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Brothers Don't Travel: Short Stories of Israel
A two-state solution, the war on terror; these are topics synonymous in the minds of many with Israel. Here we have an oddity, a book about Israel not dealing with the overly sensationalized. Interesting, surprising, and often times funny, "Brother's Don't Travel" paints Israel as a quirky country still on the verge of realizing its place in the world. African refugees, ultra-Orthodox Jews, hash-smoking tourists; a clash of cultures, each story shedding new light on the people who inhabit this tumultuous region.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 21, 2011
On the road to riches and diamond rings.....
July 21, 2013
Kenneth Ngwa premiere's his introduction to the world of writing with Brothers Don't Travel : Short Stories of Israel,and he makes quite and entrance! This book offers a combination of wisdom, adventure, and social consciousness springing from travels around holy and the country of controversy for decades now, Israel.
I found the collection of short stories extremely stimulating to my sense of adventure. The news media's usual broadcast of Israel shows conflict and war between Palestinians and their Hebrew neighbors. But here Ngwa shows the world a lesser-known lively side of Israel as he navigates through the night life in places like Tel Aviv.
One of my favorite parts of the book is on the Day 65 mark in Israel when he encounters promiscuous women in Tel Aviv with his Australian friend Yoni. Ken and Yoni gave me the feeling of excitement imploring me to put myself in that situation. This chapter was intriguing to me because the female characters displayed an open and free spirited attitude towards life. The were sort of a representation of the hippie movement prevalent in many countries which always clashes with their respective government. He once again streamlines cultures effortlessly with immaculate visual descriptions, but even deeper than that, the message I felt he wanted to convey is that there is a world at their to explore.
Meanwhile in the United States, the death toll continues to rise as youth violence grows out of control. In Chicago, the death toll has risen dramatically, specifically in African American communities. Being a native of Chicago, Brother's Don't Travel can show these children who are struggling to maintain in crime infested neighborhoods that there is a possibility to experience a different and more positive life. Also, he shows the knowledge and the understanding that one can achieve through travel which can allow you to put your life in perspective. Ngwa experiences culture shock 45th day mark of his journey in Israel while transiting from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. He walks the reader through his emotions on proclaiming "Was I the only one? I couldn't be. In this international city, in the center of Israel, I was surrounded by people but rarely had I seen a face like mine,"(pg.40) Essentially this reflects the title of the book, the lack of fellow African or black travelers. But after a tumultuous first experience in a new environment, he gained the ability to adapt to new situations and bond with others different then himself.
To sum it up, Brothers Don't Travel : Short Stories of Israel draws the reader into an adventure, enabling them to experience the life of a traveler first hand. The values and ideas that this book has inspired in me has allowed me is so great that I can't help but want to share with the world.
I found the collection of short stories extremely stimulating to my sense of adventure. The news media's usual broadcast of Israel shows conflict and war between Palestinians and their Hebrew neighbors. But here Ngwa shows the world a lesser-known lively side of Israel as he navigates through the night life in places like Tel Aviv.
One of my favorite parts of the book is on the Day 65 mark in Israel when he encounters promiscuous women in Tel Aviv with his Australian friend Yoni. Ken and Yoni gave me the feeling of excitement imploring me to put myself in that situation. This chapter was intriguing to me because the female characters displayed an open and free spirited attitude towards life. The were sort of a representation of the hippie movement prevalent in many countries which always clashes with their respective government. He once again streamlines cultures effortlessly with immaculate visual descriptions, but even deeper than that, the message I felt he wanted to convey is that there is a world at their to explore.
Meanwhile in the United States, the death toll continues to rise as youth violence grows out of control. In Chicago, the death toll has risen dramatically, specifically in African American communities. Being a native of Chicago, Brother's Don't Travel can show these children who are struggling to maintain in crime infested neighborhoods that there is a possibility to experience a different and more positive life. Also, he shows the knowledge and the understanding that one can achieve through travel which can allow you to put your life in perspective. Ngwa experiences culture shock 45th day mark of his journey in Israel while transiting from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. He walks the reader through his emotions on proclaiming "Was I the only one? I couldn't be. In this international city, in the center of Israel, I was surrounded by people but rarely had I seen a face like mine,"(pg.40) Essentially this reflects the title of the book, the lack of fellow African or black travelers. But after a tumultuous first experience in a new environment, he gained the ability to adapt to new situations and bond with others different then himself.
To sum it up, Brothers Don't Travel : Short Stories of Israel draws the reader into an adventure, enabling them to experience the life of a traveler first hand. The values and ideas that this book has inspired in me has allowed me is so great that I can't help but want to share with the world.
January 21, 2011
This is the first book to describe the contemporary world of Israel from a secular African-American standpoint. The reader is transported from the isolated alleyways of Tel Aviv, to the speckled corridors of Jerusalem. "Multiculturalism in it s finest . Ngwa s writing style is absorbing and honest as he deals with topics spanning cultural & ethnic divides. The jaunted narrative never leads but instead invites the reader to draw their own conclusions. This is one mans journey through Israel from clandestine traveler to staunch enthusiast. Life in Israel has never quite been described in this manner.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews