I Shall Not Hate

By: Izzeldin Abuelaish

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish - now known simply as the "Gaza doctor" - captured hearts and headlines around the world in the aftermath of horrific tragedy: On January 16, 2009, Israeli shells hit his home in the Gaza Strip, killing three of his daughters and his niece. By turns inspiring and heartbreaking, hopeful and horrifying, I Shall Not Hate is Abuelaish's account of an extraordinary life.

A Palestinian doctor with a degree from Harvard who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip and "who has devoted his life to medicine and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians" (The New York Times), Abuelaish has been crossing the lines in the sand that divide Israelis and Palestinians for most of his life - as a physician who treats patients on both sides of the line; as a humanitarian who sees the need for improved health and education for women as the way forward in the Middle East; and, most recently, as the father whose daughters were killed by Israeli soldiers. His response to this tragedy made news and won him humanitarian awards around the world. Instead of seeking revenge or sinking into hatred, Abuelaish called for the people in the region to start talking to each other. His deepest hope is that his daughters will be "the last sacrifice on the road to peace between Palestinians and Israelis."

©2010 Izzeldin Abuelaish (P)2011 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"In this impassioned, committed attempt to show the reader life on the sliver of land that is Gaza, he demonstrates that '[a]nger is not the same as hate.'" ( Publishers Weekly)

A story worth reading, but terrible narration

Would you try another book from Izzeldin Abuelaish and/or Patrick Lawlor?

I would not listen to another book by Patrick Lawlor. He had such an edge in his voice that I reacted in a negative way to his presentation when I know I would not have the same reaction had I been reading the same words.

What was one of the most memorable moments of I Shall Not Hate?

The man himself, Izzeldin Abuelaish, is so admirable, and his commitment to peace comes through so clearly, that he gives hope that we can get there eventually. He is a remarkable leader.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He made the author sound angry all the time, when the author's message was not a message of anger -- but more a message of hope and possibility.

Was I Shall Not Hate worth the listening time?

No -- I love audiobooks, but I wish I had read this book instead.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Inspiring and Emotional

It's hard to believe someone who has been through so much, could remain so loving and peaceful. Exposes the lie that is so often perpetuated about certain religions being only about love or hate. Goes to show that "faith/belief in God" can be radicalized to the point of violence and hatred OR can be what they profess to be...about love and tolerance. The proof is in a person's actions, and Dr. Abuelaish does a great service to Islam, Judaism, and the Palestinians and Jews involved in a bitter struggle for freedom.

I shall not hate *as much as the terrorists.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

bored and annoyed.

Any additional comments?

Abuelaish is no Dalai Lama, as much as he wants the world to think as much. The concept of understanding and compassion is lost to Palestinians as we all know.
This is incredibly bias and anti-Israel and he tried very hard to come off as this highly educated, compassionate, and level headed; just a mask for his anti-Israel agenda.
Where to begin...

He's also not a Viktor Frankl either. He goes on in chapter 3 and 4 about how awful his childhood was without actually saying how he grew from it and seeing the good in it. He just wants to play the victim to the terrible state of Israel: the apartheid, occupying, Nazi, children killing, land stealing, nation of Jews.

During his oppression at the boarder crossing into the Gaza Strip, he went on for about a chapter about how terrible and abused he was, he had to wait so long before they would let him through. I can see what they mean by Israeli genocide of Palestinians, I mean that means waiting in line right?
But who's fault is it really? Is Israel really to blame for the blockade? If maybe there weren't say suicide bombers... there won't be any need for boarder security? Unfortunately even the supposedly highly educated Palestinians even can't take responsibility for their own people, it's easier just to blame the country protecting itself. Should Israel have an open boarder policy? History has shown that suicide bombers kill hundreds of innocent Israels, unless they matter less than Palestinians?
He used a lot of subtle but accusatory statements like: "What Israel calls terrorists" regarding every person trying to cross the boarder...having a safe boarder is now calling everyone a terrorist? I would hate to see this guy at an airport. He must bitch the whole time: "I'm not going to blow up the plane! You think we're all terrorists, such oppression!"
And of course did he give the same weight to his argument of oppression by Israel as he did to Egypt regarding the same exact blockade keeping Palestinians in on both ends? No. He mentioned it briefly, but according to Abuelaish the Israelis are the real oppressors. Egypt on the other hand, well they are Arabs (after all, they were conquered during the Arab conquest and caliphates, you know, Arab Imprialism, which is ok because it's not European and the totally screw over of ethnic and religious cultures and forcing them under one government is ok if it's say the Ottoman Empire...which had no effect on why the Middle East is screwed over today).

Moving on, in that same chapter he said: regarding a guy who had to be sent back to Gaza, "If he were to commit any sins I think we would have to understand why" so basically, go murder some Jews because of the boarder crossing, we would understand why. This man is again no Dalai Lama, or Gandhi. For some reason other cultures can do non-violence, not Palestinians.


Also he twists history and blatantly lies in many parts, this part stood out to me as he tried to create a sympathetic picture of the old Palestine before the evil Israel regime greedily took all the land and killed as many as they could:
"For 60 years the land has been bulldozed, reassigned and developed as if to scrub out any vestige of the Palestinians who lived worked and thrived here."
So he doesn't know anything about the Jewish land purchases from spectactive land owners and how that development helped Palestinians actually thrive as it created jobs and eliminated diseases like malaria. The modern Arab, Palestinian population has more than doubled since the creation of Israel...just a bit of information he forgot to mention. You know he needed it to look like Israel is killing them though.

He also claimed that massacres happened after the establishment of Israel: which Massacres? Perpetuated by whom? It lacks critical arguments.

"Palestine derives its name from the Philistines." ...only in that the Romans used that name. Blatantly lies about the extended history of Palestinian identity.

"Israel controls everything" except the Egyptian side?

"There had been talk about the establishment of a Jewish state since the end of World War One." This is a false statement that again shows his inability to provided accurate history. Jewish desire for a state actually started getting momentum in the 1880's.

"The trouble began with those words" he said after reading the Belford declaration - The trouble happened when Zionism was accepted by the British according for him. Zionism is the cause of all the problems.
Then he admits that the Arabs didn't accept the Declaration of Independence by Israel and recognition by the UN and as a result were "driven out of their homes." Sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the Arabs quickly invaded?
But what about the demolition of Israeli houses by the Jordanian army?

Basically this is one of the worst excuses for a book and if it wasn't a digital audiobook and if my principals were different, I'd probably burn this terrible book of self-pity and anti-Israel propaganda.

I know, I know, all of you mad pro-Palestinian, Zionist-hating, self declared heroes of humanity and of all the underdogs and disenfranchised people of the world, you are going to 100% disagree with what I said but at least the books I read have hard evidence like The Case for Israel and the Jewish state. If you support Palestinians...you're just sort of uninformed. Like if you said Saudi Arabia was a good place, people will just think you're stupid. You really think whipping people in public for punishment over alcohol is a morally correct and they are a modern county? The Middle East is full of idiots like Saudi Arabia...though yeah, Palestinians are the intelligent, good ones there...right.

2 of 4 people found this review helpful