Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafani

Review by: Robert English

The short
Three Palestinian migrant workers in Iraq look to smuggle themselves into Kuwait to find work.

The long
In the wake of the 1960s oil boom in the Middle East, three Palestinian in Iraq hire smugglers to get into Kuwait where jobs in the oil fields are plentiful. When they arrange for travel through a local shop keep, the men are forced to ride in the water tank of a truck driving through the open desert. Kanafani is completely transparent in displaying the hard realities of migrant workers and the political and psychological circumstances leading to three men being willing to subject themselves to such hardship and risk.

To read or not to read?
Men in the Sun is a short but powerful read. In describing the challenges and risks of migrant workers, Kanafani gets straight to the point. Anyone looking for a glimpse into those hard realities could power through this gripping novel quickly.