Friday 19 June 2015

Cain by José Saramago

Here we are with the second "religious" book of Saramago (the first was reviewed here). This time we go back to the Old Testament and to the story of Cain and Abel.

Cain, after killing his brother out of envy, will be convict by god in person (with a small g) to never find peace and to roam around the world. He will be present to the most important events described in the Bible as a witness of the violence and selfishness of the aforementioned god (still the one with small g).

Samarago is clearly in contrast with religions in general and his books show it very strongly, but he never gives his opinion on the matter, he writes in a way that makes the reader feel he is the one to express such doubts and uncertainties.

Saramago is never disappointing, I love his style, his way to not use punctuation and strong rules of writing, and I know that most people give up on him for the same reasons.  However this is not his best book so it is suggested for people that already love him.

So when they ask me what I see in him that people don't understand I always suggest to read the "The double" so far the best book I have read by him, but the list can be very long...

Saturday 13 June 2015

Palestine by Joe Sacco

I feel very small in writing this review, because this is not a book, nor a graphic novel, this is, as it was cleverly defined, a "graphic reportage".  And how do you review history and journalism?

You open the book and you are in the Gaza Strip, during the first intifada, but for a change you are looking at the side of the Palestinian, trying to gain back their freedom.

You will know stories of people who lost everything, from the roof on their head, to their job, their land, and often even members of their families.
How does the population react to this invasion? They throw stones!When Sacco asks them what do they think to achieve by doing so (if not to be arrested and tortured) they just tell him that this is the only way they have to be heard and not completely submitted.

Everyone should read this book, to have a different point of view. I obviously don't know where the truth stand in this battle but I promised my self to be more informed on the topic to better understand.
My personal opinion is of course that bringing peace via violence is never the solution, as history shows us every day, equality should be the universal answer!!!
 I recommend to watch this video to understand a bit more.