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 By Michael Fox, September 11, 2011, Amazon, USA
Kanj writes with a sense for justice & his heart pointing to the homeland he lost before he was born,
The parents of Jamal Kanj, the author, were alongside 800,000 other
Palestinians, evacuated from their villages and towns by Israeli
terrorist groups, an ethnic cleansing that was supported by the founding
Israeli Government and overseen by the former British occupiers of
Palestine. One of these terrorist groups, the Haganah, served as the
foundation of the now official army of Israel, the Israeli Defence Force
(IDF).
Jamal wasn't yet born when his family was pursued through the upper
Galillee and into Southern Lebanon. He was born a refugee in the Nahr al
Bared refugee camp in Lebanon where his family was placed with several
thousand other Palestinians. The rights afforded to other Lebanese
nationals: the rights for travel and education and self-determinacy were
stripped from him and his family. Through no fault of their own, the
Palestinians were now exiled from their homeland.
This book describes the life of Jamal. He lives his whole childhood
in the square mile refugee camp. What starts off in 1949 as a shelter
for Palestinian refugees set up with basic tent facilities, transforms
over time to a vibrant town supporting its own community through trade
and development. It is also a story of a victim that keeps getting
punished. The camp is continuously targeted by Israeli forces in
retaliation attacks for crimes committed elsewhere or through acts of
aggression aimed at instilling fear in the population, trying to
extinguishing any flailing hopes left of them one day returning to their
homeland. Jamal leaves the camp at 16 or 17 to study in Baghdad and
soon after is accepted to an american university.
Much of the book is interspersed with political events of the time
and of historical background. This is the history that wasn't taught to
students at school and wasn't taught to me at Jewish school, nor is it
taught to Israeli teenagers before they are put into fighter jets and
their thumbs hover over the trigger. It is an uncomfortable history. The
praised leaders of Israel are quoted here expressing imperialistic
sentiment, expressing indiscriminate hate and disregard for the natives
of Palestine.
The Lebanese government, especially the Christian-Right ruling
party, is also attacked for harassing and limiting the Palestinian
refugees. The camp suffered almost total destruction in 2007, a sad
situation for the Palestinians who for 2nd or even 3rd time have been
forced to leave their home. Out of the ashes comes new hope though.
Stated in the last chapter of the book is the slogan for the committees
responsible for rebuilding the camp, "We will rebuild Nahr el Bared and
we shall return to Palestine". Let us hope for the sake of humanity that
they succeed.
 By Sandy, May 20,11, http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/166103564 I was certainly, like most Americans,
brainwashed with Christian guilt, bombarded all my life with the pioneering
image of Israel. I never gave much thought to the life of those who were
replaced by European Jewish "pioneers." This book put me back in
touch with my humanity to discover the inhumanity of Zionism and its false
history. It's a must read book. This is the Palestinian version of Anne Frank
Diaries!
 By Jennifer Abdo, Feb 28, 2011, www.goodreads.com
There is an excellent history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in here
Kindle Edition- not great on formatting.
, By Alen, January 2011, www.goodreads.com
It
is one of the best books I have read on the Palestine/Israel issue. The
writer did a great job weaving the personal experience into the
historical context of the Palestinian refugee problems.
I loved most the way the writer kept me interested in finding more as I finished each chapter. It was a great reading!
Gripping , By Anita, January 2011, Amazon, USA
Riveting, enthralling, spellbinding, and funny a true description of
life in Nahr El Bared Palestinian refugee camp as seen through oral
histories and eyes of a survivor.
The best book on the Mideast ... , By Jeffry, January 2011, www.goodreads.com
The best book on the Mideast conflict I have read so far.
Kanj’s strength lies in his sparse prose, his hard research, his intimate
heart-rending stories, but most of all, his strength lies in his very blunt
honesty. I highly recommend this book not just to Jews or Muslims or Arabs, but
to all American citizens, because like it or not, we are heavily involved, and
it’s to our great advantage to understand the conflict.
the untold , By A. T. Molina, January2011, Amazon, California
To me, reading memoirs is like reading thick textbooks, and I never read
them if I don't have to for school. I picked up Kanji's book with this
mindset, expecting to drop it after a few pages. But, the next thing I
knew, two hours had passed and I was over halfway through the book.
The prose was simple, but powerful. The book was littered with facts yet
still intimate. The story itself was violent and somehow also
beautiful. I recommend this book, not just to people interested in
Middle Eastern politics or culture, but to anyone looking for a powerful
story they've never read before.
There aren't that many out there.
A Beautifully Written Book, November 2010, By A Jabr, Beirut, Lebanon
Excellent
insight into growing up in a refugee camp ,
October 2010, By L.H.W Amazon UK
Jamal Kanj writes in a very matter of fact style that gives
an excellent insight into his younger days growing up in a refugee camp in
Lebanon. He gives a good background to the politics surrounding the building of
the camps in 1948 and the eventual destruction of the camp in 2007. Running
like a continuous thread through the historical and political background are
Jamal's personal experiences which provide an insight into what being a refugee
really means, particularly for those of us lucky enough to have been brought up
in a more stable environment. There is an interesting section on the failure of
the Arab forces to prevail in the 1967 and 1973 conflicts with Israel. This
section surmises that the forces were never really trained to fight a war
against external enemies, rather to protect their leaders against internal
dissent. Highly recommended reading.
Great
book , October
2010 by Convert Reader, Barnes and Noble
It is one of the most captivating
books I have read as of late. The writer makes a good point for the Palestinian
refugees and their suffering for the last 62 years. It is the type of
information you will not find in our library or books in America. I recommend
the boook with no reservation. If you want to learn about the Palestine
question. This is the boook to read.
Superb , September 2010, By John Jacobson, Amazon US
I
highly recommend this book. Most Americans know nothing about what happened to
the Palestinians in 1948, thanks to a highly successful censorship and
disinformation process here in the United States. This book shows one small
piece of a massive human tragedy that has...been completely ignored by
Hollywood.
Amazing
story of a Palestinian Refugee , August
2010, By Ari Goldstein, Amazon US
This book showed me what the U.S
Media didn't tell me. It is the book "Night" by Eli Wiesel of the
middle east, it revealed the horrible atrocities his people have to go through
on a daily basis.
Takes
you there, for better or worse ...,August 2010, By Kat, Amazon US
Great insight into life in a refugee
camp, paints an incredibly detailed picture. As an American, this book showed
me a slice of life I never knew existed. Really shows the incredible spirit
of the Palestinian people. While the subject matter overall is
serious and sad, the book, while serious, is fascinating and entertaining.
A
moving and thoughtful read that would do well in any international memoir
collection , August
2010, By Midwest Book Review
The Israel and Palestine conflict
has shattered countless lives. "Children of Catastrophe: Journey from a
Palestinian Refugee Camp to America" is a memoir form Jamal Krayem Kanj,
as he reflects on his own journey through the conflict, and how from a refugee
camp struggling to survive he found his way to America and made his own way in
life. A unique story with a powerful message, "Children of
Catastrophe" is a moving and thoughtful read that would do well in any international
memoir collection.
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