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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
I didn't hate this book.
By its nature it is more about navel-gazing in the form of storytelling than telling an actual story, which is not my favorite. There was also an awkward amount of poetry involved - I can't really tell you whether it was good poetry or not because poetry almost always seems contrived and cringey to me. Liyana I liked most of the time, the exception being when there was a whole lot of poetry or 13-year-old "deepness".
Overall, the book is a tiny, vague and cursory venture into the fact that there are some Things going on in Israel and Palestine. There isn't much plot, and I honestly can't tell if there's actual heart in this story or if it's all just overwrought window-dressing. But I didn't hate it.
One thing I did hate about it though was the "spiritual, not religious" message. Why is it so hard for secular people to admit that they're secular? YOU LITERALLY JUST SAID "not religious" THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF SECULAR. However much you like to stare meaningfully into the beauties of nature doesn't change the fact that you don't believe in a personal god and are therefore secular - just own it! Miss me with that "true spirituality is thinking deep thoughts and writing poetry and having strong feelings" stuff.
By its nature it is more about navel-gazing in the form of storytelling than telling an actual story, which is not my favorite. There was also an awkward amount of poetry involved - I can't really tell you whether it was good poetry or not because poetry almost always seems contrived and cringey to me. Liyana I liked most of the time, the exception being when there was a whole lot of poetry or 13-year-old "deepness".
Overall, the book is a tiny, vague and cursory venture into the fact that there are some Things going on in Israel and Palestine. There isn't much plot, and I honestly can't tell if there's actual heart in this story or if it's all just overwrought window-dressing. But I didn't hate it.
One thing I did hate about it though was the "spiritual, not religious" message. Why is it so hard for secular people to admit that they're secular? YOU LITERALLY JUST SAID "not religious" THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF SECULAR. However much you like to stare meaningfully into the beauties of nature doesn't change the fact that you don't believe in a personal god and are therefore secular - just own it! Miss me with that "true spirituality is thinking deep thoughts and writing poetry and having strong feelings" stuff.
A coming-of-age story with a different twist. What happens when an Arab-American youth moves to a politically charged area of the world and has to start a new life there? Not only are there cultural differences to add to the difficulties of growing up, but there is warfare and ethnic hatred all around.
This book really made me think about the very real issues of being a teenager, but wonder if sometimes it isn't kind of a good thing to have so much going on in the world around us that we are forced to look outside ourselves. I don't mean in any way that it's good for kids to be threatened with violence, but I do think that focusing less on one's self and more on others is a good way to grow up. This is one environment that stimulated this young woman to observe others and look for ways to reach out.
Of course this isn't the answer for everyone. Many children withdraw even more into themselves in environments such as this, and that's never good. But finding the right opportunities for growth in our youth is always a worthy pursuit. I think Liyana's parents thought long and hard about it, and did the right thing for their family.
Liyana is troubled, but does a great job of finding a place for herself in this environment. She comes to love her new country and family as she learns to be comfortable with herself. This isn't easy to do under "normal" circumstances, but in a strange world where one can't act as one has been accustomed to acting, it's even more difficult, and can sometimes lead people to lash out or turn away from loved ones. In this beautifully told story, neither happens, and in the end we are filled with hope for the future of our youth and our world.
This book really made me think about the very real issues of being a teenager, but wonder if sometimes it isn't kind of a good thing to have so much going on in the world around us that we are forced to look outside ourselves. I don't mean in any way that it's good for kids to be threatened with violence, but I do think that focusing less on one's self and more on others is a good way to grow up. This is one environment that stimulated this young woman to observe others and look for ways to reach out.
Of course this isn't the answer for everyone. Many children withdraw even more into themselves in environments such as this, and that's never good. But finding the right opportunities for growth in our youth is always a worthy pursuit. I think Liyana's parents thought long and hard about it, and did the right thing for their family.
Liyana is troubled, but does a great job of finding a place for herself in this environment. She comes to love her new country and family as she learns to be comfortable with herself. This isn't easy to do under "normal" circumstances, but in a strange world where one can't act as one has been accustomed to acting, it's even more difficult, and can sometimes lead people to lash out or turn away from loved ones. In this beautifully told story, neither happens, and in the end we are filled with hope for the future of our youth and our world.
Naomi Shihab Nye’s Habibi tells the story of fourteen-year-old Liyana, a Palestinian American whose family moves from St. Louis to her father’s homeland in Jerusalem. Nye richly describes the characters, setting, culture, and tensions found in this ancient city. Her thoughtful commentary on the tense relations between Arabs and Jews allows readers to construct a more complete picture of this conflict. Even though the cycle of violence between these two cultures is constantly in the background of the story, Nye’s descriptions of her characters’ feelings represents the desires of many people caught in this conflict. Children can gain a better understanding of the sufferings inflicted on both Palestinians and Jews and their shared wish for peace.
Many American readers may not automatically sympathize with Middle Easterners after the strained relations of the past several years, but Nye allows children to enter this world through the eyes of an American girl, someone quite similar to themselves. As Liyana learns about her new culture and begins to find her place in Jerusalem, the reader also learns more about the cultures found in this city. Through it all, Liyana’s growing romance with a Jewish boy symbolizes the hope for a peaceful future between Palestinians and Jews. Nye is able to strip away old prejudices and share the heart of a people quite different from most Americans. Naomi Shihab Nye has succeeded in sharing this unique, but troubled, city with her readers. Her rich insight into Jerusalem allows better understanding of the tensions present.
Many American readers may not automatically sympathize with Middle Easterners after the strained relations of the past several years, but Nye allows children to enter this world through the eyes of an American girl, someone quite similar to themselves. As Liyana learns about her new culture and begins to find her place in Jerusalem, the reader also learns more about the cultures found in this city. Through it all, Liyana’s growing romance with a Jewish boy symbolizes the hope for a peaceful future between Palestinians and Jews. Nye is able to strip away old prejudices and share the heart of a people quite different from most Americans. Naomi Shihab Nye has succeeded in sharing this unique, but troubled, city with her readers. Her rich insight into Jerusalem allows better understanding of the tensions present.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I absolutely loved this book. Loved, loved, loved it. It's a very quick read, but before I started it my sister warned me that the prose was so rich that it had to be savored,, and I agree. I loved the prose style of this book: beautiful and lyrical but also, at times, laugh-at-loud funny. It rang so true to me that some sections brought me back really palpably to the feelings attached to moments like the first time I kissed my first love -- Nye's descriptions are just that vivid.
It's also one of the few recent books I've read where I found myself genuinely fond of all the characters, most of whom felt incredibly three-dimensional (with the exception, I would say, of Liyana's mother who wasn't as developed as the rest of the characters). Loved the dad (even when I felt myself infuriated by him on Liyana's behalf), loved Sitti (the grandmother), loved the relationship between Liyana and her brother Rafiq, loved Omer, and most of all LOVED Liyana. Lately I have noticed that most of the YA novels I read feature a strong and brave young woman, but often that young woman is somewhat petulant and so headstrong as to be blind at pivotal moments. It's kind of tiresome, honestly, that a "powerful" teenage girl also has to be kind of a stubborn pain in the ass. Liyana is a totally different kind of YA protagonist: she's vulnerable, loving, thoughtful, but is also incredibly brave and has a lot of integrity.
I highly, highly recommend this novel.
It's also one of the few recent books I've read where I found myself genuinely fond of all the characters, most of whom felt incredibly three-dimensional (with the exception, I would say, of Liyana's mother who wasn't as developed as the rest of the characters). Loved the dad (even when I felt myself infuriated by him on Liyana's behalf), loved Sitti (the grandmother), loved the relationship between Liyana and her brother Rafiq, loved Omer, and most of all LOVED Liyana. Lately I have noticed that most of the YA novels I read feature a strong and brave young woman, but often that young woman is somewhat petulant and so headstrong as to be blind at pivotal moments. It's kind of tiresome, honestly, that a "powerful" teenage girl also has to be kind of a stubborn pain in the ass. Liyana is a totally different kind of YA protagonist: she's vulnerable, loving, thoughtful, but is also incredibly brave and has a lot of integrity.
I highly, highly recommend this novel.
I’ve never read a book like this before. I liked the perspective offered and the fact that the story is set in the Middle East. This book is written in a voice we don’t often find in literature. This is a great read.
With so many negative images of the Middle East, this is a nice window into its beauties and familial warmth, in a young adult book. Still very relevant, maybe more so, considering the continued problems in Israel/Palestine.
Warm, funny and charming. Important to know the author, a poet, is Arab American from St Louis who moved to Israel (which her family knew as Palestine) as a teen - such an authentic portrait of a young teen living an ordinary life in a rich cultural milieu. This was a lovely book to read with my 12 year old.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Naomi Shihab Nye is one of the kindest writers one could hope to meet, and the proof is all over her writing, which is full of open-hearted curiosity and awareness. Her protagonist, Liyana, may be a half-American, half-Palestinian moving out of America to her father's homeland, but Nye's writing turns the uprooting experience universal. Exploring a new city, meeting new people and family, and struggling with all of the languages and customs of a new country feel like familiar growing pains via Nye's pen, including the ever-present conflict between Jews and Arabs.
Nye treats the topic of Israel/Palestine conflict with a gentle hand, but she's not so nice as to be naive. Families are searched at borders. A couple of acts of police violence bring the conflict home to Liyana's family in a way that can't be kumbaya'd away, but that doesn't mean Nye won't leave the door open for hope and friendship where potential exists. Her lyrical prose is like a pen pal letter to your heart.
It also doesn't hurt that the book references the works of William Saroyan and Diane Ackerman, two more authors who made the world a more welcoming place.
Nye treats the topic of Israel/Palestine conflict with a gentle hand, but she's not so nice as to be naive. Families are searched at borders. A couple of acts of police violence bring the conflict home to Liyana's family in a way that can't be kumbaya'd away, but that doesn't mean Nye won't leave the door open for hope and friendship where potential exists. Her lyrical prose is like a pen pal letter to your heart.
It also doesn't hurt that the book references the works of William Saroyan and Diane Ackerman, two more authors who made the world a more welcoming place.