The day after Liyana got her first real kiss, her life changed forever. Not because of the kiss, but because it was the day her father announced that the family was moving from St. Louis all the way to Palestine. Though her father grew up there, Liyana knows very little about her family's Arab heritage. Her grandmother and the rest of her relatives who live in the West Bank are strangers, and speak a language she can't understand. It isn't until she meets Omer that her homesickness fades. But Omer is Jewish, and their friendship is silently forbidden in this land. How can they make their families understand? And how can Liyana ever learn to call this place home?
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Terrible:
I am reading this book, and it is honestly one of the worst books I've ever read. This is a great IDEA for a book, but it should have been written in first person, and there are mulpitle passages that are hard to understand the way they are worded, and it is really over-dramatic and corny in some places. I especially disagree with the reveiwer who related this book to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, that is my favorite book ever, and i couldn't stand "Habibi". This book is literally driving me... more info
Moving to Palestine:
Liyana's father is an Arab, born and raised in Palestine before there were religious wars there. When he was done with high school and college, he was offered a chance to go to medical school in the United States. He went, met Liyana's mother, fell in love and stayed in Missouri to raise Liyana and her younger brother Rafik. Now Liyana is about to start high school and Rafik is about to start middle school. Their parents decide it is the perfect time for the family to move. Their father had always... more info
Thoroughly metaphorical and inspiring!:
I was introduced to Naomi Shihab Nye earlier this year as a poet and I was instantly hooked, her poetry was both compelling and inspirational. When I learned that she had written a novel, I wasted no time in reading it. Once I opened Habibi, I was instantly lured in by the impeccable use of image grammar techniques, especially metaphors. It seems like nearly everything was a symbol of something quite ominous and conspicuous. The plot was truly moving, and, unlike that other person who reviewed this... more info
Poetic fuzzy-headed thinking:
As a tutor for middle-school and high-school students, I thought that this book would be an age-appropriate, poetic introduction to the complicated history of Palestine and Israel as told by a teenager. I was appalled to find that this book is very slanted toward Palestinians, portraying Israelis as either ashamed of their actions or brutal, mindless hoodlums. As a feminist, I was also irritated by the non-portrayal of the mother, who is two-dimensional at best. If you must have your students read this... more info
