Year of the Locust: A Soldier's Diary and the Erasure of Palestine's Ottoman Past

Year of the Locust centers on the wartime diary of Ihsan Turjman, a soldier in Jerusalem during World War I. The diary chronicles daily life in Ottoman Palestine from 1915-1916 as the region faced war, famine, and social upheaval. The book presents Turjman's original diary entries alongside historical analysis and context from scholar Salim Tamari. Through Turjman's personal observations, readers experience the complexities of Ottoman military life and civilian struggles in Jerusalem during this pivotal period. The narrative moves between Turjman's duties as a clerk in the Ottoman army and his observations of Jerusalem's transformation during wartime. His accounts detail the impact of military conscription, food shortages, and changing social dynamics in the city. The work challenges conventional narratives about Palestine's Ottoman period and raises questions about historical memory, colonialism, and the ways war reshapes both urban spaces and human relationships.

Readers value this book as a rare first-person account of Palestine during WWI through the diary of Ihsan Hasan al-Turjman. Many note it provides insight into daily Ottoman Jerusalem life and social conditions that are absent from most historical accounts. Likes: - Clear translation that preserves the diarist's voice - Details about food prices, social customs, and civilian hardships - Context provided by editor Tamari's annotations - Inclusion of photographs from the period Dislikes: - Some found the footnotes excessive and academic - A few readers wanted more background on Ottoman Palestine - Limited availability of English translations Ratings: Goodreads: 4.29/5 (14 ratings) Amazon: Not enough reviews for rating Notable comment from historian reader on Goodreads: "Offers intimate glimpses into wartime Jerusalem through the eyes of a young Ottoman soldier, revealing perspectives rarely found in traditional histories."

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🗓️ The diary at the heart of this book was written by Ihsan Hasan al-Turjman, a soldier in the Ottoman army during WWI, offering a rare first-hand account of Jerusalem life during this pivotal period. 🏛️ Prior to the book's publication, historians largely overlooked the Ottoman period of Palestinian history, focusing instead on the British Mandate period that followed. 📚 Author Salim Tamari discovered the diary while researching at the Institute for Palestine Studies in Beirut, where it had been neglected for decades. 🗺️ The book reveals how the transition from Ottoman rule to British control transformed Jerusalem from a diverse, multi-cultural city into a more rigidly divided colonial space. 🎭 The diary's author, al-Turjman, worked as both a clerk in the Ottoman military and as an actor in Jerusalem's emerging theater scene, providing unique insights into both military and cultural life during wartime.