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DAYS OF HONEY, DAYS OF ONION

Name: DAYS OF HONEY, DAYS OF ONION
Author: Michael Gorkin
ISBN: 0-8070-6902-7

THE STORY OF A PALESTINIAN FAMILY IN ISRAEL

by Michael Gorkin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1991

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Steering clear of propaganda, Gorkin (Border Kibbutz, 1971), an American psychologist living in Jerusalem, presents a refreshingly balanced portrait of a Palestinian family in Israel. Feeling ill-equipped to serve his Arab patients at Hebrew Univ., the author spent two years in unusually close contact with a fellaheen (peasant farmer) family—working with them, sharing their celebrations and sorrows, and preserving their testimony in simple, nonjudgmental tones. Like the other 700,000 Palestinians in Israel, the family of Abu Ahmad must deal daily with the paradox of being Israeli citizens yet detached, legally and socially, from the larger workings of the country. Viewed as Arabs by Israelis and as Israelis by other Arabs, ``we have reason to be afraid,'' remarks one. Although Gorkin provides helpful commentary on the confusing revolutions of Middle Eastern politics, he is strongest when allowing his subjects to speak in their own words. These are fully rounded, independent characters who dream of a Palestinian state but dislike militant fundamentalists; who form business relationships with Jewish Israelis yet sympathize with the Intifada. Most startlingly, they manage to combine old and new in odd, apparently peaceful juxtaposition: live sheep purchased for slaughter to mark the end of Ramadan are stuffed into the trunk of a Mercedes; a 70-year-old patriarch relaxes in the traditional diwan (men's sitting room) as his children watch R-rated American videotapes in the next room; free to pursue higher education and their own careers (publisher, social worker, teacher, farmer), children (both male and female) avoid physical relations with suitors and consent to traditional marriage arrangements. Widening the picture are other village voices—a Communist teacher, a Muslim-Jewish couple, Intifada activists. Ordinary people made heroic by their insistence on surviving despite extraordinary challenges, they are complex, multifaceted, and real. A subtly persuasive work, proving that straightforward, unbiased reporting can be far more powerful than monolithic pronouncements. Excellent and unusual.

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1991

ISBN: 0-8070-6902-7

Page Count: 286

Publisher: Beacon Press

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1991

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.