Mornings in Jenin

Jan 06, 2012 Emma rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, world-fiction-challenge, palestine, middle-east, 2-stars, family-saga, op-ed-books

A Palestinian perspective on the conflict in the Middle East? Yes, this book delivers that. A good novel? No, not that.

This book starts with the idyllic lives of Palestinian villagers in the early 1940s. It moves on to describe their displacement into a refugee camp, where the main character, Amal, is born. From there it (mostly) follows her life up until the early 2000s. Amal grows up in the camp, but a scholarship is her ticket out and from there her life takes some interesting turns until she...more A Palestinian perspective on the conflict in the Middle East? Yes, this book delivers that. A good novel? No, not that.

This book starts with the idyllic lives of Palestinian villagers in the early 1940s. It moves on to describe their displacement into a refugee camp, where the main character, Amal, is born. From there it (mostly) follows her life up until the early 2000s. Amal grows up in the camp, but a scholarship is her ticket out and from there her life takes some interesting turns until she finally winds up back in the camp again. (No spoilers; that's in the prologue.)

So here's the thing about this book. It feels very raw and angry; emotionally honest even where it's playing fast and loose with the facts. It's one of the most manipulative books I've ever read. It's almost impossible to lose sight, even for a moment, of the fact that the author is Making A Point. The writing, on the sentence level, is not bad. There are some good insights and connections drawn. But it's so heavy-handed in its message, so depressingly predictable in its tragedy, so insistent in telling the reader how to feel, that the agenda tends to overwhelm the novel.

I do think the author makes some effort to be fair. The individual Jewish characters in this book are mostly not bad people. But at the same time, the Palestinian characters are so full of strength, love and solidarity that there's barely a flaw to be found in any of them (and those few flaws they have are all directly attributable to abuses suffered at the hands of Israeli soldiers). And while the author doesn't exactly deny that some Palestinians have done some ugly things, she also doesn't mention these things until late in the book (even when, chronologically, they happened much earlier), after these people have suffered so much apparently unprovoked abuse that it's impossible to imagine them not fighting back. Even then, she glosses over the uglier stuff.

So the manipulation of the timeline, the idealization of the Palestinians and their pre-1948 lives, and the selectivity about where the book goes all make it difficult to trust Abulhawa, even though much of what she tells us is probably true. My impression is that she assumes her readers have already heard the Israeli side, and she's here to give us the Palestinian side. No doubt this is true of many readers, but I expect more from a novel than a slanted answer to slanted media reports. There are places where the book tries to rise above that, most notably one of the scenes with David toward the end of the book, but much more often it simply rants about Israel.

If that were the only problem with the book, I'd probably still give it 3 stars. But then there's the writing. The narration leaps, without any apparent rhyme or reason, between first- and third-person, between two different first-person narrators, between past and present tense. (Writing Yousef's POV in first person, present tense was a particularly ill-considered decision, resulting in passages like: "I reach my hand to touch. But he backs away. Later, not now, I am sure that it was not a dream." Got that?) And there's this constant fast-forwarding and rewinding to tell an entire subplot in a paragraph, as if the author's afraid we won't remember some plot element by the time it reappears. And then the narration jumps around and skips over tons of time. (It was cool that Amal and I share an alma mater. It would have been cooler if a single word had been said about her time there.)

In the end, I'm conflicted about this book. I did cry at the end (sucker for dramatic death scenes that I am). There are interesting plot elements; there's a good story in there somewhere. I did learn a bit. I do think there's a lot of truth to what's presented in this book, and that the author could have made her points, and more effectively, without being so heavy-handed. But this just isn't the novel that it could have been.(less)

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May 03, 2010 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-fiction, middle-east, four-star-fiction

My takeaway message from this book is that women should be running the world.

The story follows four generations of the Palestinian Abulheja family and their friends. It begins in the 1940's when they are first driven from their ancestral lands in Ein Hod, continues through the war of 1967 and the Lebanon War of 1982, and concludes with the Israeli bulldozing and massacre at the Jenin refugee camp in April 2002. Theirs is a life of perpetual loss, perpetual grieving, and constant uncertainty.

The...more

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Jan 24, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lit-american, lit-middle-near-east-turkey, firstreads

Disclosure: Won in Goodreads giveaway.

I suppose this is a type of book that will get some people's panties in a twist, so let me say a couple things.

1. Never, ever, listen to just one side of the story. There needs to be fiction told from the Palestinian point of view just as there needs to be fiction told from the Israeli point of view.

2. Who wants just to read books that don't challenge them?

3. It really isn't biased.

Okay, had to say that.

Mornings in Jenin is actually a surprising good novel...more Disclosure: Won in Goodreads giveaway.

I suppose this is a type of book that will get some people's panties in a twist, so let me say a couple things.

1. Never, ever, listen to just one side of the story. There needs to be fiction told from the Palestinian point of view just as there needs to be fiction told from the Israeli point of view.

2. Who wants just to read books that don't challenge them?

3. It really isn't biased.

Okay, had to say that.

Mornings in Jenin is actually a surprising good novel. It also is amazingly compelling. I don't say this because of the subject matter, but because of the style. I don't usually like it when writers tell and do not show. Abulhawa does this for large sections of the novel, and this is part of the reason why I gave the book four stars and not five. The style does not, however, fully get in the way of the story. I read the book in a day, and literally could not put it down for the last 150 pages. Abulhawa switches points of view, so it isn't always telling. Additionally, she could be drawing on a Palestinian (or Arab or Middle Eastern) tradition that I'm not familiar with. The other two, almost minor, flaws in the novel are that some of plot "twists" aren't really twists, and to be fair, Abulhawa doesn't seem to expect them to be. I also felt that the style in about 50 pages of the book felt more like a lecture (but I can understand why). The other flaw is that the love between the main character, Amal, and her husband does not seem as real or even as believable as the love Amal's brother has with his wife. Those passages are some of the most beautiful in the novel.

Those three "flaws" aside, the book is very, very good. What is most impressive is the even handed tone that Abulhawa takes. It's true, the Israelis are the villains here. But, Hello, it's written from a Palestinian viewpoint. What Abulhawa should get full credit for is the case for peace and understanding this book makes. The book ends, in part, with a marvelous and poignant image. Large sections of the book are about loss, not just the loss of life and place, but the loss of friendship and of family. Amal's father, for instance, had a friendship with a Jewish settler, and we see the effect of the conflict on this friendship. Abulhawa also makes nice use of the theme of Moses. Abulhawa doesn't usually judge for the reader; she lets the reader judge. She trusts her storytelling, and she respects the reader. She doesn’t worry about what the reader’s viewpoint prior to reading the novel might be. Instead, Abulhawa stays focuses on the story, and her themes, one of which is how violence begets violence; another is understanding.

I'm glad Bloomsbury published this book, and I'm sorry that I missed this book when it was published by a small press.(less)

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May 02, 2010 Chrissie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: hf, israel

Finished: I have been complaining incessantly about this book - that too much Palestinian history is packed into this one family's life and that the two sides, Palestinian versus Jewish are drawn up in black and white terms. These critiques remain, BUT when you get drawn into Amal's life the author brings heart to the writing. You care terribly much for her. All the misery of the best generations are loaded onto her back. If you hadn't know of these past experinces you wouldn't have understood h...more Finished: I have been complaining incessantly about this book - that too much Palestinian history is packed into this one family's life and that the two sides, Palestinian versus Jewish are drawn up in black and white terms. These critiques remain, BUT when you get drawn into Amal's life the author brings heart to the writing. You care terribly much for her. All the misery of the best generations are loaded onto her back. If you hadn't know of these past experinces you wouldn't have understood her. She becomes fully rounded by the author's marvelous depiction of her friendships with Huda and Muna and her growing understanding of her mother. Then she falls in love...... and that too is beautifully depicted. Although you can pretty much guess what will happen, you care about her and her family so you empathize with her. At the end I feel I better understand how the Palestinians feel. You do not comprehend the facts as well if you just hear statistics rather than live it through another's life. This book lets you do that. The horror of many Palestinian lives is in your bones after reading this book. So much literature has been written expressing the Jews' pov. In my gut I understand their horrors. Now I understand both in a way that I didn't before. This book is needed too. So where do you end up? You end up weeping for mankind! Solutions seem impossible when BOTH sides have had such injustices forced upon them..... Is there a feasible solution?! Jerusalem - how can that ever be resolved? You cannot erase history. What has happened continues to influence the future. That is how people are. So where does that leave us? Me, I have to read Haim Harari's book entitled A View from the Eye of the Storm: Terror and Reason in the Middle East.
Thank you Tara for giving me this book!

Through page 212: This book is a bit of a roller coaster. I am happy b/c things are turning around. As I suspected the book is focused on Amal. The author does a very good job of describing her despair and her happiness. Am I sucker for a little bit of love? Who isn't?! OK, I have a feeling that things might turn bad again, but at least Amal has happiness too. She deserves it. I am not so negative any more. It is just a better story b/c Amal has become a real character that you care for. I do. Mind you, I wouldn't want to read a super happy "nice" novel either. The balance has to be right, and I still stand by the criticsm voiced below.

Through page 147: The author convincingly depicts the friendships between Amal and Huda and later Amal and Muna. The book isn't all bad. There is a good dictionary of Arabic words at the back. The history is accurate. However, as I said below and in the comments to this review he feeling that all Palestinian experiences must be jammed into this one family makes the story unbelivable. My most harsh criticism is the painting of all Jews black and all Palestinians white. That I cannot stomach! I WILL finish the book. I need to see how it ends - so that ust mean it has my attention. Another positive point!

Through page 76:Mornings in Jenin is good, but I cannot help comparing it to The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East..... the latter being better! Jenin is very plot driven - this happens and then this and then this. Sometimes I feel the author is throwing in all thing that have happened to the Palestinians to make the picture "complete". So it ends up feeling like fiction. Since the novel is so plot driven, you don't get that close to the characters. Perhaps this will change. I believe the story will now center on Amal, who is at this point 12. Horrendous crimes of humanity have been perpetrated. It is not easy to read. All of there horrors in the space of 76 pages is hard to stomach. And it is one-sided. This iIS what has happened to the Palestinians. In the past much more has been written about the plight of the Jews, so this is a book that is needed. What was so wonderful about The Lemon Tree is that BOTH sides were depicted movingly, all within the same book. But hey, I have only read 76 pages. Maybe my view will cahnge.

I just five minutes ago received this in the mail from Tara!

THANK YOU so very, very much!
What do you know, the mail seems to be working, both Tara and I have had some truly bed experiences with postal services.....
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Sep 19, 2010 Sheri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mornings in Jenin (Susan Abulhawa)
This book is the story of Amal Abulheja and her family spanning 54 years. It starts in 1948 when the family is removed from their home in Ein Hod and forced to live as refugees in Jenin. It is a tragic tale of war and loss, yet is also a story of family bonding, love and dedication.

Amal goes through war and conflict between Palestine (Muslims) and Israel (Jewish). She is a strong proud woman, with tragedy following her. The vivid detail of war and terror is hear...more

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May 28, 2011 Nile daughter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Nile daughter by: Aamir

Shelves: arabs-fiction, palestine-cause

This book is simply about what does mean be a Palestinian …I tried to a write a review but I could not collect the right thoughts , so here are the quotes that represent what I got from the book :

" The future can't breathe in refugee camp, The air here is too dense for hope"

"Growing up in a landscape of improvised dreams and abstract national longings, everything felt temporary to me . Nothing could be counted on to endure , neither parents nor siblings nor home. Not even one's body, vulnerable...more This book is simply about what does mean be a Palestinian …I tried to a write a review but I could not collect the right thoughts , so here are the quotes that represent what I got from the book :

" The future can't breathe in refugee camp, The air here is too dense for hope"

"Growing up in a landscape of improvised dreams and abstract national longings, everything felt temporary to me . Nothing could be counted on to endure , neither parents nor siblings nor home. Not even one's body, vulnerable as it was to bullets."

"The roots of our grieve coil so deeply into loss that death has come to live with us like a family member who makes you happy by avoiding you , but who is still one of the family . our anger is a rage that westerners cannot understand . our sadness can make the stone weep . and the way we love is no exception "

"On March 20 , a suicide bomber had killed seven Israelis in the Galilee , which was in relation for Israel's killing of thirty one Palestinians on March 12 , which was in relation for the killing of eleven Israelis on March 11 , which was on relation for Israel's killing of forty Palestinians on March 8 , and on and on "

Here is the finally summary wrote by Amal (one of the main protagonists)

" the story of one family in an obscure village , visited one day by a history that was not its own , and forever trapped by longing between roots and soil .It was a tale of war , its chilling , burning and chilling again fire .Of furious love and a suicide bomber . of a girl who escaped her destiny to become a word , drained of its meaning . Of grown children sifting through the madness to find their relevance. Of a truth that pushed its way through lies , emerging of a crack , a scar , in a man's face . "

N.B
* I have to point out to anyone who thinks of the book as *biased*, even though there is no beautiful portrait of Israel as a state or her military representation, Jewish people in the book were not demons, nor in flat presentation or black and white figures , they were just people and there were parts in the book that there was so deep human interactions between the both sides . and after all this book is the Palestinian POV.

* For the book style , as an Arab reader I find some parts turned to be American *some how* for me (like using the ocean expression) ,also some parts dropped out of my hands ...not enjoyable to follow at the beginning , this improved by moving on , so it did not affect the novel as a whole to read ,and this where the 5th star went .
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Apr 02, 2007 Sonia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Here's what I wrote about this book (written by a friend of mine) on the B&N website:

Everyone should read Susan Abulhawa’s The Scar of David. This story of a Palestinian family’s journey through four generations of Israeli occupation offers beautiful, balanced, and intensely humanistic insight into the experience of both Palestinians and Israelis. Abulhawa artfully demonstrates how both occupier and occupied fall victim to this conflict, yet she paints a clear picture of the magnitude of its...more Here's what I wrote about this book (written by a friend of mine) on the B&N website:

Everyone should read Susan Abulhawa’s The Scar of David. This story of a Palestinian family’s journey through four generations of Israeli occupation offers beautiful, balanced, and intensely humanistic insight into the experience of both Palestinians and Israelis. Abulhawa artfully demonstrates how both occupier and occupied fall victim to this conflict, yet she paints a clear picture of the magnitude of its effect on Palestinians – that over and over again Palestinians find themselves at the butt end of an Israeli or American rifle, in the groping hands of soldiers at checkpoints, and as the targets of missile massacres, always looking over their backs at a homeland razed by bulldozers and overrun by soldiers and settlers. However, what is most impressive is that she attains this degree of complexity around the Palestinian experience without dehumanizing Israelis or minimizing their fears and suffering. Rather, by telling the story as a series of first person narratives punctuated with third person accounts, Abulhawa is able to connect the personal with the political and give readers the sense that we are all ensnared in the same terrible situation, though its impact is certainly felt differently on each side. Anyone who seeks to understand how this conflict affects the real people who live it every day must read this book, as Abulhawa leaves us with the hope of change and a strong sense of the vastness of what it means to live under and within occupation. But it is not merely the structure and the story of the book that makes it such a good read. Abulhawa’s masterful narrative voice, splendid poetic prose, and dialogue that dances alive in a reader’s head glued the book to my hands, and I was unable to put it down, often overcome with strong emotional reactions to the characters’ experiences. I finished this book in just 24 hours – it is rare to encounter such a compelling read!
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Apr 12, 2009 Dianne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have had a hard time trying to review this book because it affected me on so many emotional levels. I almost feel like I am betraying the characters to say how much I enjoyed this book just because it was such an intense insight into a part of the world I knew so little about. Abulhawa enlightened and devestated me at the turn of every page... I learned about the beauty of Palestine, its people and their hardships, the wars, the savagery and the intense hatred we can impose on one another. I w...more

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Jan 27, 2009 Rosanna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a must read. Being American (where all we hear are stories from an Israeli view), this book brought a wonderful and sad Palestinian perspective on the plight and struggles of their people during the years of the Israel/Palestine conflict, which sadly still exists today. You really feel for Amal and for her family and friends throughout the whole book. I won't spoil the story, but it touched my heart and left me with a craving to study more about the conflict.

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Feb 12, 2013 امتياز rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pdf, روايات, فلسطينيات, favorities

انتهيت منها مع آذان الفجر .. لم استطع منع نفسي من مواصلة القراءة .. فغادرني النوم حتى انتهيت منها مع صوت المؤذن يصدح قائلا : الله أكبر .. الله أكبر

"من أين لي قلب يتحمل كل هذا الألم المسكوب بين سطور هذه الرواية ؟"

كان هذا تعليقي عندما اقتربت من نهاية الرواية

هل يوجد متعة في الألم ؟ هل نستمتع ونحن نقرأ وطناً - على الورق - وقد سُلب منا .. من بين أيدينا ؟

ما السر وراء إعطاء أي كتاب أو رواية تتحدث عن فلسطين التاريخية ونكبتها ونكستها وانتفاضاتها وحروبها خمس نجوم ، هل هو الحنين إلى أيام ولت ومضت أم أنه ن...more
انتهيت منها مع آذان الفجر .. لم استطع منع نفسي من مواصلة القراءة .. فغادرني النوم حتى انتهيت منها مع صوت المؤذن يصدح قائلا : الله أكبر .. الله أكبر

"من أين لي قلب يتحمل كل هذا الألم المسكوب بين سطور هذه الرواية ؟"

كان هذا تعليقي عندما اقتربت من نهاية الرواية

هل يوجد متعة في الألم ؟ هل نستمتع ونحن نقرأ وطناً - على الورق - وقد سُلب منا .. من بين أيدينا ؟

ما السر وراء إعطاء أي كتاب أو رواية تتحدث عن فلسطين التاريخية ونكبتها ونكستها وانتفاضاتها وحروبها خمس نجوم ، هل هو الحنين إلى أيام ولت ومضت أم أنه نوع من المواساة والتعزية ؟

إذا لم نحرر شبراً من أرضك يا فلسطين ، فدعينا على الأقل نحتفل بتلك الروايات التي تبعث في نفوسنا رائحة برتقالك وزيتونك

بينما ينام العالم .. نعم كل ما حدث لنا هنا على هذه الأرض .. حدث والعالم يغط في نومٍ عميق .. لا يدري حجم المأساة والكارثة التي تحدث هنا على هذه البقعة من الأرض لهؤلاء المهمشين المطحونين

هل انصح بقراءتها ؟ نعم بكل تأكيد .. اقرؤها وترحموا على فلسطين المجروحة والتي ما زال ينزف جرحها منذ 64 عاماً

قد تشعر بثقل بعض الجمل لأنها مترجمة عن الانجليزية في الحوارات بين أبطال الرواية وخاصة بعض التعبيرات التي لا نستخدمها نحن العرب في حواراتنا اليومية ، فنحن لا نقول للجريح مثلا.. " لا تتحدث .. فقد تزيد الأمر سوءاً " فهذه جملة إنجليزية بجدارة

:)

اقرؤها على ضمانتي الشخصية وتمتعوا بشحنة من الوجع الفلسطيني
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Aug 07, 2012 Nema Al-Araby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nema by: Noor Said

I don't know..I'll try.
This was, most certainly, the most heartbreaking novel I have ever, so far, come to read. I literally left it aside and swam in a river of my own tears and hatred. I can't really write a review that will give this novel all of its credit. I just know that I hated myself, I hated being an Arab. And I hated that words will never, ever portray the true situation in Palestine, nor the death statistics will embrace the idea of death itself. I cried in nearly every single chapte...more I don't know..I'll try.
This was, most certainly, the most heartbreaking novel I have ever, so far, come to read. I literally left it aside and swam in a river of my own tears and hatred. I can't really write a review that will give this novel all of its credit. I just know that I hated myself, I hated being an Arab. And I hated that words will never, ever portray the true situation in Palestine, nor the death statistics will embrace the idea of death itself. I cried in nearly every single chapter of this novel. I've always wanted to read and read more about Palestine, and now that I started, I don't think I want to ever stop, just to be reminded, whenever I forget, that we're so selfish, superficial and empty-hearted.
Susan's vivid language helped me imagine every scene int he novel as if it is real. One of the things I really enjoyed in this novel. It was like living all of the people in it, generation after generation. I'd also like to mention that it reminded me of two novels: One of Khaled Husseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns in the sense of a never-ending loss and helplessness (although this one was much better in my opinion). And the other of Radwa Ashour's Trilogy, in the sense of passing every memory and experience from generation to generation.
I wholeheartedly admired how Susan used Darweesh's and Gibran's poems in the novel in such a poetic way that matched the topics. The songs of Fayrouz, oh how they so much reminded me of the Palestinian Intifada back then.
I will always long for a visit to Palestine. To Jerusalem. And I will always remember this novel. I will never be proud to be an Arab again, though.
If you ever intend to read this novel, be sure to be either in a good mood so that you won't get really depressed after reading, or be in a bad mood already that reading the novel will make you feel like your depression is nothing. You will love Hassan, Dalia, Amal, Yousef. You will love being in Palestine. You will love being in Beirut. You will hate al ghorba. You will hate the whole world. And centralize your feelings around Palestine. You will love Palestine, like you've never known it ever before.(less)

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Dec 02, 2010 Glenda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2010, first-reads-win

Just finished reading Mornings in Jenin that I won on a Goodreads giveaway.
This book is the story of Amal Abulheja and her family spanning 54 years. It starts in 1948 when the family is removed from their home in Ein Hod and forced to live as refugees in Jenin. It is a tragic tale of war and loss, yet is also a story of family bonding, life-sustaining love and dedication.
Amal lives through war and conflict between Palestine (Muslims) and Israel (Jews). The vivid detail of war and terror is hear...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 15, 2010 Dan Schwent rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: freebies-for-reviewing, 2010

In the West, when we hear of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, we rarely get the Palestinian side of the story. This book is that story.

Mornings in Jenin is the story of a Palestinian girl, Amal, and her family, living through six decades of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As such, it is brutal at times. There are scenes of torture, brutality, and killing. War is brutal business and Abulhawa doesn't let you forget it. People are senselessly killed left and right.

Amal's story...more

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May 17, 2013 هدى عبد المنعم rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

من أجمل ما قرأت

هذه الرواية شاعرية ورومانسية بصورة غريبة، لا تتناقض فى الوقت نفسه مع سوداويتها وأصوات القنابل ورائحة الدماء على صفحاتها.

قد لا تكون لغة الرواية عظيمة، لكن الكاتبة وإن كانت لا تمتلك حصيلة مبهرة من المصطلحات اللغوية الفريدة والمتجددة، غير أنها تضع مصطلحاتها وكلماتها البسيطة والسلسة جنباً إلى جنب لتشكل أحاسيس ومشاعر مبهرة تجردك من واقعك وعالمك وتعيدك إلى عالمها وتنتشلك من نفسك وتغمسك فى أنفاس وارواح آخرى لإناس عاشوا وماتوا على هذه الأرض..فى مكان ليس ببعيد عن موقع قدمك..بينما ينام الع...more من أجمل ما قرأت

هذه الرواية شاعرية ورومانسية بصورة غريبة، لا تتناقض فى الوقت نفسه مع سوداويتها وأصوات القنابل ورائحة الدماء على صفحاتها.

قد لا تكون لغة الرواية عظيمة، لكن الكاتبة وإن كانت لا تمتلك حصيلة مبهرة من المصطلحات اللغوية الفريدة والمتجددة، غير أنها تضع مصطلحاتها وكلماتها البسيطة والسلسة جنباً إلى جنب لتشكل أحاسيس ومشاعر مبهرة تجردك من واقعك وعالمك وتعيدك إلى عالمها وتنتشلك من نفسك وتغمسك فى أنفاس وارواح آخرى لإناس عاشوا وماتوا على هذه الأرض..فى مكان ليس ببعيد عن موقع قدمك..بينما ينام العالم.

الغريب أن مصدر قوة الرواية ليس "صلب الحكاية" عن الأرض المنهوبة والتاريخ المسلوب والأنفاس المسروقة، فهذه الحكاية قرأتها بالتأكيد وسمعت عنها أياماً عدة من قبل..مصدر قوة هذه الرواية فى عدم الاعتماد على هذه التفاصيل التاريخية التى تكفل الزمن بها، بل الزيادة عليها وخلق تفاصيل غير اعتيادية تنفرد بها الشخصيات، هذه الرواية مبذول عليها جهد أكبر من ترديد "حكاية معهودة" يتأثر القارىء فى الأساس وكلياً بسببها، هذه الرواية اختلفت وتميزت بالمبذول فيها من جهد فى الإضافة الخلاقة لتفاصيل ورسم الشخصيات وعدم الاكتفاء بالجو المحيط بهم والذى من شأنه أن يكون كافياً.

إنها قصة عائلة فلسطينية فى قرية مغمورة، زارها ذات يوم تاريخ لم يكن تاريخها، وعلقت إلى الأبد فى ذلك الشوق الرابط بين الجذور والتربة، كانت حكاية حرب، حكاية حب صاخب، وانتحارى يفجر نفسه، حكاية فتاة فرت من مصيرها لتصبح كلمة مجردة فى وطن غريب لا تنتمى إليه..اسماً تلاشى معناه العربى الحى، حكاية أطفال كبروا فى "أمريكا واسرائيل" يغربلون الجنون ليعثروا على مغزاهم، حكاية حقيقة اسرائيلى من أصل فلسطينى شقت طريقها عبر الأكاذيب لكى تبرز من شق، من ندبة فى وجه رجل ما.

أرصد إعجابى بإتقان رسم الشخصيات وتجلى روعته، وفى بعض مما سأنقل من بين سطور متفرقة من الرواية،،،نجد حالة غريبة من حالات كثيرة فى الرواية..علاقة بين أم وابنتها أعجز عن وصفها بكلمات أو مشاعر:::

-تعلمت داليا كيف تكتم عواطفها كأم، مارست أمومتها بحالات من الصمت، علمت ابنتها آمال أن "أياً كان شعورك اكبتيه فى داخلك"، وكررت الدرس الذى أرادت منها أن تتعلمه أكثر من كل شىء آخر، أن تكون قوية كما علمتها أن تصبح بغض النظر عما يحدث، حتى كرهت آمال أمها لأنها كانت دائماً مختلفة عن الأمهات الآخريات، ثم بدأت داليا تذبل، وتتفكك طبيعتها الأصلية تاركة جسدها مجرد هيكل، غالباً ما تملؤه الهلوسة، كانت حركاتها صادقة وكذلك كانت أمومتها ودموعها، لكنه كان أمراً سريع الزوال، بدأت تفقد عقلها، حتى ماتت وحيدة، فبكت آمال، ليست على وفاة هذه المرأة، بل على أمها التى كانت قد غادرت ذلك الجسد منذ سنوات، بكت بارتياح فيه مرارة وحلاوة فى آن معاً، لأن أمها تخلصت أخيراً وكلياً من هذا العالم البغى الذى سلبها روحها، بكت لشعورها بالذنب لأنها لم تستطع حمايتها ولم تجدطريقة أو آخرى لذلك، بكت لأنها على الرغم من محاولاتها المستمرة لم تستطع أن تجد فيها المرأة التى من رحمها منحتها الحياة.
وبعد أحداث فارقة مرت على الابنة آمال ، فهمت أخيراً أمها، وسارت على خطى إرشاداتها "أياً كان شعورك اكبتيه فى داخلك"، كرهت نفسها وأفرغت عالمها على قدر المستطاع وكست ذلك الفراغ بطبقة من الخوف، لتحترس من ألم أو غضب أو حب قد يقتحم حصنها ويملأ الفراغ، وكبرت حاملة إرث والدتها كأم غير وثيقة الصلة بابنتها، رأت فى ملامح ابنتها "شيئاً" اغلقت عينيها عنه فوراً، كانت أضعف بكثير من أن تشعر بأى شىء أكثر من ذلك، خشيت من الحب أكثر من خشيتها الموت، لأن الشخص المكروه والمطارد يعرف أن الوجه الآخر للحب هو الفقدان الذى لا يمكن تحمله، فطافت على خنادق ذلك الصمت، ذلك الخوف، وضلت طريقها، فقدت جزءاً جوهرياً من تكوينها، لكنها لم تكن تعلم ماهيته ولا أين تستعيده أو كيف؟؟
ثم كشفت آمال الحقيقة الجوهرية العارية لقلب أمها، والتى توصلت إليها أثناء تأملاتها اللانهائية فى طبقات الحصن الذى تآمرت أمها والقدر لبنائه حول نفسها، عندما كانت صغيرة ظنتها باردة، ولكن مع الوقت، أصبحت تفهم أنها كانت رقيقة جداً تجاه العالم الذى ولدت فيه، أعطت بكثير أكثر مما أخذت، كانت الينبوع الساكن الكادح بهدوء، والذى كانت تستمد منه آمال القوة طوال حياتها، سهرت عليهم جميعاً فى الظل بعناية فائقة ومن دون تطفل، وكانت تتصلب أو ترتد إلى غموضها إذا اقترب أى شخص منها ليشكرها بحنان، لم تكن السلسة التى لا نهاية لها من المآسى التى حلت على الفلسطينيين هى ما جعل الواقع يتلاشى من عقلها، لكن على الأرجح كان الحب الذى لا حدود له والذى لم يتمكن من العثور على الراحة.

أنصح بقراءتها بشدة بشدة بشدددددة(less)

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Apr 09, 2013 John Needham rated it 4 of 5 stars

This powerful and harrowing book makes no bones about the fact that it’s written almost entirely from a Palestinian point of view – after all, Ms Abulhawa is an Arab. Some reviewers here have lambasted it for this, seeing it as simply propaganda getting in the way of the storytelling. I didn’t see it like that – this wasn’t a BBC documentary striving to be objective and maintain balance after all. Although at times the writing style did seem quite documentary, so that I began to wonder if this w...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Bayan rated it 5 of 5 stars

A story that I read in two weeks but is likely to remain in my heart forever. Yes, it talks about the Palestinian Israeli conflict, yet it encompasses a wide range of human emotions in a way that transcends nationalities. I heartily enjoyed accompanying Amal on her journey throughout the history of four generations of Abulhejah family who were uprooted from their village of Ein Hod by Israeli soldiers. I was terrified by every Israeli invasion; my heart sank when hundreds of thousands of Palesti...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Jill M rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a fabulous and very moving book -- I almost chose it for the next book group, but then after we chose The Lemon Tree, I felt it might be too much on the same theme. This was very, very good, and it gave me a more intimate feeling for Palestine, and what the Palestinian people have gone through, then The Lemon Tree. I recommend reading this to pair with the Lemon Tree -- it is more personal, less of a "reporting" feeling. I'd love to hear how you like it, too.

Mornings in Jenin
by Susan Ab...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Janelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-group-possibility, re-read, read-for-work

I read this book to preview it as a possibility for an upcoming book/film series in which my library will be involved (theme: conflict and peace in the Middle East). For me, it managed to be simultaneously informative and extremely moving.

Many other reviewers have noted that Americans tend to know a lot more about the Israeli side of the Israel/Palestine conflict. I agree, and add that I knew only the sketchiest outline of what has happened there in the 20th century. This book helped me fill in...more I read this book to preview it as a possibility for an upcoming book/film series in which my library will be involved (theme: conflict and peace in the Middle East). For me, it managed to be simultaneously informative and extremely moving.

Many other reviewers have noted that Americans tend to know a lot more about the Israeli side of the Israel/Palestine conflict. I agree, and add that I knew only the sketchiest outline of what has happened there in the 20th century. This book helped me fill in the blanks without completely overwhelming me with detail and horror (as some of the other books I've tried have done). It accomplishes this by telling the story of three generations of a Palestinian family over the 1941-2002 period. Yes, terrible things happen to many of the characters, as you would expect. But many wonderful and life-affirming things also happen. The characters (both Israeli and Palestinian) are complicated and layered, human rather than caricatures. Their connections brought me to tears many times while reading.

If you learn history better through fiction than nonfiction, I highly recommend this book as an introduction to Palestinian history over the last 70 years or so. I glimpsed a bit of myself within its pages, in the character of a young American, Lisa. One of the main characters, Amal, says of Lisa: "Her world was pastel colored, emotionally cushioned, financially solid and politically inconsequential" (169).

There is a lot more about this book on the website: http://morningsinjenin.com/.

Update March 2012: I re-read this because it did indeed become part of the Conflict & Resistance in the Middle East series at Gettysburg College. I enjoyed it a lot the second time around, but it seemed more emotional and even sentimental at times. I still think it's a great entry point for learning more about Palestine 1948-present, especially if you respond better to fiction than nonfiction. And I'm very excited that author Susan Abulhawa will be visiting our campus next month!(less)

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Apr 21, 2010 Sandra aka Sleo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Arabic language and customs are alive in this book. The author brings them alive with her phrasing, her shifting from first person to third person, her woven together tapestry of the tragedies of one family and the lives of its members.

She says at one point, the Palestinian people paid for the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis.

For many years I bought the stories of the beginnings of Israel and the valiant defenders of its borders against the insanity of the Arab nations surrounding it. Re...more

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Mar 26, 2010 new_user rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Mornings in Jenin is difficult to review because the normal tags do not apply. Mornings is near enough to non-fiction as makes no difference. Susan Abulhawa imagines the characters, but their feelings, motivations and the events of the novel draw from reality and weighs Mornings with significance. The brutalities in the novel are such that again and again one wonders, much as in war literature, "How can people do this to each other?" Heartrending doesn't begin to describe it. It physically hurts...more Mornings in Jenin is difficult to review because the normal tags do not apply. Mornings is near enough to non-fiction as makes no difference. Susan Abulhawa imagines the characters, but their feelings, motivations and the events of the novel draw from reality and weighs Mornings with significance. The brutalities in the novel are such that again and again one wonders, much as in war literature, "How can people do this to each other?" Heartrending doesn't begin to describe it. It physically hurts to know these things are true.

Mornings brings history and culture to these happenings that the news media cannot. Abulhawa deftly guides the reader from the 40s to modern day Jenin without slowing the narrative through the use of non-linear narration, foreshadowing, etc. Readers hardly realize they're reading an intergenerational saga because we are aware of Amal, on whom the entire story hinges, almost from the beginning. Because of the author's clues, she is present in the narrative and developing in our minds even before she is born.

Abulhawa also has a delight with words that is clear in her prose, where her imagery and unique metaphors are always fresh. She also has a ways of capturing powerful moments and scenes, imbuing each with emotion and meaning so one doesn't read in a vacuum. I can certainly see the comparison to Kite Runner, and I was impressed that the ending managed to carry some kind of resolution for the characters without solving the world's problems in thirty seconds.

I wish there was a little less bias against Islam, but that was fortunately minimal. I also really liked the glossary of Arabic vocabulary at the back of the book. The narrative is peppered with Arabic words whose English translations would just seem jarring in their place and would not capture the same emotion, so I thought the glossary was a good idea.

I recommend this book to anyone, really, since most readers have only a passing familiarity with the region or the conflict, in which the US is engaged. This is a pretty good introduction.(less)

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Nov 20, 2012 Michael Moseley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club

This story pepper itself through my life. The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 out of Hitler’s evil seems to have perpetuated the grief and inhumanity through the years and is so important at the moment with bombardment of Gaza. The idea that you should stand up to bullies is one that many parents would want to instil in their children but when the victim becomes a tyrant you need to consider if that advise was well given. Violence begets violence.

The story is based around Amal and her l...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Rana Baker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What I truly loved about this book was that it combines both a genuine historical account and a breathtaking personal narrative. I've read many books on Palestine although, and I admit, only few of them have to do with as much of literature as Mornings in Jenin. I must say, however, that this is the most beautifully woven account I've ever read. The small and simple details Abulhawa attaches to each of her characters are enough to draw you into the story from the beginning to the end. When I ask...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Ghi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: political

Amazing, honest, heart breaking and takes you on a hell of a ride on an emotional roller coaster. It made me weep every few pages, laugh out loud on others. It took me to Palestine and I could see myself under the olive trees and the orange trees. I could almost touch the people living in Jenin and in the refugee camps. I wept for them, laughed with them, celebrated good times and mourned the bad with them. A truly great read, although the book is a heavy one. It is almost as heavy as ten thousa...more

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Mar 16, 2009 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've not cried from reading a book so much as I did here. This is a heartbreaking story told through 3 generations of one family that highlights not only the conflict that we continue to endure as a human race (surely we should know better by now and have learned from history??), but it also shows the internal conflicts that even as individuals we go through. Amal's fear of showing love and affection towards her daughter is no less painful and a loss to her than losing her friends and family to...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Leanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

great read....very disturbing in parts
Before this I knew nothing of the Israel and Palestine
It is very sad to learn what has happened and how so many peoples lives were destroyed

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May 09, 2013 Lina Abojaradeh rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've had a goodreads account for a while, but this book is the first one that has compelled me to write a review. I'm addicted to books, i've read hundreds of them. This is by far the most emotional. The most tragic, because although its fiction, it is the story of thousands of Palestinians.
After i finished it, i stayed dazed for hours... I couldn't just resume normal life, do my homework, wash the dishes... These normal life things seemed so trivial, almost a hypocrosy that i get to do these th...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. Happy to read this novel as to get a different pov about the Palestine/Israel 'conflict' that has been going on over 60 years and which I know virtually nothing about. This is told from the pov of the Palestinians. They peacefully lived on their land for generations - centuries in fact - cultivating the land, staying true to traditions, strong families. After WWII when the Jews fled Europe to Israel, according to the author, in 1948, armed Israelis decimated Palestine with mass murder...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Whatsername rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

....e l'Amore non mi sarà mai strappato dalle vene....
Carissima Amal, con la vocale lunga di speranza.
A volte l'aria mi riporta il sospiro dei ricordi. L'aroma degli ulivi e del gelsomino tra i capelli del mio Amore. A volte porta il silenzio dei sogni infranti. A volte il tempo è immobile come un cadavere, e con lui giaccio nel mio letto. E così dormo, aspettando di rendermi onore quando sarà il momento.
Perché non avrò tenuto fede alle mie promesse, ma terrò fede alla mia umanità.
...e l'Amor...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Virginia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ho letto questo libro casualmente in concomitanza con cio' che sta succedendo (di nuovo) in Palestina.
Non avevo letto neanche il commento, che e' riportato nella descrizione del libro, dell' autrice, quindi totalmente a mente sgombra.
E' stata una delle piu' belle letture degli ultimi tempi, un po' perche' e' da sempre che questo conflitto mi e' stato a cuore e ne seguo le vicende fin dalle elementari: durante la guerra del Kippur la mia maestra ci spiego' l' ancora fresca guerra dei 6 giorni (19...more

Ho letto questo libro casualmente in concomitanza con cio' che sta succedendo (di nuovo) in Palestina.
Non avevo letto neanche il commento, che e' riportato nella descrizione del libro, dell' autrice, quindi totalmente a mente sgombra.
E' stata una delle piu' belle letture degli ultimi tempi, un po' perche' e' da sempre che questo conflitto mi e' stato a cuore e ne seguo le vicende fin dalle elementari: durante la guerra del Kippur la mia maestra ci spiego' l' ancora fresca guerra dei 6 giorni (1967 due anni prima che nascessi io) e la guerra del Yom Kippur che accadeva pochi anni prima. Naturalmente all' epoca, a 7 anni, non ci avevo capito granche', ma ringrazio sempre quella maestra, da un lato molto all' antica, che pero' ci ha sempre spinti a leggere, tutto! anche i quotidiani, a cercare di essere coinvolti, informarsi su quanto succede nel mondo attorno a noi.
Ebbene sono passati 26 anni da allora e vedo con tristezza che la disinformazione regna ancora sovrana e non parlo solo di chi personalmente se ne disinteressa o legge solo i titoli, ma anche della vergognosa disinformazione che fanno i media occidentali. Forse anche i media mediorientali (scusate l' allitterazione) fanno lo stesso, non lo so.
Di certo la mia permanenza da ormai 8 anni in un paese che e' molto piu' vicino al mondo arabo a causa di alcune tradizioni antiche e a causa della lingua, di quanto non lo sia l' Italia, ha sortito su di me un effetto molto importante nel fare le mie personali considerazioni sull' argomento. Qualche giorno fa al notiziario maltese in maltese il corrispondente raccontava una situazione a Gaza diversa da quella che si sente sul tg nazionale (e anche su altri europei e americani in lingua inglese)
E' questo che ho percepito nel libro: le persone, i palestinesi, i musulmani, gli arabi non sono tutto un calderone, nello specifico non parteggio per Hamas quella e' estremizzazione. Le persone, i singoli, possono anche avere una cultura diversa, ma hanno un cuore che batte come il nostro.
Troppe volte in occidente ho sentito considerare gli ebrei come vittime da compatire e gli altri (chiunque sia per qualunque motivo contro ad un ebreo) degli approfittatori senza cuore ..... certo, il popolo ebreo ha subito un dramma enorme e nessuno lo vuole dimenticare, ma questo non autorizza di certo alcune fazioni estremiste degli stessi a fare la stessa cosa a qualcun altro (gia' la vendetta di suo e' discutibile, ma far pagare a qualcuno colpe per qualcosa subito da terzi e non solo assurdo, e' disumano!).

Non vorrei aprire una porta su polemiche sterili (almeno qui) sulle proprie idee politiche, perche' - a meno di non aver vissuto queste cose sulla propria pelle - sono e rimangono idee personali, a volte superficiali per scarsa conoscenza della materia, a volte indottrinate dalla lettura di media di parte, a volte coerenti e informate, che comunque possono essere diverse per ognuno di noi, come e' giusto che sia.

Resta il fatto che questa saga familiare e' stata una lettura assolutamente toccante e molto bella, oltre che interessante.
Una nota curiosa che per me ha reso il libro "musicale" (definizione che avrebbe dato Amal, la protagonista, a questo) e' che alcune frasi riportate in Palestinese le capivo praticamente tutte per via della lingua, che e' la lingua araba piu' simile al Maltese (ovviamente a fondo libro ci sono le traduzioni) e altre riportate in italiano (mi riferisco al colorito linguaggio degli automobilisti di Beirut) le sentivo direttamente in lingua originale, sia perche' sono stata a Beirut sia perche' sono le stesse che si usano in maltese.

Lettura consigliatissima.
(less)

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Sep 07, 2012 Linda C rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am very troubled by this book, so troubled in fact, I find it difficult to give it a fair number of stars.

The first half of the book-- definitely 4 stars. There was some beautiful writing, and the author nicely created the historical setting, prior to the creation of Israel, the friendship between Amal's father and his Jewish best friend, as well as the early years of the refugee camp in Jenin. The chapters dealing with Amal as a child were lovely; to her, Jenin was her home and the reader saw...more I am very troubled by this book, so troubled in fact, I find it difficult to give it a fair number of stars.

The first half of the book-- definitely 4 stars. There was some beautiful writing, and the author nicely created the historical setting, prior to the creation of Israel, the friendship between Amal's father and his Jewish best friend, as well as the early years of the refugee camp in Jenin. The chapters dealing with Amal as a child were lovely; to her, Jenin was her home and the reader saw it through the eyes of a child. There was really nice writing through the first 100-150 pages.

The next quarter of the book, and the overall structure-- 2 stars. This section was not even thinly veiled propaganda; it was outright propaganda. All Arabs are good; all Jews and, to some extent, Americans are bad. Jews because, well, because they're Jews, and Americans because we are, well, clueless. Only Palestinians recognize the truth. She states her opinions as "facts"-- "He looked on in silence at the proof of what Israelis already know, that their history is contrived from the bones and traditions of Palestinians... David straightened the sag in his shoulders and cleared his throat. He knew the improvised history of modern Israel was not really his." Clearly, there are generations of Israelis who would dispute this statement.

As an American, I was especially troubled by the author's obvious disdain, expressed through Amal, for the country that has sheltered her, fed her, educated her, and as far as I know, given her citizenship.

As for the structure of the novel, it was bizarre, to be polite. I have no problem with different points of view, but this book wandered all over the place from 3rd person to first person (Amal) back to 3rd person, to first person (Yousef), often even within the same paragraph. And there seemed to be no definite point to the book itself. Based on the early chapters, this appeared to be a book about a Palestinian family, a Jewish family and a third Jewish family (player to be named later, so as not to give away the plot line). Had Abulhawa stayed with that, this might have been an exceptional book. But that would not have allowed for the Palestinian propaganda that she apparently felt compelled to include. She also tried to cover way too many events and years in as few pages as possible.

Adding these items together made the middle section virtually unreadable.

Last quarter of the book-- Amal and her daughter returns to Jenin. Abulhawa reverts to the beautiful writing of the first section. Her writing can be very powerful, if she would stop trying to beat the readers over our heads to accept her point of view.

So, final analysis, 3 stars, book a mixed bag. It is very difficult, if not impossible to separate the fiction from the propaganda, which may be fiction as well. I can say that this is a book that I will remember for a long time. However, sadly, I am afraid it may be for the wrong reasons.

PLEASE NOTE: This is MY review. I realize that things that I have said may be considered confrontational to some people. If you want to comment in a respectful manner, please do. But if you want to comment in a snarky, rude, or disdainful manner, your comments will be deleted.

I approached this book with an open mind and the desire to learn more about the Palestinians and the camps. Unfortunately, any positive message was significantly weakened by the overt propaganda. If you want to lambast Israel, or my failure to wholeheartedly embrace Abulhawa's view of the world or the Palestinian cause, do it somewhere else. My review, my rules.(less)

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