A Child in Palestine Book Review

A Child in Palestine is a collection of Naji al-Ali’s cartoon critiquing government elites’ capitalist and imperial pursuits and connecting readers with his experience as a Palestinian disenfranchised by Arab-Israeli-American political wars. Naji al-Ali is a Palestinian cartoonist and activist, raised in a refugee camp following an attack on Palestine in 1948. The book opens with an introduction to al-Ali’s life written by Joe Sacco. Abdul Hadi Ayyad then guides readers through the book in sections, divided into themes like “Palestine” and “Human Rights”, to explain the political and historical basis of al-Ali’s cartoons. The title A Child in Palestine highlights the most iconic character, Hanthala, a destitute Palestinian child, who represents al-Ali’s childhood and refugees at large, who suffer the most from the wars waged by their corrupt leaders. A memorable quote from al-Ali is that “Hanthala was never allowed to grow old, because to permit him to do so would be to normalize the predicament of the refugee,” (p 2). Resistance to oppression is a major theme in A Child in Palestine, and this quote is a reminder that although Palestinians and other refugees suffer ongoing violence at the hands of political and governing bodies, stripping people of sovereignty, safety and their homes to gain capital and political control is an unnecessary evil. As al-Ali feeds the reader his punchy, soulful, and sometimes witty renditions of several middle-eastern wars, civilian refugees witness the destruction of their homes but understand the capitalist roots of the orchestrated violence and fight for peace.

Reviewed by Ciaran Graham