A Day in the Life of Abed Salama by Nathan Thrall received an outstanding ovation and was multi-awarded several distinctions, among which the prestigious Pulitzer. It was named ´the best book of the year´ by several publications.
I was curious to read the book as well, and I may say that the topic - the way in which a deadly car accident outside Jerusalem reflects the deep divisions in Israel, especially towards Palestinians, was not bad. Clearly, that´s a reality to deal with, that creates a complex mentality context that do balance between death and life.
It is a tragedy, indeed. But being simplistic is also tragic, insisting on the results before taking into account the causes. Thinking that you are on the good side, no matter what. What it really iritates me lately is the way in which some authors, or public personalities, assume that the reader should not think by her/himself. What about being really journalistic, presenting facts, and not jumping into conclusions? Considering your readers at least as smart, or even smarter than you, thus able to decide by themselves and draw their own conclusions.
That´s all about this book. And any other book and its author underestimating the reader´s intelligence.
