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A review by frenchtoast_n_books
Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye
4.0
4 out of 5
This book is whimsical and full of prose, but not overwhelmingly so. It's serious when it needs to be, and as playful as the voice of a child, the narrator. The premise had me hooked, but what I expected to be a teen romance became more of a growing up and accepting life story.
This book takes place mainly in the POV of Liyana, an American teenager with interracial parents. Her father is from Palestine, and decides to move his family back to his homeland when Liyana is 15 (right after she shares her first kiss). In Palestine she has to overcome the challenges of moving to a country where she cannot speak the language, and learning the customs of this mixed heritage location. She meets a boy, named Omer, and is immediately smitten, but he is Jewish and she's worried about how her family will react because of the Arab-Jew conflict.
This story was not the teen love story I was hoping for and some chapters were unnecessary, but it brought up plenty of issues that kept me entertained. Simple things that Liyana could do in America but couldn't do anymore, like brush her hair on her family's balcony and wear shorts, really made me think of the culture shock Liyana must have experienced.
The family dynamic with Poppy and Sitti were my absolute favorite. I loved the way everyone interacted and how interested Liyana was when she learned something new. I also enjoyed her gradual change from not liking Palestine to finally feeling at home there.
The poems, messages of peace and messages to treat others well were beautifully integrated into the story. It was calm and happy, and you didn't need to take anything from this book but positivity in less positive situations. This isn't a tragedy or a comedy, it's life with flecks of both sprinkled throughout and that's why I enjoyed it.
This book is whimsical and full of prose, but not overwhelmingly so. It's serious when it needs to be, and as playful as the voice of a child, the narrator. The premise had me hooked, but what I expected to be a teen romance became more of a growing up and accepting life story.
This book takes place mainly in the POV of Liyana, an American teenager with interracial parents. Her father is from Palestine, and decides to move his family back to his homeland when Liyana is 15 (right after she shares her first kiss). In Palestine she has to overcome the challenges of moving to a country where she cannot speak the language, and learning the customs of this mixed heritage location. She meets a boy, named Omer, and is immediately smitten, but he is Jewish and she's worried about how her family will react because of the Arab-Jew conflict.
This story was not the teen love story I was hoping for and some chapters were unnecessary, but it brought up plenty of issues that kept me entertained. Simple things that Liyana could do in America but couldn't do anymore, like brush her hair on her family's balcony and wear shorts, really made me think of the culture shock Liyana must have experienced.
The family dynamic with Poppy and Sitti were my absolute favorite. I loved the way everyone interacted and how interested Liyana was when she learned something new. I also enjoyed her gradual change from not liking Palestine to finally feeling at home there.
The poems, messages of peace and messages to treat others well were beautifully integrated into the story. It was calm and happy, and you didn't need to take anything from this book but positivity in less positive situations. This isn't a tragedy or a comedy, it's life with flecks of both sprinkled throughout and that's why I enjoyed it.