1000 farewells.

We read 'A Thousand Farewells' by Nahlah Ayed for J class. After reading the book we had a test in class and were set to blog about it. Because I can't think of a creative way to dive into this blog post I'm just going to answer the questions our instructor told us to answer. Brief rundown- Nahlah Ayed lived in Winnipeg before her parents decided to pack the kids up and move back to the Middle East and live in a refugee camp for a few years before moving back to Canada. Later in her life, Nahlah travels back to the Middle East as a journalist and she encounters many horrible things like mass graves and being beaten up in a war zone. This is her recount of these events.

What works?

Nahlah Ayed is amazing at painting visuals in your head. She basically makes you feel like you're right there.

What doesn't work?

I felt there were a lot of points in the book where I had to re-read the same thing a few times until I fully understood what I was reading when it came to deciphering the names. Half the time I wasn't sure if she was talking about a person or a place.

What's missing?

I felt the book was well-rounded enough. I didn't think it was missing anything in particular.

What can journalists learn from this?

They can learn what it's like to be a journalist in a foreign country and that it's not always daisies and rainbows. At one point Nahlah and her crew got attacked and were physically beaten just because they were reporters. You have to be prepared to accept whatever life is going to throw at you whether it's negative or positive when traveling as a journalist and you may actually have to put your life on the line to get the story you're after.

How does it compare to another non-fiction work of your choice in any medium?

I'm not sure I've read a story similar enough to this one to actually compare it. But I do applaud Nahlah for being able to open up and talk about her experiences of living in the Middle East as a child and going back as an adult and the struggles she faced.

How did reading this book affect you?

It definitely opened my eyes to what it's like to travel overseas and try to make your way in a country that doesn't want you there. I've never been a foreigner in my life so I've never experienced what it might be like to feel that way. After reading this book it changed my opinion on pursuing the journalist route. I'm not really sure I want to do it anymore.