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Recent reading
Mar. 2nd, 2024 10:12 amThe Hidden Palace, by Helene Wecker (2021)
I listened to the audiobook by George Guidall, which was excellent. I think plot-wise this story is weaker than The Golem and the Jinni, which introduced the two main characters, connected them, and had a clear antagonist who was connected to them both. But I don't know that I really care, because even though it's more meandering, I still enjoyed The Hidden Palace: the writing is good, the historical texture is good, I enjoyed following up on the characters, and I liked the new characters that were introduced.
Kurdspåret, by Joakim Medin (2023) [The Kurdish Trail]
The title refers back to the 1980's when Swedish prime minister Olof Palme was murdered, and the police for a time thought the PKK had done it. But the book is about the change in the attitude towards Kurds from Swedish government authorities: primarily the truly shameful way that the Swedish government has been bowing to the demands of Erdogan in Turkey in order to convince that country to let Sweden into NATO. For example, the Swedish Security Service has been labelling a fair number of Kurdish asylum-seekers as security risks and deporting them to Turkey where they risk torture, for reasons that are classified, but which according to the journalist who wrote the book seem to have to do with accepting Erdogan's notions of terrorism (which are often just about branding political opponents). It seems to have been enough for people to go to rallies or sign protests against Turkey or ISIS, who both invaded the YPG/YPJ-defended parts of Syria, or be engaged in Kurdish community organizing. Which is just so ironic and contradictory because the Swedish military has been collaborating with the YPG/YPJ in the fight against ISIS, just as the US did! The whole thing is just...ugh. /o\
I listened to the audiobook by George Guidall, which was excellent. I think plot-wise this story is weaker than The Golem and the Jinni, which introduced the two main characters, connected them, and had a clear antagonist who was connected to them both. But I don't know that I really care, because even though it's more meandering, I still enjoyed The Hidden Palace: the writing is good, the historical texture is good, I enjoyed following up on the characters, and I liked the new characters that were introduced.
Kurdspåret, by Joakim Medin (2023) [The Kurdish Trail]
The title refers back to the 1980's when Swedish prime minister Olof Palme was murdered, and the police for a time thought the PKK had done it. But the book is about the change in the attitude towards Kurds from Swedish government authorities: primarily the truly shameful way that the Swedish government has been bowing to the demands of Erdogan in Turkey in order to convince that country to let Sweden into NATO. For example, the Swedish Security Service has been labelling a fair number of Kurdish asylum-seekers as security risks and deporting them to Turkey where they risk torture, for reasons that are classified, but which according to the journalist who wrote the book seem to have to do with accepting Erdogan's notions of terrorism (which are often just about branding political opponents). It seems to have been enough for people to go to rallies or sign protests against Turkey or ISIS, who both invaded the YPG/YPJ-defended parts of Syria, or be engaged in Kurdish community organizing. Which is just so ironic and contradictory because the Swedish military has been collaborating with the YPG/YPJ in the fight against ISIS, just as the US did! The whole thing is just...ugh. /o\
