Hope street, Jerusalem

Irris Makler

Book - 2012

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Subjects
Published
Sydney : HarperCollins Publishers Australia 2012.
Language
English
Main Author
Irris Makler (-)
Physical Description
313 p., [16] p. of plates : ill. ; 23 cm
Also available online
ISBN
9780732294168
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Makler's memoir about moving to Jerusalem seems almost meandering at times, but it is always deeply engaging, effortlessly shifting gears between the personal (the state of her love life and the emotional impact of adopting a dog) and the political (the long-term effects of British rule in the Middle East and the Israeli occupation of Gaza). From dognappers to suicide bombers, from how to find the best fish seller at the farmers' market to how to cross the Palestinian-Israeli border, she effectively covers all aspects of daily life in Israel. She also touches on the extremely complex and sensitive politics of the Middle East, as well as the social and cultural history of Jerusalem, without ever favoring a side, creating an account of life in modern-day Israel that is refreshingly low on bias. American audiences may find Makler's lush and extravagant turns of phrase over the top, but anyone who has spent time in Israel will immediately recognize the atmosphere her words create.--Hayes, Rebecca Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Makler (Our Woman in Kabul) describes life as a journalist based in Jerusalem where she lived for seven years in this far-reaching but uneven memoir. Having filed stories around the globe for radio, TV and online news outlets, she knows the physical and emotional perils of working as foreign correspondent in in a post-9/11 world. She describes the personal tolls and the inherent loneliness of juggling her career and new life abroad, "Too many drivers, not enough friends. That was my verdict. as I slung my suitcases into the boot of yet another cab, in yet another dangerous location." Despite these hardships, the author seldom tires of the setting. In evocative prose, she celebrates the unique qualities of the Old City, where the turmoil of modern-day Jerusalem fades away only to be replace by "a bustling Middle Eastern souk... Stalls overflowed with jewelry, silver, gold, precious stones, lengths of glittering material, embroidered cloth, clothes, shoes, baskets of spices, beads, candles, perfumed oils, incense and crucifixes; the profusion part of the pleasure." But when Makler writes of a boyfriend 16 years younger, the narrative loses focus. The reader's interest wanes when she recalls a puppy they find and their attempt to name it as the volume veers farther afield. What began initially as from the story of a war reporter turns unfortunately into a pedestrian tale about a woman and her dog in a disappointing shift. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Review by Kirkus Book Review

The perils and pleasures of daily life in Israel. In 2002, freelance journalist Makler (Our Woman in Kabul, 2003), "always chasing work," moved from Moscow to Jerusalem. Palestine's Second Intifada was inciting violent unrest, with suicide attacks and bombings occurring daily. "The city was literally exploding," Makler writes. "Israeli media was fizzing." At the urging of a friend, a BBC foreign correspondent, the author decided to stay in Israel. Within a few months, besides constant reporting, she fell in love with a young musician and actor, and the couple adopted an endearing, energetic dog, Mia. Throughout the narrative, Makler weaves the personal and political: tense border crossings and shopping at IKEA; observing political negotiations and negotiating her relationship with her boyfriend; chasing suicide bombings and chasing Mia. Besides lengthy recountings of Mia's antics and adventures, Makler portrays a reality of living with constant threats--e.g., a friend out buying pizza was one store away from a devastating bombing in a cafe; if he had gone in for coffee, he would have been blown up. Makler herself was hit during a stone-throwing rampage; her jaw was broken, but if she had turned a fraction of an inch, she would have been blinded or killed. She was always on call, always ready to travel. In the summer of 2005, for example, she took a long, arduous trip to the desert to report on Israel's fraught withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, an action passionately resisted by some settlers who insisted they would leave only by force. After soldiers calmly completed the evacuation, they complied with Palestinian demands to raze the town, and Makler witnessed the bulldozing of every building, including synagogues. "It was a strange, painful sight," she writes, "given Jewish history in Europe, to watch Jews destroying synagogues" and unearthing Jewish graves. Makler's memoir offers a close-up view of life in a volatile region and the pressures and risks of her daring profession.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.