tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3090908127206488708.post1273587594653357372..comments2024-03-28T05:07:23.362-04:00Comments on Space Station Mir: Meditations on the Holy Land and Book Review: The People of Forever Are Not Afraid Space Station Mirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03091908248048157507noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3090908127206488708.post-67374200974848677972014-07-19T12:56:12.454-04:002014-07-19T12:56:12.454-04:00Thanks for responding, because I'm sure you ha...Thanks for responding, because I'm sure you have a more accurate perspective on this than I do. But from what I do know, her writing did not at all match up with the experiences I've had in Israel or the Israelis I've met. That said, that doesn't mean it isn't "her" truth.Space Station Mirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03091908248048157507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3090908127206488708.post-12752670805575377802014-07-16T07:15:05.899-04:002014-07-16T07:15:05.899-04:00So it's literally taken me this long to formul...So it's literally taken me this long to formulate thoughts on how to respond to this review. Because... oh, I have so many thoughts. I'll try to keep this short.<br /><br />Basically, I've been really skeptical about reading <i>The People of Forever Are Not Afraid</i> for two reasons: 1. The marketing campaign tried to exoticize Israel and Boianjiu herself, and that's something I can't stand (particularly about my own country/culture), and 2. Boianjiu seems to have written her book for an international audience. She chose to write about experiences that are... not the standard. But she's presenting them as the standard (this is at least the vibe that I've been getting).<br /><br />But then reviews started showing up in Israel, and... people didn't see the falsities that I had seen in just the short excerpts. Perhaps I'm wrong, I thought. Maybe it's an honest portrayal. Your review makes me think it isn't, though. Because this presentation of Israeli society is so, so, so weird and inconsistent. Even the actual army experience - most women don't serve in units like any of the three girls, they usually serve in offices and have completely different experiences.<br /><br />The impression I've gotten from the back cover and from the segments I've read shows me a seriously dramatized version of my society. And I have serious issues with that. The army influences each one of us who serves in different ways, but it absolutely does not <i>isolate</i> - it brings people together from across the spectrum. Turning this false isolation into a political statement mis-portrays Israeli society.<br /><br />Obviously the Israeli political-military situation is unique and confusing (even for those of us who are living it!), but... I don't know. Nothing I've seen of Boianjiu's writing gives me confidence that she knows how to capture it. Plus stream-of-consciousness, as you say, can too often come off as lazy... Okay, those were my rant-thoughts. And I'm still not sure what I feel or think.Meytal Radzinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15805413335735169073noreply@blogger.com