Habibi, by Naomi Shihab Nye

Nye, Naomi Shihab (1997, 1999). Habibi. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.

Summary:  14-year-old Liyana is just going into high school—and just experienced her first kiss—when her parents break the news that the family, consisting of her younger brother, Rafik, and her American-born mother, Barbara, and her Palestinian “poppy”, Dr. Abboud, will be moving from their home in Missouri to her father’s homeland, Palestine. Liyana must let go of her American home and adopt a place where she has never been. When she arrives in Israel / Palestine, she is confused by the religious and political tensions, and she is torn between her American ways and the Palestinian values that are being thrust on her. Liyana is introduced to an enormous family in Palestine with whom she cannot communicate at all, and she enrolls in the Armenian school in the Old City of Jerusalem where she is the only “outsider” (non-Armenian). Liyana and Rafik become friends with two children who live in the Palestinian refugee camp down the road from their new home. During weekly visits to her grandmother’s village in the West Bank, they learn about the mistreatment and oppression that Palestinians face under Israeli occupation.  But, when Liyana sparks a romance with a Jewish boy, her family has the opportunity to take a personal step towards peace.

Additional comments:  Habibi takes a very controversial and heated topic and breaks it down into a way that creates optimism and hope.  The Palestinian perspective is more heavily conveyed through the events of the story, such as the Israeli destruction of Liyana's grandmother's house, the unprovoked shooting of their young Palestinian friend, and the infuriating arrest of her father.  However, the negative depiction is balanced a bit by Ome, who represents Jews who strive for peace, reconciliation, and cross-cultural understanding.