2 out of 4 stars
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Your Land is Our Land is an unconventional historical fiction work by H. Edward Schmidt. The prologue is set in 2014 on an Israeli beach. Readers who are already well informed about the 20th-century history of Palestine and the founding of Israel will likely pick up the clue to this book's unconventional aspects. Others, like myself, may miss it and only realize far into the story that the author has departed from the true historical narrative and is presenting an alternative history.
The story begins in 1935. In Palestine, the British are working with agencies like the Jewish National Fund to assist Jews from around the world in the process of immigrating and settling in their ancient homeland. In the process, Palestinian Arabs, whose families have lived there for centuries, are being displaced. Understandably, many Arabs choose to resist the British and Jewish forces. As groups of Arabs fight against those who would drive them from their homes, they seek independence from the Brittish empire. Their goal is for the established people of Palestine to rule themselves and control the flow of immigration. As violence continues, a group of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders rises up in a united cry for peace in the Holy Land. Their noble dream of peace faces many obstacles, including those outside the borders of Palestine. As Europe moves steadily toward war, hundreds of thousands of Jews in Germany are at risk, putting greater pressure on the British to settle more and more Jews in Palestine.
One of the things I appreciated most about this book was how the author clearly presented the perspective of each party involved in this complex situation. The book is divided into fairly short sections within the larger chapters that move from one setting and perspective to another, giving the reader the opportunity to see the flow of events through the eyes of many different characters. The scenes in which Arab families are forcefully evicted from their land were painful and sad to read. I was never informed of these events in any history class, so I am grateful to gain this understanding now, as it helps me understand the current situation in Israel much better.
While I appreciated the historical perspective I gained, this book left me with a great deal of confusion regarding the true historical events in the years 1935-1939. At some point in the story, the author begins moving into his alternative history. Because of my lack of knowledge on this subject, I did not realize what was happening until much later in the story when I finally identified an event as fictional and contradictory to what really happened. As one who wants to know the truth, I now feel compelled to research the true history of events to make sure I do not remain confused and either embarrass myself in conversation or spread inaccuracies to another uninformed person. In addition to my primary concern regarding this book, I was very disappointed to find that the editing was terrible. There are dozens of typos and grammatical errors such as missing prepositions or articles, incorrect prepositions, and sentences that need to be reworked. These errors were so numerous that I felt like my reading pace was slowed by them at times.
I have really struggled with how to rate this book and decided to give in 2 out of 4 stars. I am giving 2 stars because I feel that I gained something of value in understanding the perspective of the Palestinian Arabs in the latter years of British rule. However, given the lack of proper editing and the way I felt about the ending, I can not give it anything more. I recommend this book, with hesitation, only to those who either have a good understanding of the history of Israel or are willing to take the time to educate themselves about what really happened.
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Your Land Is Our Land
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