Welcome to the October 2010 online book discussion.

This month we will be discussing Palestine, by Joe Sacco. Feel free to participate and make comments.

Palestine, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Joe Sacco, depicts the author’s stay in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the First Intifada. The author spent two months in the Israeli occupied areas, interviewing local Palestinians and Israelis in order to better understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, mainly from the Palestinian perspective. According to the introduction, Sacco felt that the Palestinian experience was not adequately reported in the mainstream US media and his goal was to give an honest look at the suffering of the Palestinian people. Sacco shares his experiences through the use of satirical drawings and numerous detailed descriptions of personal dealings with locals—sharing cabs, visiting their homes, having tea and listening to their stories—and gives his readers a vivid account of what life is like for these people.

Reserve your copy of Palestine through the New York Public Library catalog or at your local branch. The discussion will take place over the next four weeks.