[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Tetouan" by Mois Benarroch.]
Written by Mois Benarrach, Keys to Tetouan is a historical fiction and poet novel set in Europe, Africa and Asia from 1868 to 2000. This is the time when the first and second world wars happened, the Moroccan war of independence and the Israeli wars. It gives a graphic story of the Benzimra family which started in the 1860s. The book explains how the Jews formed part of the Royal family in Spain before being sent away and rules set forbidding them to come back unless they met some qualifications and rules put in place forbidding them from coming back.
The book explains how the Benzimra family started in Tetouan and how they spread out into all parts of the world. It shows how some of the Jews tried to show that they are different from the other people but soon realized that they were not. Fernando Benzimra sets out on a journey to find his roots after the death of his father who tells him in a letter that he is Jewish. He first meets Moshe Benzimra who tells him that he is trying to connect loose ends. This is true since many members of the Benzimra family left Tetouan without much trail of them being left about where they went. We see that they moved to different places for many reasons i.e. poverty, oppression, unemployment, discrimination and lack of basic human needs. Many go in search of greener pastures in other parts of the world. Some of them leave the place permanently while others come back periodically or at their old age . Here we see that one does not completely forget about his or her place of birth or origin and just move on. This is very evident in the story as many members come back to reconnect with their past although for some they no longer feel as if they belong here.
Mois Benarrach exposes and discusses critical issues that still plague today's societies i.e. discrimination and oppression in the example of Israel oppressing the Palestinians whom they found in Israel and forcefully evicted them from their lands like what had happened to Jews in Germany and Poland during the second world war. This the author says will have negative repercussions on them later on. Fernando Benzimra follows the history of his people and family and those who left and came back and those who stayed and didn't leave. He understands that some did not leave believing that they would go back to Spain but the Spanish came and oppressed them in Tetouan. Others believed that going to Jerusalem was the key to their problems and that there they would be welcomed and would be at home since it was their promised land. They would later learn that this is not true by how they are treated and discriminated because of their names by the Israelis know as Ashkenazim.
Mois Benarrach shows the history of to kids Moshe and David and then shows history as the kids watch it on a computer that they had been using till they get tired and go out to play. This is after the children watch a disturbing episode where they see a son who is sick and is on the verge of death
My best part is how Mois Benarrach has grown the characters in the book and brought up issues in the novel that affect our societies up to now. These problems will continue to affect our societies until we change our attitude towards other human beings. He shows content in the story and themes that are evident in the whole story to the very end. The book is also professionally edited and has very few errors that can be ignored
What I liked least about the book is how the author moves to different time periods instead of flowing in a systematic way as the time goes from when the Benzimra family started until now. The method used makes it difficult to follow the story and also understand it in some parts.
I rate the book3 out of 4 stars because it has great content and it is also professionally edited. The book brings out issues that affect our societies until now and will continue to affect our societies for much longer
******
Keys to Tetouan
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Written by Mois Benarrach, Keys to Tetouan is a historical fiction and poet novel set in Europe, Africa and Asia from 1868 to 2000. This is the time when the first and second world wars happened, the Moroccan war of independence and the Israeli wars. It gives a graphic story of the Benzimra family which started in the 1860s. The book explains how the Jews formed part of the Royal family in Spain before being sent away and rules set forbidding them to come back unless they met some qualifications and rules put in place forbidding them from coming back.
The book explains how the Benzimra family started in Tetouan and how they spread out into all parts of the world. It shows how some of the Jews tried to show that they are different from the other people but soon realized that they were not. Fernando Benzimra sets out on a journey to find his roots after the death of his father who tells him in a letter that he is Jewish. He first meets Moshe Benzimra who tells him that he is trying to connect loose ends. This is true since many members of the Benzimra family left Tetouan without much trail of them being left about where they went. We see that they moved to different places for many reasons i.e. poverty, oppression, unemployment, discrimination and lack of basic human needs. Many go in search of greener pastures in other parts of the world. Some of them leave the place permanently while others come back periodically or at their old age . Here we see that one does not completely forget about his or her place of birth or origin and just move on. This is very evident in the story as many members come back to reconnect with their past although for some they no longer feel as if they belong here.
Mois Benarrach exposes and discusses critical issues that still plague today's societies i.e. discrimination and oppression in the example of Israel oppressing the Palestinians whom they found in Israel and forcefully evicted them from their lands like what had happened to Jews in Germany and Poland during the second world war. This the author says will have negative repercussions on them later on. Fernando Benzimra follows the history of his people and family and those who left and came back and those who stayed and didn't leave. He understands that some did not leave believing that they would go back to Spain but the Spanish came and oppressed them in Tetouan. Others believed that going to Jerusalem was the key to their problems and that there they would be welcomed and would be at home since it was their promised land. They would later learn that this is not true by how they are treated and discriminated because of their names by the Israelis know as Ashkenazim.
Mois Benarrach shows the history of to kids Moshe and David and then shows history as the kids watch it on a computer that they had been using till they get tired and go out to play. This is after the children watch a disturbing episode where they see a son who is sick and is on the verge of death
My best part is how Mois Benarrach has grown the characters in the book and brought up issues in the novel that affect our societies up to now. These problems will continue to affect our societies until we change our attitude towards other human beings. He shows content in the story and themes that are evident in the whole story to the very end. The book is also professionally edited and has very few errors that can be ignored
What I liked least about the book is how the author moves to different time periods instead of flowing in a systematic way as the time goes from when the Benzimra family started until now. The method used makes it difficult to follow the story and also understand it in some parts.
I rate the book3 out of 4 stars because it has great content and it is also professionally edited. The book brings out issues that affect our societies until now and will continue to affect our societies for much longer
******
Keys to Tetouan
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
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