A good starting point on a lot.
3 stars
This is written as if it was a transcribed speech. Maybe it was; I didn't catch that detail, if it was written.
For those with little knowledge of the varying topics, it's a great starting point. Since it's written as a stream of consciousness from her own experiences in different places (primarily in Gaza, as Congo and Rwanda receive much less attention), it provides a number of topics that could easily lead someone into wanting to research more so that they could learn about the events and atrocities (those that happened and those that are still continuing).
For people who already are aware of these subjects, it's a bit vague. While sharing anecdotes of the people Walker's interact with, it very much misses a lot of what could have been interesting. More testimonials of the people; more parallels to other struggles that have happened and still happen. Less glossing over …
This is written as if it was a transcribed speech. Maybe it was; I didn't catch that detail, if it was written.
For those with little knowledge of the varying topics, it's a great starting point. Since it's written as a stream of consciousness from her own experiences in different places (primarily in Gaza, as Congo and Rwanda receive much less attention), it provides a number of topics that could easily lead someone into wanting to research more so that they could learn about the events and atrocities (those that happened and those that are still continuing).
For people who already are aware of these subjects, it's a bit vague. While sharing anecdotes of the people Walker's interact with, it very much misses a lot of what could have been interesting. More testimonials of the people; more parallels to other struggles that have happened and still happen. Less glossing over of certain ones (for instance, the mention of the Trail of Tears as an analogy was considerably lacking).
I do like the imagery, though. When she talks about how places like Gaza 'feel at home' because the residents know what struggle is, like the residents of the black neighbourhood she grew up in. Those lines are really poignant, showing the connections between people who struggle and how they can support each other. But it also painted a picture of how some people struggle with supporting others, such as the case with some American Jewish people supporting the Israeli government's tactics against Palestine despite fighting against similar tactics used against Black Americans during the Civil Rights movement (and also talking about her marriage to an American Jewish man whose family declared him dead for marrying a Black woman).
For the time it takes to read, it's not bad. It's interesting, though it feels like it needs... more. More of the people she met, more of the affected people, more in the imagery and the conflict between identity and supporting the rights of others.
