Get into the heart and soul of a true martyr and American hero: Rachel Corrie, by reading ths very special book. Rachel a young college student, was murdered in cold blood by an Israeli-Jewish Soldier, while he was demolishing another helpless Palistinians family home. The bulldozer operator ran over Rachel 3, that's three times, to make sure she was dead. Cheney, Rice and double dumbya turned their backs on the Corrie family, who to this day are seeking justice for their young daughters murder by a Jewish soldier. This book gets you into the pureness and ultruistic heart of Rachel Corrie. Kate Bowman wrote an article talking more about Rachel Corrie in "Now it's Okay to Kill Americans?" Bowman elaborates more on how her death was ignored. Kate Bowman's article is available on amazon. Remember Rachel Corrie, a pure and peaceful fighter for the Helpless, Homeless and destitude Palestinians. Don't forget: "Bush Lied and Thousands and Thousands Died!" Dumbya refuses to do anything about Rachel Corries murder.

From afar it might be easy to write off or embrace Rachel Corrie because of her strong position on the Palestinian situation in Israel.

Whatever one's views on that, this book shows that Rachel was an extraordinary and beautiful human being, a person of conviction with a special gift for expressing herself as she discovers herself and the world. If you want to know more about Rachel Corrie, I suggest looking past the media stories and the opinion columns. Read the words of Rachel herself.

I am grateful that the book has allowed me to encounter Rachel as a person, even after her tragic death.

By the way, I had never heard of Rachel Corrie before coming across an advance copy of this book.

Journals offer private thoughts not intended for an audience; rather, they serve as a means of sorting out life's challenges and exposing one's inner demons. Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie leads the reader into Rachel's inner world as she negotiates the challenges of adolescence and early adulthood. Sadly, her life comes to an untimely end when she faced down a bulldozer that was about to destroy a Palestinian home in Gaza.

Early in her life, Rachel's literary abilities shine through her poetry as she expresses her delight in nature and small creatures that cross her path. At eleven, on the death of her grandfather, she remarks her own selfishness as she sleeps while others are grieving. She says, "I have already grown bored of being sad and I am ready to go back to being normal." How wise she is to identify that universal feeling.

Many of Rachel's musings reflect her attitude toward death. At fourteen, she says, "Death smells like homemade applesauce as it cooks on the stove." At eighteen, "If I die today,...you must burn the papers under my bed...to charred leaves of ash...You must silence my dead voice...so it will not embarrass my memory." Her journals definitely reflect her inner thoughts, conflicts, and behaviors that might be embarrassing, and I wonder whether she would have wanted them published.

A trip to Russia became a turning point for Rachel. A girl who lived a sheltered, privileged life, she returned from her journey a woman with a mission, awakened by "the initial disappointment in discovering that my government really did lie to me about the Russians, and in the massive absence of justice in the world, and again...in discovering my participation in the subjugation of other people." This experience led her to become an activist during her college years and then took her to Israel to support the Palestinians as they suffered through repeated US-backed Israeli attacks on their families and homes.

Because of the intensely personal nature of the writings, it was difficult at times to read the revelations in these pages--the self-deprecation, the self-destructive behaviors, the lists of self-improvement tasks--and I felt uncomfortable looking into the private thoughts of someone who didn't sound as if she would like me to read them. I also felt that the pace of the book was slow and the final outcome depressing. But it comes together at the end, when Rachel writes long emails to her family and friends outlining her political convictions and showing her journalistic potential. Her life abruptly ended just three weeks short of her twenty-fifth birthday.

by Susan M. Andrus
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Let me state upfront that (i) I had never heard of Rachel Corrie before in my life until I read this book, and (ii) I am generally speaking not on the same political wavelength as Rachel seemed to be. That does not mean that I close-minded. Indeed, when I read the inner-flap of the book, I was intruiged and picked this up.

In "Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie" (324 pages), Rachel's family (primarily her parents) have compiled miscellaneous writings of Rachel: diary entries, letters, emails, etc. I must admit that at times I did not understand the flow of these writings from a chronological perspective, as they seem to be all over the map. Another thing that is not clear to me, and where in my mind the book falls short, is that these writing do not provide an insight or explanation why it is that this young woman came to the political and community conclusions which she reached. They just are there, and you have to accept them. Rachel writes about her student exchange trip to Russia that "I have never been so awake--painfully, poignantly awake--as I was in Russia" and in years later she refers to this trip as one of the most pivotal moments in her life. But that said, I don't understand why that is, as very little information is in fact revealed what Rachel did in Russia.

There are a number of fictional short stories in the book (such as the "Mom, I don't want the car" one) that I had a hard time following or understanding. Several of them went on far too long. The last part of the book, when Rachel goes off to the Gaza Strip, are sad, that goes without saying. While I respect everyone's opinion, it neverthless strikes me frankly as misguided. I can only imagine the grief of her family, begging the question: what good did it do?

Let me state upfront that (i) I had never heard of Rachel Corrie before in my life until I read this book, and (ii) I am generally speaking not on the same political wavelength as Rachel seemed to be. That does not mean that I close-minded. Indeed, when I read the inner-flap of the book, I was intruiged and picked this up.

In "Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie" (324 pages), Rachel's family (primairly her parents) have compiled miscellaneous writings of Rachel: diary entries, letters, emails, etc. I must admit that at times I did not understand the flow of these writings from a chronological perspective, as they seem to be all over the map. Another thing that is not clear to me, and where in my mind the book falls short, is that these writing do not provide an insight or explanation why it is that this young woman came to the political and community conclusions which she reached. They just are there, and you have to accept them. Rachel writes about her student exchange trip to Russia that "I have never been so awake--painfully, poignantly awake--as I was in Russia" and in years later she refers to this trip as one of the most pivotal moments in her life. yet I don't understand why that is, as very little is in fact revealed what Rachel did in Russia.

There are a number of fictional short stories in the book (such as the "Mam, I don't want the car" one) that I had a hard time following or understanding. Several of them went on far too long. The last part of the book, when Rachel goes off to the Gaza Strip, are sad, that goes without saying. While I respect everyone's opinion, it neverthless strikes me frankly as misguided. I can only imagine the grief of her family, begging the question: what good did it do?

Maya Angelou said, "One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest."

Very touching journal by a very courageous young girl

The negative reactions to the book, I'm afraid, prove importance of the issue Rachel gave her life for. Many Americans remained "passively" approving of the occupation despite not just its blatant imperialist aggressiveness but its sheer irrationality and absurdity.

The best way to see an issue objectively, with the efforts of finding a solution, is to put yourself in the position of both sides. This book will definitely help you see the Palestinian issue the way it is, and not the way the media wants you to see it.

No individuals, no interest groups, no lobbies have influenced the writing of this book. A pure message straight from the heart of a first line observer.

A MUST READ!

This book is poorly written and very one sided. It is musings from journals written by young girl, who was misguided by her family and a very liberal community. Rachel helped the wrong side. The book is full of liberal cliques such as this: "The United States, perhaps one of the most racist countries in the world loves to make-believe that all sorts of other people are full of blind hatred and racism-at least when it's politically expedient." (At least she used the word "perhaps".) If you like tidbits like this, this book is for you.

The Israelis told Rachel Corrie that she was helping the terrorists, but she didn't believe them. Her ISM's "friends" just laughed in the faces of the Israelis military.This so called peaceful group resorts to name calling and throwing rocks. It is rumored that the Ism group organizes suicide bombings as well.

Rachael should have taken her own advice by looking more objectively at the media see pages 170-173 for these suggestions. If she had followed her own advice she would not have died in Israel.

Rachel died tragically at age 23. I'm sorry, but the book is still not worth reading.

I have reported this book to Camera, an organization that monitors the media.

We have all read the final emails of Rachel Corrie, and mourned the death of one of the most compassionate and courageous young women ever to walk the face of this earth. We know about her concern for the oppressed peoples of this world, and her desire to stamp out hunger from the speech she made at the tender age of ten. However, this new book, 'Let Me Stand Alone', shows us the other side of Rachel - fun loving, vivacious, and a brilliant young writer and drawer. Her writing on her boyfriend's 'addiction to bee keeping' is remarkable, and the description of her big sister is very touching. Her love for her parents is beautifully expressed and her compassion for the less fortunate in the world is marvelous. She has more understanding about homelessness and our attitude to it than many adults in their 40s or 50s. It is astonishing that she wrote the piece about the homeless (page 15) at the tender age of 11.
Rachel's attitude towards the mentally ill is equally admirable. So often the treatment of the mentally ill is condescending and extremely arrogant. Clearly, they are inferior beings. Rachel's humility and caring towards her clients when she worked for the local mental health services is one in a million.
Her essays in creative writing are unique. Whoever else has ever thought of evoking childhood memories through the Tooth Fairy?
The subjects on which Rachel writes seem to be limitless, and many are extremely witty: entertaining articles about mowing the lawn, where buses go at night, how to deal with teenagers, and 'conservation' work in national parks.
Rachel's warmth and sensitivity shine out from every page, but above all, her irrepressible sense of humor.
Rachel's family has been extremely generous to share the writings of their daughter with the general public, especially since so much of it includes personal details. Take hold of this book, and treasure it, as the opportunity to read such a book only comes once in a lifetime.

We have all read the final emails of Rachel Corrie, and mourned the death of one of the most compassionate and courageous young women ever to walk the face of this earth. We know about her concern for the oppressed peoples of this world, and her desire to stamp out hunger from the speech she made at the tender age of ten. However, this new book, 'Let Me Stand Alone', shows us the other side of Rachel - fun loving, vivacious, and a brilliant young writer and drawer. Her writing on her boyfriend's 'addiction to bee keeping' is brilliant, and the description of her big sister is very touching. Her warmth and sensitivity shine out from every page, but above all, her irrepressible sense of humor.

Enough Corrie already! If I go out and stand in front of a Mack truck and get pulverized will I become famous? Or will somebody sue Mack? This woman was a deranged loose canon to say the least and somebody should have taken her to a good psychiatrist before she decided to commit suicide. Her useless death accomplished absolutely nothing except give her 15 minutes of fame. Enough, enough, enough!

While not exactly polished or accomplished prose, Let me Stand Alone has substance. This is not a posthumous vanity book but a detailed and honest record of the development of the radical consciousness, of a privileged young American woman trying to molt off her white skin privilege and become fully human. In the end, she meets the same fate as so many people in the third world, violent death and a campaign of demonization in the American media.

Rachel Corrie was a pathetic wretch and a dupe of the Palestinians who exploited her. What happened to her was tragic and inevitable, but in the final analysis, she bears full responsibility for placing herself in harm's way. The book says "She was killed by Israeli Defense Forces in 2003", which completely distorts the reality of what happened. If the Palestinians really wanted peace, they would stop shelling Israelis and stop using terrorist tactics, such as suicide bombers. But of course, the truth is that they DON'T want peace - only the total destruction of the State of Israel!

Rachel Corrie represents the best of America. As a young woman, her understanding and writing on issues of injustice and oppression were prescient. If only most Americans could understand the oppression of the Palestinian people as Rachel did, perhaps the American funded illegal Israeli military occupation of Palestine would end. Many internationals working for peace have been murdered in occupied Palestine -- Rachel was the first American. Because of her compassion and wonderful writing, Rachel will be remembered forever as a peacemaker. "My Name is Rachel Corrie," the reading of her writings, has seen sold out performances in London and is now playing in venues in the United States. It will soon be performed in Israel. Bravo, Rachel!!!