Welcome to Litsy!

This book reminded me of all the beautiful and heartbreaking stories my Palestinian friend Laila told me in college.

Anaële is a Belgian volunteer worker in Palestine for 9 months. Her sister, Delphine, who was in Belgium, illustrated their correspondence for this epistolary graphic memoir.

(Anecdote: Laila is now a cookbook author and was on Bourdain‘s Parts Unknown Palestine episode. Link below ⬇️)

#readingasia2021 #palestine #hoopla

A collaborative travel memoir in #comics format, composed of letters between two Belgian sisters, one of whom stays home in Liege while the other volunteers for 10 months in Palestine in 2008. If you‘re looking for something lighter in tone than Joe Sacco‘s work, try this. #translation #graphicnovel #nonfiction

My neighbourhood is a little particular; it‘s near Rachel‘s tomb. The Israelis decided to annex the tomb and build a military base out of it. A wall surrounds the tomb and Palestinians aren‘t allowed inside. So, there‘s a house near me with walls on three of its sides.

Anaële Hermans traveled from her home in Belgium to Palestine to volunteer with an aid organization. During that time she exchanged letters with her sister Delphine back home. Green Almonds brings these letters to life as a graphic novel.

I definitely recommend it, especially for people who like memoir, travel writing, and social justice issues.

Overall Verdict : Go for it.
It's an amazing travelogue between two sisters. I found the concept really interesting. Its a must read. It leaves one sentient about Palestine in a remarkable way. There are some issues in places. I felt some broken links are their and somethings are omitted to keep the focus on what's going on in Palestine. Overall, it is great. The moment I started reading it, I could not put it down.

This travelogue is set up as letters between Anaële, a volunteer in an aid program in Palestine, and her sister Delphine in Belgium. I enjoyed Delphine's artwork, but I wish the narrative was Anaële's alone. Delphine's postcards are clunky, out of place, and interrupt the flow. They're sometimes shockingly dismissive of the intense things Anaële shares. This is worth reading just to view Palestine through Anaële's caring, thoughtful eyes.