PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewHe weaves scenes from the aftermath of the accident with passages of historical context that explain the physical and legal boundaries that shape the lives of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem ... Thrall is one of the few writers who can combine vivid storytelling with in-depth analysis of the occupation without resorting to political throat-clearing, and throughout the book he maintains an unwavering, cleareyed focus on the broken political system ... At times, the book can feel repetitive, especially when Thrall restarts the day from various vantage points ... A grim narrative.
Omar Robert Hamilton
RaveThe New Yorker[Hamilton] he skillfully manipulates the push and pull between fact and fiction in the novel, punctuating the narrative with date stamps, real tweets, and newspaper headlines. Anyone familiar with Egypt’s recent history knows what’s coming; the suspense lies in one’s uncertainty about how the characters will respond ... Hamilton’s narrative serves, in part, as a challenge to the official record, which insists that the Army did not kill peaceful protesters and that Sisi protected the revolution. The book also challenges the myth that January, 2011, was beautiful and peaceful. In this way, too, it is a reminder of the suppression and violence that continue ... What propels the story forward is not the realization of a utopian system—it’s the people who feel this unshakeable need to do something, and the lived experience of that necessity.
Brad Gooch
PositiveThe New YorkerIn a new biography of Rumi, Rumi’s Secret, Brad Gooch describes how Shams pushed Rumi to question his scriptural education, debating Koranic passages with him and emphasizing the idea of devotion as finding oneness with God ...Gooch helpfully chronicles the political events and religious education that influenced Rumi ... Even in Gooch’s book, though, there is a tension between these facts and the desire to conclude that Rumi, in some sense, transcended his background — that, as Gooch puts it, he 'made claims for a "religion of love" that went beyond all organized faiths.'
