Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City Paperback – Illustrated, 1 April 2015

We know that part of Delisle's appeal is his choice of settings: the reclusive dictatorships of Burma and North Korea make great copy. Delisle is able to offer a first-hand perspective on countries from which it is all but impossible to derive any impression about what daily life must be actually like, and he is able to do this with a deceptively simple drawing style.But Israel/Palestine is different kettle of fish. This is a conflict continually under the media glare. Millions of pages have been written documenting every detail of the conflict in the `holy land'. Can Delisle offer anything new?The answer is that yes, he can. Delisle's strengths lie in more than the fact that he can capitalise on the fact that he has lived and worked in little-known places. His detached, ironical but sympathetic style is well suited to navigating the tortured nuances of the seemingly never-ending conflict in the so-called holy land.The narrative switches between wider events and his experience of humdrum domestica and writer's block but the latter is not overdone. It stays humorous without becoming self-indulgent or flippant. He also includes narratives and testimonies of eyewitnesses to events he does not see first-hand but are concurrent with his stay (such Israel's assault on Gaza, Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and January 2009). He does not pretend to offer any new insights into the conflict. What he is able to offer is a cross-section of reality, as he has in his previous books. He gives an impression of what it is like to experience this reality first hand.His is the eye that picks out the unexpected: like the Arab-Israeli citizen living in one of the West Bank's illegal settlements, quipping that the settlements are being resettled from within by Arab-Israelis. His sympathies are clearly with the Palestinians but he is not an activist but an observer, of his own reactions as well the reactions of others, to the circumstances in which they find themselves. He is balanced and fair minded. He notes for example that the press in Israel is forthright and vociferous, and frequently critical of its own government, presenting an utter contrast to its neighbours (this observation is still valid despite the recent Egyptian revolution). He draws what he sees and hears, and lets you make up your own mind.There are minor missteps (perhaps due to the translation) like calling Passover a `Jewish Easter' but this book will serve up everything that Delisle's admirers have come to expect from his previous works, and perhaps much more. I think that this is finest book yet.

A great book, which through the atmospheric illustrations and well-constructed stories gives an entertaining and thought-provoking account of life in Jerusalem and the West Bank (as well as the wider background of Israel/Palestine conflict).I have visited most of the towns mentioned in the book and found Guy Deslisle's drawings incredibly effective at capturing both the look and atmosphere of those locations. They brought back strong memories and stirred my emotions, reigniting the sense of disbelief and outrage that I felt when there, particularly in Hebron and regarding the checkpoints and the wall.Some may find that the author leans too far politically in one direction, but in my view his mindset is a natural consequence of spending time in the area. I doubt there are too many westerners in east Jerusalem or the West Bank who disagree with him.An interesting and well-crafted book about a fascinating part of the world.

Well I know silly headline, but that Guy (pun intended) just pops great graphic novels one after another, and each and every one is at least as good as the last one (or better).What is good about it:Great characters - check,Humour - check,Real life adventures - check,Real life adventures with some drama - check,Something to think about - check,Not picking sides - checkNice artwork - checkWhat is bad about it book:Even though it is long it is still too bloody short! I want part two, part three and extended edition right now!Summary:If you are into Guy Delisle, well it's a no brainer - just buy and stop fussing around.If this is your first foray into his graphic novel journals from around the world - you should not be disappointed.

I pick this up on a whim after deciding to explore travelogues in comic form (an underrepresented genre I was surprised to find). I had a fair idea of what I could expect from this book and was very pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong.I thought this would be a single narrative politically polemic essay on Isreali occupation and domination of Palestine. As many other reviewers have explained, it wasn't. It is a selection of short insights into daily life of an expat living in Jerusalem - and it is all the better for it.I definitely feel I got a better insight into today's Jerusalem from this book that I have from the news coverage I have exposure to.Learning about Guy Delisle's attempts to get into the Dome on the Rock made me laugh a lot. Getting a sense of what the Israeli settlemets are actually like was surprising and amusing.Sections that highlight the oppression of the Palestinian people were all the more shocking for their juxtaposition to tales of trying to find a decent playground for the kids.I can't recommend this highly enough. His previous books are on order as a result of taking a chance on this. Do yourself a favour and read it.

you can, but I found it "as it is" He spoiled it with one anti semetic picture, he could do with removing that- would give his book a lot more cred

I've bought my first book a month ago (the one about North Korea). Two weeks later I had already bought and read all of his books. It is extraordinary that he had been to so many countries where I worked and his ability to summarise all the details of the local life in such an elegant and simple way is extraordinary. Guy is probably the best cartoonist alive.Jerusalem is he largest (and latest) book, and he is able to deal with all the issues with a bottom-up view that is coherent. His drawing is becoming cleaner. Only the very essential traces are there. As Pink Floyd guys, his geniality is not only on what he includes, but on knowing what does not need to be there.