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thecandidbookclub's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
katlynah's review against another edition
informative
tense
4.0
Let the tenderness of childhood soften u.
“Had the fighting started again? I put on my shoes and laced them tightly. I had just turned four, and I needed no one to tell me what to do when I heard the sounds of war.”
“Had the fighting started again? I put on my shoes and laced them tightly. I had just turned four, and I needed no one to tell me what to do when I heard the sounds of war.”
kamckim's review against another edition
4.0
This book was gut-wrenching. Talk about putting yourself in someone else's shoes and walking around in them. This is a story that needs to be told. When I hear people hating on Muslims, Palestinians or refugees of any kind, I'm going to refer them to this book. Barakat relates a heart-breaking story of a family's survival in the midst of cruel and unsettling (literally, unsettling) circumstances without villianizing any people group. What she tells is her story, but its more than just plot. She's artfully crafted a narrative that pays tribute to the gift of language, which was for her the gift of empowerment. She uses a language, based on a common mother-tongue, to pose questions of national boundaries versus common ancestry, and whether language can bring hope and refuge.
al3xa's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Blood, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Animal death, Grief, and Colonisation
juanitamfm's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is a great book for middle school or early high school students who would like more information about growing up in Palestine.