Review by Donnavila Marie01 -- Gates to Tangier
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Gates to Tangier" by Mois Benarroch.]
Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch is a history fiction book. We learned the suffering of Jews from history. They suffer from racial discrimination, territorial disputes, and religious beliefs. The Benzimra family is not an exception. This book narrates the story of the Benzimra family who fell apart because of their religious beliefs. They ran away from home to save their children and their children’s future. The four Benzimra children - Mesod, Silvia, Alberto and Isaque went separate ways.
After Mr. Benzimra's death, his lawyer read his testament to the bereaved family. The will divulged the existence of an illegitimate son. This illegitimate son is Yosef who lives with his mother in Tangier. The will demands the children to do everything to look for their half- brother. Tangier is the last place they wish to visit because of their misfortunes in the past. This mysterious testament forced Mesod, Silvia, Alberto and Isaque to start an uncertain journey.
Another victim of unfortunate events in Tangier is Zohra. Zohra was born and raised in Tangier but lives now in Paris. She finished her degree in gynecology with the help of a scholarship. She is trying to solve the puzzles of her life. She has a lot of questions left unanswered by her dead mother. Will she be successful in her quest?
This short novel is not just for entertainment sake. Rather, it is more of an advocacy about the vanishing race, identity, and culture of the Jews. I rate Gates to Tangier 3 out of 4 stars because of typos and grammatical errors. One might also be confused with the presentation of each character. Each character serves as narrator in the story. One must pay attention to each chapter to know who is narrating. At first, I did not understand the message of the story. As I advance in every chapter, I came to realize that this book is a treasure. Every page of it unfolds a heartwarming story of life.
What I love about this story are the poems used. "The world won't stop with us" is my favorite line from the poems. This line reminds me that I need to keep going. Whatever happens, life must go on. It presents a different twist and a surprising ending.
I strongly recommend this book to readers who love history. For those who want to have extra knowledge on the history and culture of the Jews, this book is an additional source. Human rights advocates may also read this book because they can relate so much to every page of this book.
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Gates to Tangier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
After Mr. Benzimra's death, his lawyer read his testament to the bereaved family. The will divulged the existence of an illegitimate son. This illegitimate son is Yosef who lives with his mother in Tangier. The will demands the children to do everything to look for their half- brother. Tangier is the last place they wish to visit because of their misfortunes in the past. This mysterious testament forced Mesod, Silvia, Alberto and Isaque to start an uncertain journey.
Another victim of unfortunate events in Tangier is Zohra. Zohra was born and raised in Tangier but lives now in Paris. She finished her degree in gynecology with the help of a scholarship. She is trying to solve the puzzles of her life. She has a lot of questions left unanswered by her dead mother. Will she be successful in her quest?
This short novel is not just for entertainment sake. Rather, it is more of an advocacy about the vanishing race, identity, and culture of the Jews. I rate Gates to Tangier 3 out of 4 stars because of typos and grammatical errors. One might also be confused with the presentation of each character. Each character serves as narrator in the story. One must pay attention to each chapter to know who is narrating. At first, I did not understand the message of the story. As I advance in every chapter, I came to realize that this book is a treasure. Every page of it unfolds a heartwarming story of life.
What I love about this story are the poems used. "The world won't stop with us" is my favorite line from the poems. This line reminds me that I need to keep going. Whatever happens, life must go on. It presents a different twist and a surprising ending.
I strongly recommend this book to readers who love history. For those who want to have extra knowledge on the history and culture of the Jews, this book is an additional source. Human rights advocates may also read this book because they can relate so much to every page of this book.
******
Gates to Tangier
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
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