Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood
Feb 2007 · Macmillan + ORM
4.8star
4 reviewsreport
Ebook
193
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About this ebook
“A spare elegant memoir. . . . The immediacy of the child’s viewpoint . . . depicts both conflict and daily life without exploitation or sentimentality.” —Booklist, starred review
“When a war ends it does not go away,” my mother says. “It hides inside us . . . Just forget!”
But I do not want to do what Mother says . . . I want to remember.
In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home.
Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.
Winner, Arab American National Museum Book Award for Children’s/YA Literature
“Beautifully crafted. Readers will be charmed by the writer-to-be as she falls in love with chalk, the Arabic alphabet, and the first-grade teacher who recognizes her abilities.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“A compassionate, insightful family and cultural portrait.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Brims with tension and emotion.” —Publishers Weekly
“When a war ends it does not go away,” my mother says. “It hides inside us . . . Just forget!”
But I do not want to do what Mother says . . . I want to remember.
In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home.
Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.
Winner, Arab American National Museum Book Award for Children’s/YA Literature
“Beautifully crafted. Readers will be charmed by the writer-to-be as she falls in love with chalk, the Arabic alphabet, and the first-grade teacher who recognizes her abilities.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“A compassionate, insightful family and cultural portrait.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Brims with tension and emotion.” —Publishers Weekly
Ratings and reviews
4.8
4 reviews
A Google user
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February 27, 2019
Alhamdulillah! This book was amazing to hear the childhood perspective of the story. Ibtisam is a great author.
Yuyu Palestine
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July 30, 2014
I am a teacher and this has been the best book I read this year. Amazing author.
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
IBTISAM BARAKAT is a poet and educator who has worked with organizations such as the United Nations to facilitate a dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis. Tasting the Sky is her first book. She currently lives in Columbia, Missouri.
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