Sleeping on a Wire: Conversations with Palestinians in Israel [Paperback]

David Grossman (Author), Chaim Watzman (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0374524009 | ISBN-13: 978-0374524005 | Edition: 1st

Torn between conflicting identities -- Arabs in the eyes of Jews, and Israelis in the eyes of the Palestinians -- the Israeli Arabs live in a painful dilemma. Grossman's account of his personal journey into their world is the story of this painful, convoluted state of affairs, about ferment beneath the surface, and an intensifying bitterness that led to the current open conflict.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What sets this book apart from others about the Palestinians are the harsh questions Israeli journalist-novelist Grossman asks and the blunt answers he elicits. Reproducing his conversations with Israeli Arabs from all walks of life, he offers readers a rare opportunity to hear the voices of Palestinians criticizing their own society. Some of the issues addressed: Why is it that the Arabs in Israel have produced little of lasting cultural significance? Why has the Jewish state's attitude of rejection virtually paralyzed the Arab minority? To what extent are the Arabs themselves responsible for the state of affairs in the Arab-Jew interface? Grossman is sympathetic to the Arabs of Israel, to their exclusion from the mainstream and their daily hardships, particularly at the hands of the Israeli Defense Force. At the end of his thought-provoking work, Grossman ( The Yellow Wind ) warns that Israel, by its callous treatment of one-sixth of its population, is "creating for itself the enemy it will run up against after its other enemies have made their peace with it."
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Grossman, a noted Israeli Jewish writer, explores the complex pattern of life that the Arabs who did not flee Israel in 1948 have created for themselves over several generations. With interviews and vignettes, he gives human faces to a group that has been labeled "the quietest minority in the world." Not only must these people navigate through a hostile Jewish society, but they must also contend with under the suspicions of their relatives, the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and those in diaspora. Grossman, as his title suggests, shows how these people have learned the difficult tasks of not only walking the tightrope but also of "sleeping on the wire in midstep." This vivid, insightful account of the Israeli Arab community complements Grossman's earlier exploration of Palestinian life on the West Bank, The Yellow Wind ( LJ 5/15/88). But it also offers insight into the Israeli psyche, showing how easily an oppressed people can become the oppressor. Highly recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 8/92.
- James Rhodes, Luther Coll., De corah, Ia.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374524009
• ISBN-13: 978-0374524005
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,353,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh and Sensitive View of An Old Feud, March 26, 2000

By 

Amir - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sleeping on a Wire: Conversations With Palestinians in Israel (Hardcover)

David Grossman is an eminent -- if not the best -- current writer in the Hebrew language. In the present book he sets to explore the problems of Palestinians who are citizens of Israel, usually a lesser known aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to people living outside the region. Written in the form of conversations with ordinary Israeli-Arabs intertwined with his perceptive and honest reflections as an Israeli Jew, the book gives a sensitive and fresh view of the issue and an alternative to trite journalistic reporting. Although he paints a picture which may be discouraging, Grossman carefully outlines an optimistic path for a better future.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, October 28, 2004

By 

smitmk (Lansing) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sleeping on a Wire: Conversations with Palestinians in Israel (Paperback)

This is one of the best books on the subject. It is an entirely unique perspective on the conflict in the middle east, the perpective of the individual people who live there and try to make their lives work. I had to read it for a class on Terrorism over a decade ago in college, and I still reread it, and recommend it to others to read. A very important book.

5 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A rarely-heard perspective, December 26, 2001

By 

Michael Freeman (Blanchard, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sleeping on a Wire: Conversations with Palestinians in Israel (Paperback)

This book offers a different perspective on the Arab/Jewish conflict; that is, the perspective of the Arabs who live in Israel and are, in most cases, Israeli citizens.

Each chapter in the book is a "conversation" between the author and different persons (or groups of people). Through it, you see THEIR views of the "Palestinian problem," and it raises some issues that many people don't often consider. (For instance, if another "Palestinian state" is formed, what will the Israeli Arabs do? Leave Israel? Stay?)

Overall, this is a good book. I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to understand the Middle East conflict. I would have given the book 4 or maybe even 5 stars, were it not for the PG-13 language that should have been toned down here and there.