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Not a long book, but it was a few weeks before I picked this up and read 3/4 of it in 2 days. I’ve read/listened to a few of this author’s books, and I’ve liked some more than others. I liked the premise of this one: a walk to work in Ramallah and reminiscing on how the city has changed. I was initially put off by the author’s perception of increased religiosity in the form of the call to prayer and Quranic recitations. The way he phrased it was borderline offensive though he concluded that it was just different getting used to. There were a few other instances where I was suspicious of his feelings as well.
I did find it interesting to see how the dynamics of society evolved with time, becoming more individualistic and material. I think my favorite part of this book was recognizing the landmarks since I had recently visited Palestine in summer 2025. It was familiar to read about the streets and buildings and how they have changed. Overall, the author’s perspective is fairly pessimistic which is warranted but this was also published almost 10 years ago, so curious if his views have changed.
Not a long book, but it was a few weeks before I picked this up and read 3/4 of it in 2 days. I’ve read/listened to a few of this author’s books, and I’ve liked some more than others. I liked the premise of this one: a walk to work in Ramallah and reminiscing on how the city has changed. I was initially put off by the author’s perception of increased religiosity in the form of the call to prayer and Quranic recitations. The way he phrased it was borderline offensive though he concluded that it was just different getting used to. There were a few other instances where I was suspicious of his feelings as well.
I did find it interesting to see how the dynamics of society evolved with time, becoming more individualistic and material. I think my favorite part of this book was recognizing the landmarks since I had recently visited Palestine in summer 2025. It was familiar to read about the streets and buildings and how they have changed. Overall, the author’s perspective is fairly pessimistic which is warranted but this was also published almost 10 years ago, so curious if his views have changed.