nonfiction/graphic journalism (all 9 issues of series collected together in one volume) - interviews and interactions with Palestinians in 1991-1992 (Occupied Territories) - the author at first sympathized with Palestinians only marginally, but after talking to many of them at length it's hard to ignore the years of injustice suffered--in the words of one man, "for the Jews to be treated the way they've been treated and then to treat the Palestinians in that way!" (ebook p. 13).
More than likely, any reader who chooses to pick up a book labeled "Palestine" is already somewhat sympathetic to its people, but since relatively few will have extensive knowledge of its complicated and troubled history, this book is invaluable in putting forth the perspectives of recent generations and what they had already witnessed prior to 1991-2.... it's a lot, to say the very least. Sacco's dynamic use of dialogue that aggressively sprawls and slants across the pages adds a sense of urgency to these age-old traumas and attacks (to be fair, the sale of his work is dependent on conflict, but the words of his interviewees hardly need emphasis). At other times, Sacco appears to be desensitized to the repetitive trauma, beatings, torture, and killings, but the words of his interviewees remain. ( )

This 30 year old graphic novel could have been written this year and it would still be as relevant. It is incredibly dispiriting that no material progress has been achieved in over 3 decades and if anything, things have considerably worsened over that time!!! ( )

Important document describing everyday life inside Palestine mostly from the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the early 1990s. The author is sympathetic and makes many friends, living with them often in cramped and squalid conditions. B&W throughout. ( )

Joe Sacco’s Palestine draws upon the cartoonist’s experiences in Israeli-occupied Palestine near the end of the first Intifada in the early 1990s. Drawing upon both his background in journalism and years of work as a comics creator and commentator, Sacco works to capture the complexity of Palestine and the varying viewpoints among the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, deliberately commenting on himself as an outsider as he seeks to expand the American understanding of the events currently occurring in those regions. He not only endeavors to relay the different personal narratives and opinions that people share with him, but shows how his own presence can affect events, either by drawing suspicion or experiencing roadblocks, skirmishes in the streets, funerals and weddings. Sacco uses his work to show how the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza are a form of modern-day colonialism. While some Israelis encourage him to do similar research in their region, he points out that the Israeli narrative dominates the discourse in the West and his goal with the project was to learn about the Palestinian perspective. Sacco concludes, “That’s the thing about coming to the Holy Land or Palestine or Israel or whatever you want to call it… no one who knows what he’s come here looking for leaves without having found it” (pg. 280).

Sacco’s artistic style resembles many of the underground comix artists of the 1960s – 1990s, in particular Robert Crumb, Gary Dumm, Greg Budgett, and Brian Bram. His caricatures of faces successfully capture the emotions of his interview subjects, ranging from suspicion to grief, anger to fatigue, joy to malaise. In addition to focusing on facial emotions, Sacco brings to vivid life the physical conditions of the refugee camps, bombed-out cities, and demolished villages. He represents both the scale of the destruction in large splash-pages and the way people try to eke out some comfort amid the deprivations of soldiers and the weather in tighter panels. His use of black-and-white linework ensures that Tel Aviv’s comparative cleanliness and sleek architecture stand out all the more in juxtaposition to the Palestinian refugee camps when he visits Israel at the end of the graphic novel.

Sacco refers to Edward Said’s “The Question of Palestine” as “one of the reasons” he traveled to Palestine (pg. 177) and, in a nice connection, Said later wrote an introduction for this complete graphic novel edition. This edition collects all nine issues that Sacco originally published individually. ( )

Clave para entender un poco ( )