Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat is the true story of the author's childhood. The author begins her memoir with an episode during her adolescence when she was detained by Israeli soldiers from returning to her home. The episode catapults her back to her life as a refugee during the Six-Day War in 1967. The story is eye-opening as it describes war through the experiences of a child.
I read this right after reading the fictional A Stone in My Hand by Cathryn Clinton. Tasting the Sky made Clinton's book much more real for me especially the different emotions displayed by the various characters when faced with life under Israeli rule. Malaak withdraws into silence and into the shadows of the wings of a tamed bird, her brother's anger explodes and her mother sees the humanity of the enemy and dismisses terrorism as a solution.
Teens may find in these books some understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is still so prevalent in Middle Eastern politics. Of course, I would recommend reading both sides of the story, since both of these books are told from the Palestinian point of view! Some suggestions from my "to read" list (so I can't personally recommend them) might be How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Elkeles, Habibi by Nye, or Real Time by Kass.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment