Review of Operation Olive Tree
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Mbuotidem52
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Review of Operation Olive Tree
[Following is a volunteer review of "Operation Olive Tree" by Jemil Metti.]
Operation Olive Tree is a historical fiction novel by Jemil Metti that tells the story of two families of different origins, the war that divides them and the passionate music that unites them.
The Israelis are locked in a turf war with the Palestinians. The Palestinians are claiming ownership of a portion of land which they have inhabited for quite a long time, while the Israelis claim that that area has been theirs all along. Consequently, there are extreme hostilities between the two states. It was even considered illegal for a Palestinian to venture into some parts of Israel and vice versa. Amidst this conflict, Wahat-al-Salam is still in session. Wahat-Al-Salam (Oasis of Peace) is a controversial educational institution where both Israelis and Palestinians are allowed to attend school under one roof. This is the school Jamal attends.
He was sent here by his father, Midhat, en route to fulfilling his dying mother's vision of having all her children college-educated, despite speculations of Midhat's parental incompetence. All his older siblings were enrolled far away from home, but his dad decided to keep him close to home. It was during Jamal's final years of schooling here that he fully embraced his love for music. His father initially refused his request to study music in college, partly because of his family's history in the medical field (all his other siblings were either doctors or nurses) and mainly because he was to be accompanied by Irith, an Israeli.
Irith is the youngest daughter of Professor David Goldman, a physics professor. Like Jamal's father, her family vehemently kicked against studying with a Palestinian. Jamal's uncle was a recently convicted felon, and this fueled their disapproval. According to them, a criminal in a family tarnishes the image of every member of that family and signifies the presence of a criminal gene in the family. Will Irith and Jamal rise above all barriers and pursue their dreams? Find out more on Operation Olive Tree.
This is honestly an amazing book to read. I love how the story is sometimes told in the first-person perspective and other times in the third-person perspective. This way, information about the characters and events is very detailed. This made the book easier to understand and, consequently, more interesting. My favorite character is Midhat. In spite of the pain and sorrow from losing his wife, he still stood strong and kept on showing unbridled love and attention to his children.
This book was so amazing that I found absolutely no flaw in it. My favorite part of the book is the part where Salah risks spending a day or two in prison to deliver Jamal's message, although not particularly urgent, to Irith. The love he had for his friend and their friendship was very well portrayed.
I'm rating this book 4 out of 4 stars. The plot was fascinating, the penmanship remarkable, and the development of the characters intriguing. There were no grammatical or spelling errors here. Apparently, it was professionally edited. I recommend this book to parents and teenagers. This book showed me that allowing their children to follow their dreams is one of the best things parents can do for them.
******
Operation Olive Tree
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Operation Olive Tree is a historical fiction novel by Jemil Metti that tells the story of two families of different origins, the war that divides them and the passionate music that unites them.
The Israelis are locked in a turf war with the Palestinians. The Palestinians are claiming ownership of a portion of land which they have inhabited for quite a long time, while the Israelis claim that that area has been theirs all along. Consequently, there are extreme hostilities between the two states. It was even considered illegal for a Palestinian to venture into some parts of Israel and vice versa. Amidst this conflict, Wahat-al-Salam is still in session. Wahat-Al-Salam (Oasis of Peace) is a controversial educational institution where both Israelis and Palestinians are allowed to attend school under one roof. This is the school Jamal attends.
He was sent here by his father, Midhat, en route to fulfilling his dying mother's vision of having all her children college-educated, despite speculations of Midhat's parental incompetence. All his older siblings were enrolled far away from home, but his dad decided to keep him close to home. It was during Jamal's final years of schooling here that he fully embraced his love for music. His father initially refused his request to study music in college, partly because of his family's history in the medical field (all his other siblings were either doctors or nurses) and mainly because he was to be accompanied by Irith, an Israeli.
Irith is the youngest daughter of Professor David Goldman, a physics professor. Like Jamal's father, her family vehemently kicked against studying with a Palestinian. Jamal's uncle was a recently convicted felon, and this fueled their disapproval. According to them, a criminal in a family tarnishes the image of every member of that family and signifies the presence of a criminal gene in the family. Will Irith and Jamal rise above all barriers and pursue their dreams? Find out more on Operation Olive Tree.
This is honestly an amazing book to read. I love how the story is sometimes told in the first-person perspective and other times in the third-person perspective. This way, information about the characters and events is very detailed. This made the book easier to understand and, consequently, more interesting. My favorite character is Midhat. In spite of the pain and sorrow from losing his wife, he still stood strong and kept on showing unbridled love and attention to his children.
This book was so amazing that I found absolutely no flaw in it. My favorite part of the book is the part where Salah risks spending a day or two in prison to deliver Jamal's message, although not particularly urgent, to Irith. The love he had for his friend and their friendship was very well portrayed.
I'm rating this book 4 out of 4 stars. The plot was fascinating, the penmanship remarkable, and the development of the characters intriguing. There were no grammatical or spelling errors here. Apparently, it was professionally edited. I recommend this book to parents and teenagers. This book showed me that allowing their children to follow their dreams is one of the best things parents can do for them.
******
Operation Olive Tree
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Breaking the Mold by Fabian Videla
