Review of A knock at the Door
-
Vivian Writes
- In It Together VIP
- Posts: 303
- Joined: 17 Sep 2022, 15:00
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 67
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-vivian-writes.html
- Latest Review: A knock at the Door by Ory Slonim
Review of A knock at the Door
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A knock at the Door" by Ory Slonim.]
A Knock at the Door; The Story of My Secret Work with Israeli MIAs and POWs by Ory Slonim is a first-person narration of, among other things, the author’s experience with handling relations between families of missing soldiers and the Israeli Government. The book contains a brief account of the author’s childhood. The author then recounted the start of his legal career in Israel and how he came to volunteer to be what he calls a knocker at doors, someone who commits to soothing the families of abducted soldiers and negotiating on their behalf to get the missing soldiers returned.
Beyond the story of Ory Slonim’s courage in braving the uncertain world of terrorist negotiations, he also gives readers a brief glimpse into some of his other endeavors involving helping special needs children.
One of the great aspects of this book is the author’s simple and conversational narration. The author tells the story in unembellished and yet impactful words. Slonim did a good job portraying the heavy emotions that came with dealing with families who were suffering great loss and were kept in limbo because they did not know the whereabouts of their loved ones. Despite the difficult topic, the author narrated with grace while maintaining required the confidentiality. The author’s approach showed a deep respect for the gravity of the topic of missing soldiers.
Another part of the book that is worth commending is that the author introduced other narrators. In some chapters, a family member of an abducted soldier told their story and narrated their own emotions. While I found this a little jolting at first, since there was hardly any warning that it was another narrator, I eventually found it to be a more touching approach. Because of the author’s thoughtfulness in allowing the family members to tell their stories in his book, readers get to hear directly from the horse’s mouth what it feels like to live in the agony of losing a loved one by way of terrorist abduction.
However, several paragraphs from chapter 21 were repeated verbatim in chapter 22, which, along with the other errors I found in the book, indicates subpar editing. So, while I found the book engaging, thoughtful and captivating, I must remove one star and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book to all Jews, especially those living in Israel. The story of the fight to return soldiers who go to war to maintain Israel’s integrity and, indirectly, the safety of all Jews worldwide is one of grave importance in Jewish history and its future. Slonim knew just what was at stake or he would not have taken on this journey with the grace he did.
******
A knock at the Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Knock at the Door; The Story of My Secret Work with Israeli MIAs and POWs by Ory Slonim is a first-person narration of, among other things, the author’s experience with handling relations between families of missing soldiers and the Israeli Government. The book contains a brief account of the author’s childhood. The author then recounted the start of his legal career in Israel and how he came to volunteer to be what he calls a knocker at doors, someone who commits to soothing the families of abducted soldiers and negotiating on their behalf to get the missing soldiers returned.
Beyond the story of Ory Slonim’s courage in braving the uncertain world of terrorist negotiations, he also gives readers a brief glimpse into some of his other endeavors involving helping special needs children.
One of the great aspects of this book is the author’s simple and conversational narration. The author tells the story in unembellished and yet impactful words. Slonim did a good job portraying the heavy emotions that came with dealing with families who were suffering great loss and were kept in limbo because they did not know the whereabouts of their loved ones. Despite the difficult topic, the author narrated with grace while maintaining required the confidentiality. The author’s approach showed a deep respect for the gravity of the topic of missing soldiers.
Another part of the book that is worth commending is that the author introduced other narrators. In some chapters, a family member of an abducted soldier told their story and narrated their own emotions. While I found this a little jolting at first, since there was hardly any warning that it was another narrator, I eventually found it to be a more touching approach. Because of the author’s thoughtfulness in allowing the family members to tell their stories in his book, readers get to hear directly from the horse’s mouth what it feels like to live in the agony of losing a loved one by way of terrorist abduction.
However, several paragraphs from chapter 21 were repeated verbatim in chapter 22, which, along with the other errors I found in the book, indicates subpar editing. So, while I found the book engaging, thoughtful and captivating, I must remove one star and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book to all Jews, especially those living in Israel. The story of the fight to return soldiers who go to war to maintain Israel’s integrity and, indirectly, the safety of all Jews worldwide is one of grave importance in Jewish history and its future. Slonim knew just what was at stake or he would not have taken on this journey with the grace he did.
******
A knock at the Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: A knock at the Door by Ory Slonim
