"The Lemon Tree" first entry

     The book I am currently reading is the Lemon Tree. I started reading it this summer when my cousin gave it to me. It is a very complex, in detail non-fiction book about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The author, Sandy Tolan, took on a huge burden in starting at the beginning and trying to remain unbiased. In the introduction he states "The key to this openness, I think, lies in the interweaving narratives: When someone sees his or her own history represented fairly, it opens up the mind and the heart to the history of the Other." In simpler terms, if a person hears their side of the story accurately, they will be more open to listening and understanding the other side. Understanding does not mean agreement, rather it means appreciation for the opposite view.

     Tolan demonstrates both sides in his book by following two families, the Khairis and the Eshkenazis. The Khairis were a powerful family in Palestine and were forced to leave their homes. The Eshkenazis who fled Bulgaria to find refuge in Israel during the Holocaust. It turns out that Bashir Khairi, when he goes to visit his old house, finds the Eshkenazis living there. I have not made it to that part yet but I am intrigued to see both of their reactions.

     The author does a fantastic job of remaining unbiased and I have teared up while reading about the situations of both. He is very particular about his language. For example, if that portion of the text is about the Khairis, Tolan uses the Arabic name of the town, "al-Ramla." However, if that portion of the text is about Dalia Eshkenazi, in the book the town will be called "Ramla," what Israeli's named the town.

     As I previously mentioned, the book is extremely comprehensive and there is politics, culture, religions, emotions, etc. While the politics of the surrounding countries and governments interest me, I love how deep Tolan goes to describe the emotions of both societies. It is abundantly clear how many interviews and years of research went into this novel to make it the factual, yet emotional, novel that it is. I am currently almost halfway through the book and I am looking forward to finishing it.