Habibi

Great insight into the issues.

My daughter loved reading this novel, but I enjoyed it very much too. The story is very insightful and the character of Rafiq is whimsical and adds fun to the novel. A must read.

Just when Liyana Abboud gets her first kiss, her father, Poppy, decides to uproot the whole family and move halfway across the globe. Liyana is less than enthusiastic about moving from St. Louis to Jerusalem, where she can't wear shorts, hold hands with boys--and don't even think about kissing. However, her Palestinian relatives welcome her and her little brother, Rafik, warmly. Between the stories of Sitti, her grandmother, and the wonders, sights, smells, and food of Jerusalem, Liyana finds pleasure in this new place. Always in the background, the tension of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict builds from harassment in the streets, to the destruction of Sitti's bathroom, to the bombing of an Israeli market. Though Liyana's family preaches peace and understanding, when she falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, her family's views are put to the test. Their convictions--and Liyana's budding romance--face further strain when Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed by the Israeli army. In Naomi Shahib Nye's first novel, Habibi, published in 1997 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, she captures all the sights, sounds, smells, and intricacies of the ancient city of Jerusalem. Nye's writing is thoughtful, poetic, but not overly intricate. Her mastery of language, story, and the short chapters, almost story-like, propel the reader ever forward. While this would be enough for most authors, Nye also presents a very complex situation in the Middle East between the Palestinians and Israelis, and does so in an unbiased fashion that leaves reader as hopeful for peace as Liyana and her family

Moving just before starting high school can be difficult on any teen, but for Liyana, it's even harder. Her father has decided to move their family from St. Louis back to his native Jerusalem: a land torn by the constant barrage of violence--from city shootings to the defacement of Liyana's grandmother's bathroom. Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye (Simon Pulse, 1997) renders the tale of Liyana's adjustment to her new life and country with a delicate tenderness. Liyana struggles to find her bearings at a new school, in her new family, all while mastering a new language. Often, she is struck by her "outsider"-ness, and wonders where a "half-half" such as her can fit in. As she attempts to forge her identity, she is met with external oppositions spanning from the inability to wear clothes she desires to the religious battles between Israeli defenders and Palestinian supporters waging around her. Liyana is further tested in her beliefs when she befriends Omer, who is Jewish. Liyana is a believable, intelligent, and complex narrator whose journey is intriguing and fresh. Habibi hums along in a poetic trance, wrapping the reader in a quilt of ideas that will leave them buzzing about the notions of peace, war, love, friendship, identity, and family for days to come.

Beautifully written. Sparkling and surprising.Shared with me by someone I love.More kid-friendly than Guests of the Sheik, and as richly imaginative as Alif the Unseen without the cyberpunk and PG-13.It’s a book I expect will stick in someone’s perspective for the rest of their life.

Book arrived on time and as described.

Great story about friendship. Age appropriate for middle school aged students.