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White Flags
When a bomb rocks a peaceful Israeli neighbourhood, the consequences reverberate around the world. A telephone rings in Bucharest to tell Dr. Amar, that his son, Hassan was the suicide bomber involved in the attack. For Major Shani, of the Israeli Defense Forces, (IDF) the explosion killed a childhood friend and ignited a deep desire for revenge. Both men are faced with the conflicting emotions that combine grieve, anger, revenge, and a thirst to answer the questions that haunt them.
For Dr. Amar, returning home to the funeral is a blur of numbing disbelief. For Shani, requesting assignment to investigate this case takes on a personal conviction. When both men meet for the first time, the undercurrent of mistrust is ever near the surface, and there it remains...
When Shani arrives at the home of Dr. Amar to interrogate him as part of the investigation, it is apparent that Shani is simply following protocol. But it is never easy for him to confiscate a man’s travel documents and destroy his home, which he does with relative kindness. Dr. Amar is caught between his devastated wife, Lyda, berating Israeli soldiers and trying to get his belongings out of the house before it crumbles.
Forced to live with his brother and left with few options, Dr. Amar decides to fix the dilapidated school and take the stone throwing youth off the street and put them in the classroom. When he finds it difficult to get pens, paper, and proper supplies, he turns to the most unlikely source, Shani, the man who has forced him into his current situation. At first, Shani ignores the request, but Dr. Amar is persistent and one day the supplies mysteriously show up. When Dr. Amar convinces the children to come to school it is a small victory towards a greater goal. But when the parents disagree with Dr. Amar’s teaching, that is, to stop the hate, the children are not allowed back.
One day as Dr. Amar is at his brother’s cafe, Omar, a teen in a wheelchair enters and tells him the events that lead to his son’s suicide bombing. Dr. Amar discovers that Hassan was trying to save his friend’s life, after he was shot in a crossfire. Frustrated with the oppression and the lack of compassion at the border, Hassan had had enough and made the decision to detonate himself. When Dr. Amar relays this story to Lyda, and the realization that his son was neither fanatical nor disillusioned, it offers answers but does not diminish the pain. It does; however, allow them to take small steps towards each other again.
Dr. Amar’s determination to teach these kids persists when he bribes the children with a game of soccer at the end of each school day. There remains one problem, a boulder, because of artillery shelling long ago, sits in the middle of the only playing field. After enough failed attempts, the students decide that a proper game cannot be played with a large rock in the middle of the pitch and destroys all hopes of staying in school.
Once again, Dr. Amar calls upon the help of Shani, who unleashes a diatribe of hatred and mistrust, when Shani’s loss is revealed, at the hand of Rami’s own son. The realization that this event had real and tragic results for both sides shakes Rami to his core.
The seemingly simple request, to “remove” a boulder in the middle of peace negotiations, forces these two men to set aside their mistrust for each other and chose a different direction. Their efforts result in a soccer match between Israeli and Palestinian children that is inadvertently televised around the world. In the process, both men strive to resolve the shortages in their own emotional circuitry.
For Dr. Amar, returning home to the funeral is a blur of numbing disbelief. For Shani, requesting assignment to investigate this case takes on a personal conviction. When both men meet for the first time, the undercurrent of mistrust is ever near the surface, and there it remains...
When Shani arrives at the home of Dr. Amar to interrogate him as part of the investigation, it is apparent that Shani is simply following protocol. But it is never easy for him to confiscate a man’s travel documents and destroy his home, which he does with relative kindness. Dr. Amar is caught between his devastated wife, Lyda, berating Israeli soldiers and trying to get his belongings out of the house before it crumbles.
Forced to live with his brother and left with few options, Dr. Amar decides to fix the dilapidated school and take the stone throwing youth off the street and put them in the classroom. When he finds it difficult to get pens, paper, and proper supplies, he turns to the most unlikely source, Shani, the man who has forced him into his current situation. At first, Shani ignores the request, but Dr. Amar is persistent and one day the supplies mysteriously show up. When Dr. Amar convinces the children to come to school it is a small victory towards a greater goal. But when the parents disagree with Dr. Amar’s teaching, that is, to stop the hate, the children are not allowed back.
One day as Dr. Amar is at his brother’s cafe, Omar, a teen in a wheelchair enters and tells him the events that lead to his son’s suicide bombing. Dr. Amar discovers that Hassan was trying to save his friend’s life, after he was shot in a crossfire. Frustrated with the oppression and the lack of compassion at the border, Hassan had had enough and made the decision to detonate himself. When Dr. Amar relays this story to Lyda, and the realization that his son was neither fanatical nor disillusioned, it offers answers but does not diminish the pain. It does; however, allow them to take small steps towards each other again.
Dr. Amar’s determination to teach these kids persists when he bribes the children with a game of soccer at the end of each school day. There remains one problem, a boulder, because of artillery shelling long ago, sits in the middle of the only playing field. After enough failed attempts, the students decide that a proper game cannot be played with a large rock in the middle of the pitch and destroys all hopes of staying in school.
Once again, Dr. Amar calls upon the help of Shani, who unleashes a diatribe of hatred and mistrust, when Shani’s loss is revealed, at the hand of Rami’s own son. The realization that this event had real and tragic results for both sides shakes Rami to his core.
The seemingly simple request, to “remove” a boulder in the middle of peace negotiations, forces these two men to set aside their mistrust for each other and chose a different direction. Their efforts result in a soccer match between Israeli and Palestinian children that is inadvertently televised around the world. In the process, both men strive to resolve the shortages in their own emotional circuitry.
261 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2023
1 person is currently reading
669 people want to read
About the author
Jo Marr
1 book7 followersJo Marr is an actor, writer, director, producer & musician whose career began watching the film, "The Making of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid". He hadn't seen the actual movie itself but immediately fell in love with the magic of movies.
When the California sunshine lured him away from the cold Canadian winters, he paid his dues coming up through the Famous Comedy Store, sharing the same stage with legends such as Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Gary Shandling, Robin Williams, Andrew Dice Clay & Jim Carrey to name a few, in what would be an early master class by the best comedic talents of our times.
That his first professional role in "Sneakers" would bring him face to face with the actual Sundance Kid, Robert Redford was a beautiful irony and along with fellow Oscar winners, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sidney Poitier & cast members Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix and James Earl Jones, was a sign that he was on the right path.
Jo continued training in Los Angeles and writing several screenplays which lead to writing & directing the short "Who's Killing the Meter Maids?" Starring Mariska Hargitay. This film inspired Jo to establish Nichol Moon Entertainment, a Production Service Company helping indie filmmakers realize their dreams & consulted on over 500 productions including, features such as Doug Liman's "Swingers". Jo & Company were a driving force in the independent film movement of the 90's. Jo went on to win "Best Feature" at the 1999 New York Film & Video festival for the film 'Blink of an Eye".
In 2006 Jo co-founded Film Tiger to produce independent feature films Timber Falls, Night Train and Stag Night. Inspired by his brother's relationship with his daughter, Jo wrote, produced and directed "Going Thru A Thing" about a small time criminal who coaches his daughter's basketball team for all the wrong reasons.
Subsequently Jo went on to co-write and produce Battle Drone about the future of warfare, as well as producing duties on Frat Pack, Billionaire (Best Comedy Feature, Burbank Intl Film Festival) Escape the Field & The Doorman, starring Ruby Rose and Jean Reno.
Jo continues to write, produce and direct, seeking out material and creatives who love the craft. Fortunate to be in an industry that is constantly changing, inspiring and challenging Jo remains grateful for the opportunities and freedoms afforded by the "best job in the world".
White Flags is Jo’s first book and has taken several years to complete. The journey of “White Flags” began as a feature film screenplay and subsequently was adapted into a book for the opportunity to tell a deeper more meaningful story.
When the California sunshine lured him away from the cold Canadian winters, he paid his dues coming up through the Famous Comedy Store, sharing the same stage with legends such as Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Gary Shandling, Robin Williams, Andrew Dice Clay & Jim Carrey to name a few, in what would be an early master class by the best comedic talents of our times.
That his first professional role in "Sneakers" would bring him face to face with the actual Sundance Kid, Robert Redford was a beautiful irony and along with fellow Oscar winners, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sidney Poitier & cast members Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix and James Earl Jones, was a sign that he was on the right path.
Jo continued training in Los Angeles and writing several screenplays which lead to writing & directing the short "Who's Killing the Meter Maids?" Starring Mariska Hargitay. This film inspired Jo to establish Nichol Moon Entertainment, a Production Service Company helping indie filmmakers realize their dreams & consulted on over 500 productions including, features such as Doug Liman's "Swingers". Jo & Company were a driving force in the independent film movement of the 90's. Jo went on to win "Best Feature" at the 1999 New York Film & Video festival for the film 'Blink of an Eye".
In 2006 Jo co-founded Film Tiger to produce independent feature films Timber Falls, Night Train and Stag Night. Inspired by his brother's relationship with his daughter, Jo wrote, produced and directed "Going Thru A Thing" about a small time criminal who coaches his daughter's basketball team for all the wrong reasons.
Subsequently Jo went on to co-write and produce Battle Drone about the future of warfare, as well as producing duties on Frat Pack, Billionaire (Best Comedy Feature, Burbank Intl Film Festival) Escape the Field & The Doorman, starring Ruby Rose and Jean Reno.
Jo continues to write, produce and direct, seeking out material and creatives who love the craft. Fortunate to be in an industry that is constantly changing, inspiring and challenging Jo remains grateful for the opportunities and freedoms afforded by the "best job in the world".
White Flags is Jo’s first book and has taken several years to complete. The journey of “White Flags” began as a feature film screenplay and subsequently was adapted into a book for the opportunity to tell a deeper more meaningful story.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 6, 2024
Since I can't say 3.5 stars, I'll round to a 4.
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway so thank you to both the author and Goodreads.
I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the story lines that were intertwined to create the book. It kept my attention throughout the book. The ending super abrupt. Great buildup and bam, done. I actually flipped pages back to make sure I didn't skip any pages. Nope, it just ended. As I reread the end to try to close the story in my brain, I noticed some of the characters did seem to deal with theirsituation.
Well worth the read, I just wanted a little more at the end.
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway so thank you to both the author and Goodreads.
I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the story lines that were intertwined to create the book. It kept my attention throughout the book. The ending super abrupt. Great buildup and bam, done. I actually flipped pages back to make sure I didn't skip any pages. Nope, it just ended. As I reread the end to try to close the story in my brain, I noticed some of the characters did seem to deal with theirsituation.
Well worth the read, I just wanted a little more at the end.
April 2, 2024
I was pleasantly surprised reading this book. I enjoyed the relationship between the Dr and the General. It was a great introduction to the conflict in Isreal and Palestine and a positive look at how to make a difference one person at a time. I would love to read more and maybe go into a more in-depth exploration of the characters and into the relationships between the family members, the students and the others. Good work Jo Marr. I want more.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews