Product Description

'The further away anyone was from that block of Ben Yehuda street, the easier it seemed to find a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, that stubborn mess in the centre of the Middle East and the more I studied these solutions, the more I thought that they depended for their implementation on a population of table football men, painted in the colours of the two teams: blue and white for the Israelis, green, red and black for the Palestinians. All the international community had to do was to twist the levers and the little players would kick and swing and send the ball into the net, to victory' One block of a Tel Aviv street is the starting point for Linda Grant's exploration of the inner dynamics of Israelis - not the government and its policies, but the people themselves, in all their variety. Iraqi shop-keepers, Teenage soldiers, Mob bosses, Tunisian-born settlers, Russian scientists, and the father of the child victim of a suicide bomber are some of the people she meets.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46314 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From the Publisher
WINNER OF THE LETTRE ULYSSES AWARD FOR THE ART OF REPORTAGE
2006

About the Author
Linda Grant was born in Liverpool. Her novel When I Lived in Modern Times won the Orange Prize. Her most recent novel is the highly-acclaimed Still Here.

Customer Reviews

Very candid
This was a very interesting short book, which describes how the rebellious teenage author would take the contrary position to her immigrant Jewish father on a whole range of issues, including the state of Israel. This provoked her to go to Israel and spend four months there speaking and meeting ordinary Israelis in street side cafes.

It's an easy book to read, with some illuminating characters. Perfect for people who might not know all the complicated context of the Israel / Palestine conflict.

I'd thoroughly recommend this book. It's enough to whet your appetite to learn more about Israel.

excellent celebration of complexity
This is a beautifully written journal/observation of that complex fascinating disturbing captivating and troubling place - Israel. Told by an extremely talented writer who spent time living in Israel, meeting and confronting its issues and people. It's no white-wash - Grant lets no one off the hook politically or socially - and yet the portraits she offers of human beings responding uniquely to a unique situation is full of compassion and honesty. If you want to understand Israel from the inside without being irritated by idiotic propaganda from all sides, buy this book. If you find yourself tongue-tied if ever confronted by a fellow liberal who can't understand your connection to Israel - buy them this book and rest easy. If you love Israel and are deeply troubled by it at the same time, read this book to understand why, and how to live with the paradox...

Liked it
I was walking home last night reading the book as I walked along the street and a person stopped me to say how much they had enjoyed it and I realised I really had too.

It was a book that helped me peer into the lives of one side of this conflict and this diverse country.