Reviewed by Alison Kysia
Book Author: Emma Williams
The Story of Hurry, written by Emma Williams and illustrated by Ibrahim Quraishi, is a useful tool for introducing the colonization of Palestine to young children. The captivating mixed media illustrations frame a story of the imaginative use of animals by one compassionate zoo keeper who will do anything to maintain a glimmer of hope for Palestinian children in an otherwise dire situation.
While I would recommend the book for the story and artwork, I am disappointed in the postscript titled “A Historical Note.” I appreciate that some of the text in this section squarely places responsibility on the Israelis for the human-rights violations endemic to the occupation. Unfortunately, the text also repeats a number of inaccuracies that have become so commonplace that they are nearly invisible even to the most well-intentioned reader. With a few revisions, the text could more fully challenge these stereotypes about the occupation in particular and colonialism more broadly.
Some of the language in the historical notes justifies the victimization of Palestinians and the brutality of Israelis. For example, on p. 31 it says, “In December 2008, a major invasion of the Gaza Strip took place to stop the launch of rockets into Israel by Palestinian militants.” Likewise, on p. 35, while explaining why Gaza has been invaded so many times, the author (or editor) wrote, “The Israeli public was weary and afraid of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.” This is the excuse that the Israeli government uses to justify bombing civilians, but the reality is that Palestine was colonized by the Israelis with the blessing of the international community. The explicit goal of the Israeli state has always been the systematic dispossession of Palestinian land, in both word and deed. These explanations for bombing Gaza serve to validate Israeli propaganda.
Another problematic example from the historical notes is the use of the word “militant” to describe Palestinians who fight back. Why aren’t Israeli soldiers referred to as “militants”? Palestine does not have a well-funded, American-sponsored military like the Israelis do — because they are under occupation. The use of the word “militant” implies that Palestinians are extremists, falling in lockstep with the tired “war on terror” trope. Such language serves to obscure colonial power relationships and create sympathy for Israeli aggression.
The text further rationalizes the occupation by describing on p. 32, “a Palestinian government whose disunity and lack of accountability have hindered the realization of Palestinian rights even within the constraints created by the occupation.” This assumes that the occupation is, at least in part, the fault of misguided Palestinians who do not know how to follow the rules of “unity and accountability” defined by their occupiers. Referring to the siege, the text on p. 32 says, “The conflicts that have contributed to these conditions, both internal and external, have not been resolved.” If only the Palestinians would be obedient, the siege might not be so bad.
The text subtly promotes stereotypes about overpopulation in poor brown communities. On p. 32, the text reads, “The population is large for such an area. . . .” without an explanation of why the population is large. It is, in fact, the most densely populated place in the world, and it is so densely populated because of repeated Israeli ethnic cleansing campaigns. This omission reinforces stereotypical connections between overpopulation and poverty. The reason Gaza is overpopulated and poor is the direct result of Israeli colonial policy.
Similar to the messages popularized in the mainstream media, the historical notes endorse the idea that Hamas is the root of the problem. On p.33, it says, “Since the Hamas takeover . . . .” implying that Hamas is a totalitarian regime. Hamas was democratically elected within the confines of a brutal occupation, the perpetrators of which took great care to either assassinate or forcibly exile intellectual, religious, and political leaders over multiple generations. Placing any blame on Hamas is, again, blaming the victim and diverts attention away from the well-planned and well-funded Israeli colonial project.
Some of the consequences of colonialism — like the lack of clean drinking water — are explained in a passive voice that lets the Israelis off the hook for the choices they make. Under the subtitle, “Why Is the Water Not Sweet?” the text reads, “Almost 95% of the water pumped in the Gaza Strip is polluted and unfit for drinking due to pollution and salination.” It isn’t due to pollution and salination. The water is unfit to drink because this is what Israel wants. The Israelis have perfectly clean water. These are Israeli choices, not unfortunate realities.
There are not nearly enough children’s books about contemporary injustices like those taking place in Palestine. Overall, I congratulate the author and illustrator for choosing this topic and for persevering in a publishing industry known for marginalizing books by and about people of color. With just a few revisions of the text, the book as a whole can more fully represent the brutality of Israeli colonialism while challenging the media sound bites that further victimize Palestinians.
Alison Kysia is a ceramic sculptor, potter, and socially engaged artist whose work centers Muslims, Islam, and Islamophobia. She produced the Challenge Islamophobia website for Teaching for Change and was a fellow at the Zinn Education Project. Read more.
See more books for K-12 and adults on Palestine.
The Story of Hurry by Emma Williams
Published by Seven Stories Press on September 9, 2014
Genres: Palestine
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Early Childhood, Grade K
ISBN: 9781609805906
Publisher's Synopsis: After a major invasion of the Gaza Strip in late 2008, twenty-year-old Mahmoud Barghout decided to become a zookeeper. He saw that the children around him were exhausted by war, and so to provide respite, he set up the Happy Land Zoo. But the war made feeding and caring for the animals impossible — they died of thirst, hunger, or injury — and replacing them meant finding large sums of money and overcoming the blockade or the risk of bringing them in through tunnels connecting the Strip to Egypt. So Mr. Barghout came up with a solution for at least one animal: he dyed two local white donkeys with dark stripes, to create zebras, which visiting children could touch and even ride.
The Story of Hurry recounts the tale of these “made in Gaza” zebras, of an inventive zookeeper just like Mr. Barghout, and of the wondrous capacity of the imagination of children. Written by Emma Williams, together with thought-provoking mixed-media illustrations by Ibrahim Quraishi, this picture book for inquisitive children aged 3 to 103 includes an historical note for parents, teachers, and librarians.
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