Standing Alone
My last post, over two weeks ago, was written in the aftermath of the rejection by an Israeli court of a lawsuit by Rachel Corrie's parents over her death at the hands of the Israeli Defence Forces.
I've since read her book, Let me Stand Alone, which I advertised at the time. Here's the link again, by the way:
http://www.amazon.com/Let-Me-Stand-Alone-Journals/dp/0393333906/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348046970&sr=1-3&keywords=Rachel+Corrie.
The book is a compilation of letters, journal writings, press reports, poems and other fragments, starting in Rachel's childhood and going up to the day before her death. The shortcomings arise from the fact that her parents had to put this together after her death, with only limited information about the precise dates of some of the pieces. Inevitably, therefore, it is fragmentary and hard sometimes to fit into the chronology of her life, despite the notes at the back. This is neither their fault nor hers; if anybody is to blame it is the thugs in uniform who took her young life.
In spite of this limitation - and allowing for the fact that I was predisposed to admire her - as a writer I was genuinely taken aback by the quality of the writing; her powers of observation, her descriptive skills and her perception. Before that I was already humbled by her courage and her willingness to undergo hardship; now I am humbled by her talent.
Most of the book is a touching account of a normal, if sensitive, teenager growing up in America. Even then, it is heartbreaking to read it knowing that this young life has been cut short, with the loss of so much talent that might otherwise have blossomed. The last section, which describes her short time in Gaza, reminds one just how bad things were at that time; they are even worse now. As such, it makes me very angry but also very humble and ashamed that I have never followed my beliefs through in the way that she did.
I recall that the late Mick Doyle, an Irish rugby player, said once that he read The Great Hunger, Cecil Woodham Smith's classic and moving account of the Irish potato famine, the night before his first international match against England. He remarked that it made him want to go out and murder anyone in a white (English) jersey. Having read Rachel's book, I have to resist the urge to react in a similar fashion. It would not be true to her memory, nor to the many decent Israelis who are ashamed at the behaviour of their country. However, I won't be buying Israeli products any time soon.
This book is a must-read, heartbreaking as it is.
I've since read her book, Let me Stand Alone, which I advertised at the time. Here's the link again, by the way:
http://www.amazon.com/Let-Me-Stand-Alone-Journals/dp/0393333906/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348046970&sr=1-3&keywords=Rachel+Corrie.
The book is a compilation of letters, journal writings, press reports, poems and other fragments, starting in Rachel's childhood and going up to the day before her death. The shortcomings arise from the fact that her parents had to put this together after her death, with only limited information about the precise dates of some of the pieces. Inevitably, therefore, it is fragmentary and hard sometimes to fit into the chronology of her life, despite the notes at the back. This is neither their fault nor hers; if anybody is to blame it is the thugs in uniform who took her young life.
In spite of this limitation - and allowing for the fact that I was predisposed to admire her - as a writer I was genuinely taken aback by the quality of the writing; her powers of observation, her descriptive skills and her perception. Before that I was already humbled by her courage and her willingness to undergo hardship; now I am humbled by her talent.
Most of the book is a touching account of a normal, if sensitive, teenager growing up in America. Even then, it is heartbreaking to read it knowing that this young life has been cut short, with the loss of so much talent that might otherwise have blossomed. The last section, which describes her short time in Gaza, reminds one just how bad things were at that time; they are even worse now. As such, it makes me very angry but also very humble and ashamed that I have never followed my beliefs through in the way that she did.
I recall that the late Mick Doyle, an Irish rugby player, said once that he read The Great Hunger, Cecil Woodham Smith's classic and moving account of the Irish potato famine, the night before his first international match against England. He remarked that it made him want to go out and murder anyone in a white (English) jersey. Having read Rachel's book, I have to resist the urge to react in a similar fashion. It would not be true to her memory, nor to the many decent Israelis who are ashamed at the behaviour of their country. However, I won't be buying Israeli products any time soon.
This book is a must-read, heartbreaking as it is.
posted by Reluctant Irishman @ 2:54 AM
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