2012 (my brief review can found on the LibraryThing post linked)
http://www.librarything.com/topic/138560#3562310 ( )

I really didn't go into this looking for a fight but it's just so undercooked and trivial. Pekar was a Jew with no strong feelings about Israel. He never went there. He's fairly sure that Occupation is not a good thing and... er... that's it. I guess I was looking for something a bit meatier, but his patented brand of grumpy apathy doesn't suit the subject. Disappointing. ( )

This book feels unfinished. While the highlights of history are a reasonable summary at a very high level, and while I sympathize and agree with the criticisms voiced within, the lack of any concrete suggestions of what to do instead leaves me dissatisfied. I understand that Mr. Pekar died before this book was finished, as a result, it's hard to tell what is really his voice and vision, and what is that of his illustrator and co-author. ( )

Harvey Pekar and JT. Waldman spend a day together in Cleveland, discussing Pekar's growing up with Zionist parents and how his outlook on Israel has changed through the years. A large part of the book is a flyby description of the history of the Middle East and the eventual creation of the State of Israel, which is probably already know to a reader who would pick this book up. The more interesting part for me is obviously Pekar's story about his parents and their different outlooks and how that permeated his thoughts and opinions as a child and youth and, more importantly, the point at which he changed his mind and started being more critical of his previous idealized land. The other interesting part is his discussions about how other Jews sometimes have knee-jerk reactions against him speaking out against Israel - it is indeed a high-tension topic in many circles. It'd been interesting to get a more in-depth discussion, but in its current format it is all that it could be, especially since Pekar passed away before its completion. The epilogue by Joyce Brabner, Pekar's wife, deals mainly with Pekar's funeral and artistically doesn't really fit in this book, but it's an interesting addition for any Pekar fan. ( )

Harvey Pekar grew up in a strong Zionist household being taught about the nationalist pride of Israel much in the same way many American children were raised about the anti-communist nationalist view of America in the same time period [limited media intake, singing nationalist songs at school, etc.] He uses this novel to explain why he "lost faith in Israel" [as well as his religion] after he left his parents' home.

As a source of historical information, this novel is utterly fantastic. It's historically accurate, yet very simply explains the full historical background of the creation of modern day Israel from it's biblical roots to the war for Independence as well as a good telling of the Jewish people's history all together. He covers not only what was happening in the country itself, but all the events happening in other countries around the world which had an effect on Israel's development. The only downside is that you're well over a hundred pages in before he talks about anything on the modern events surronding the conflict and the details are, as he puts it, "hazy". The lack of detail at this part of the novel is a little bothersome, and you never really get to know about what has happened lately. Still, I'd consider this a pretty informative graphic novel for someone just wanting to get a start on wrapping their head around the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Despite his starch opposition to Israel as a state, he's rather unapologetically straight-forward about who did what both good and bad both for Israel and Palestine. His main concern is being able to question Israel's actions without being called a traitor or self-hating Jew. He states a strong desire to see a peaceful conclusion to the conflict. ( )