definitive as some would like, it is still very interest...