Review by chita betty -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch
[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Tetouan" by Mois Benarroch.]
The book is a historical look into the lives of a Jewish Moroccan family. It takes us back to about five generations and more than two hundred years of the Benzimra family. It looks at their lives, their religion and their home(s); Tetouan and or Israel and their longing for home. Through each generation, individuals tells us their stories, their faith, their lives how it intertwine and their perspective of home.
As you go through the pages, you are intrigued by how faith affects the every day lives of individuals and their decisions. You are taken to a soul searching journey "home". As you go through the book you get to go through the faith journey. The question of finding one's self, the imperfections of life and the search for peace. I was fascinated to get a look at the lives of the Jews on exile, from the Spanish expulsion through the Nazi concentration camps to their quest for a nation. I got to understand the reasons behind each side of the zionist movement. The hardliners and the moderates.
The account of various characters left me contemplating on various issues. The meaning of faith, what true practice involves and how much is enough. More than faith could be the quest to go home. Wherever the characters found themselves, they always had the desire to go home. Home varied. Just like most of us today, it is a continuous journey of which some never reach and others don't find. The Jewish struggles as portrayed, in no small way influenced this.
On the down side, the book was marred by a couple of grammatical errors and omissions. Though this did not hinder the message of the book going through, it was noticeable. On a lighter note, the book was a little tough to understand. The author's use of shifting perspective to channel an original authentic account in a way makes the book a little hard to grasp at first. Nonetheless, I think to get an authentic look at ones life you should be ready to look more than once and expect imperfections.
As you might have guessed, I would rate the book a 3 out of 4. Let for the aforementioned mentioned hitches, it is a well written piece. It is a perfect book for those who love history, especially Jewish history and are willing to explore both sides of the aisle. It is also a good read for anyone who loves to get a key and look into the complexities of life, it's challenges and most important family.
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Keys to Tetouan
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