Cycling through Israel and Palestine

• Book: Fifty Miles Wide
• Location: Israel, Palestine
• Author: Julian Sayarer

Review Author: RosieA

Fifty Miles Wide is a travelogue about cycling through Israel and Palestine and meeting local people, hearing their stories as well as discovering the complicated history of the area.

Julian Sayarer met a mix of people on his journey: artists, refugees, soldiers, shop keepers and fellow cyclists. He gained insights into their daily lives, their struggles, their survival and their hopes for peace and a different future.

Sayarer blends the hard truths with poetic descriptions of nature and his experiences of one man and his bike on an open road. With this book he gently lends his voice to those whose stories need to be heard, and he tries to make sense of the plight of all these people are who living side-by-side with little room and a maelstrom of force just waiting to ignite.

I learnt a lot while reading this book and I shall remember it for a long time. My favourite parts were the stories from the people Sayarer met. I also liked the sections that described the scenery. I wasn’t so sure about some of the deeper philosophical thoughts that Sayarer had whilst on the open road, many were a little strange for me.

Overall, an interesting piece of travel writing and one I would recommend reading.

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