Revenge: A Story of Hope

There are times in reading Laura Blumenfeld's revenge that I inwardly cringe, wishing there was a bit more introspection to her crusade. What made this book so compelling is the message that we all have the ability to choose our own revenge for past hurts. Laura is very honest about her wish to somehow find a revenge for the shooting of her father. What drives the story is the intertwining of the lives of her and her family, and her quest to find out all she could about the man who shot her father. This quest compells her to live in Isreal and to seek out and get to know the family of the shooter. It also forces her to confront some of the feelings she has as a Jew towards the turmoil in Isreal and the continuing violence. As she comes closer to confronting the shooter, she finds that all is not cut and dried, and that there are other currents beneath her quest for revenge. The clarity and honesty that this story is told with is breathtaking, for it confronts the dilemna of revenge, and the seemingly never-ending cycle it nutures. I could not put this book down, partly because it had no pat ending, no made for TV ending. It was honest and does not pretend to know the solutions for the continuing cycle of violence. It is simply a story of how one young woman came to confront and understand the drive which seems to take over her life, and how she does not let that quest destroy her.

This is a wonderful book. The writer, a Jewish American journalist, goes on a personal mission not of revenge, in my opinion, but of reconcilation between Palestinian and Jew.In an historical moment where Jewish and Arab tribalism are triumphant, Blumenfeld achieves the wisdom that is understanding that there is no way to peace. Peace is the way. (AJ Muste). Sharon and Arafat would not like this book. It is for those of us desperate to escape the insanity that will, if left unchecked, destroy Israel and Palestine both.

This book transcends the partisan politics of the Middle East conflicts to present a deeply moving look at one person's experiences of the same. Not for tiny minds hungry for nothing but entertainment, but a useful read for anyone interested in remaining human in this increasingly complicated and violent world.

"A story of hope" indeed, beautifully written and conceived. This is an extraordinary book. I couldn't put it down. It combines an in depth analysis of the human drive for revenge with a very personal quest. Frankly, while I found the study of revenge customs, in general, to be interesting, the personal story blew me away with its intensity and message. One hopes that this author's approach could be applied to the current situation. She succeeded in teaching one terrorist, at least, that his victim was a human being, rather than an impersonal military objective.

Laura Blumenfeld writes beautifully. But people looking for an objective or scholarly treatise on revenge, or a monograph on the situation in the Middle East, should go elsewhere. This book is a personal journey of discovery and adventure, filled with emotional truths and some shocking surprises. In the end, the author exposes herself in a way few writers would dare. I loved this book. But even if you don't, you have to admire it.