Perfect Victims is a book that analyzes the ways in which the Palestinian People are expected to showcase a perfect victimhood, one that has to follow a colonial and Western standard of victimhood. It expects behavior that is unthreatening and a script that tends to coddle the oppressor instead of asking the questions that really need to be addressed.

It also analyzes respectability politics, how these same colonial standards influence who is given a mic and police what they are allowed or not allowed to say or do; then how this, in turn, shapes the conversations around Palestine, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

I really appreciated the discussion on the topic of "humanization" and how it is, in and of itself, something that is not only absurd but also cruel as it implies that to be considered worthy of dignity and a right to speak for themselves, the Palestinian People are first expected to prove their humanity, as if it's something they are not entitled to.

It was an amazing read that I consider absolutely essential in today's media landscape, it encourages us to think critically about the mainstream narratives around Palestine and resistance.

The writing is beautiful, as the author mixes the straightforward tone usually required of non-fiction with poetry and excerpts from other anti-colonial works. There's a bite to those words that have us looking deeply not just at how the world views Palestine but also how we personally view it and how that view applies in our approaches to other struggles against colonialism, capitalism and other oppressive systems.

This book is a very important read for anyone who wants to counter propaganda and support the Palestinian People in ways that uphold their dignity and right to resistance. I would also highly recommend reading this with friends or in a book club as it's the kind of book that can lead to some very necessary conversations.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

This was a brilliant book.

In this analysis, Mohammed El-Kurd tries (and I would say succeeds) to confront everyone with the Palestinian question and our own biases, making us think independently.

Of course, it is self-evident that the author can not (and should not) remain completely unbiased, but he confirms that himself. However, he tries to present his arguments as coherently as possible and provides many references. To quote:

"It is not only grief that makes writing in the time of genocide a torturous task; it is, more so, one's recognition of the written word as shamefully insufficient in the face of 2,000-pound bombs."

I highlight the books in my e-reader only when I find them profoundly thoughtful, and I must admit, that doesn't happen often. In this case, I think I highlighted surely one-third of the book. Take from that what you will, but I can't remember if I read something this significant in at least a year.

Some arguments I would've liked to discuss a bit further. On the other hand, even when I thought I was fairly unbiased, the author made me realize some of my biases were definitely present. I thank him for that.

My only complaint, to call it so, is that some of the arguments repeated quite a bit. However, I must say that I understand it - when most of the world turns a blind eye to the evident, you want to shout it as much as possible.

I highly recommend this book. I think that everyone should read it. I will buy it for myself.

A great thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with this great piece of work in exchange for an honest review.

As posted on Goodreads:

“We die a lot. We die in fleeting headlines, in between breaths. Our death is so quotidian that journalists report it as though they’re reporting the weather: Cloudy skies, light showers, and 3,000 Palestinians dead in the past ten days. And much like the weather, only God is responsible - not armed settlers, not targeted drone strikes.”


Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal is my introduction to the work of poet, writer, journalist and organizer Mohammed El-Kurd. Written from personal experience and the headlines, the content is both eloquently written and devastatingly raw - breaking your heart with not only the brutality, but also the beauty.

Discussing the expectations we (as a society/global witnesses of genocide) place on Palestinians to be “the perfect victim”, the facts are laid bare and the question asked: How would you feel if it was you? And how can you expect someone to put aside their feelings and be docile and compliant in the face of such violence and suffering, “a suffering that is denied and disputed, despite being relentlessly televised”?

Do I think you should read this book? Yes I do. I think you should read it and take notes. And then I think you should read as many of the sources listed in the back of the book as you can. And then I think you should share this book with the other people in your circle.

This book is the kind of content that needs to be read and shared, to shift perspectives and culture, and to keep us honest and factual.

I am incredibly grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I think this book is really informative and also reflective as it raises many moral, political, and ethical parts as well as historical aspects to the conflict in the Middle East. The book dives into a lot of intense topics but does so in a way that the reader can easily follow and understand which helps readers learn.

This author has written a book that is way out of bounds! His biggest flaw is that he almost totally ignores the history of Palestine before 1917, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the beginning of the British mandate in Palestine as authorized by the League of Nations. Looking much further back into history, one learns that the Jews have lived in Palestine (Judea and Samaria) for the past 3,500 years. During the 7th century CE, the Arabs arrived and drove many of the Jews from their ancestral homeland. Thus, it was the Arabs who were the settlers and colonizers, which is precisely the opposite of what the author contends.

Mr. El-Kurd also completely misstated the truth about the Nakba (when many Palestinian Arabs fled from their homes in 1948). Commands from the invading Arab armies of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria triggered this sudden departure and were not attributable to any actions by the Jews.

I examined all of Mr. El-Kurd's footnotes and can safely say that almost none came from reliable sources.

In sum, this is a dreadful book that was penned by a far-left Palestinian champion and not by a serious scholar.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in February. This is going to be one of the Palestinian must read books of next years. This book really goes deep into the deep prejudices we can all hold about the Palestinian people and the high expectations we put on them. Especially in correlation of propaganda. This needs to be on every activists tbr.