A Little Piece of Ground

"A Little Piece of Ground", by the well respected author Elizabeth Laird, confirms her place in the English speaking world as a major writer of children's literature. With over one hundred published titles she once again proves that she is not afraid to tackle difficult and controversial subjects. She continues to be interested in children that are placed in harm's way or who have to make difficult decisions. In her book "Loving Ben" she tells the story of a girl who must come to terms with the birth of a hydrocelphalic brother. "Jakes Tower" tells the story of a boy living with an abusive father and in "Kiss the Dust", she tells the harrowing tale of a young Kurdish girl in Iraq and her family's flight to safety. She continues the theme of living with adversity in "A Little Piece of Ground" with the description of a young boy's life in war ravaged Palestine. While the book is aimed at younger readers it should be read by everyone who wants to be informed about the tragic and seemingly endless cycle of violence that has dominated this "little piece of ground" for more that a thousand years. It is welcome news that this book is finally published in the United States after a delay of three years.

This is a heart-felt story of a young Palestinian boy that enjoys playing soccer and the many difficulties he has to face in occupied Palestine. The story is told very well and while there are a few tense moments I did not find it heavy-handed in the telling. A great story for teen-agers and adults.

A touching novel, written for young adults but immensely relevant to all ages. The author has successfully captured the hopes, the despair, the national pride, and the sheer endurance of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. The humanity of the jittery and frightened young Israeli soldiers is also exquisitely and poignantly portrayed. Until recently, this book was only published in the UK. The advent of this US edition is very timely as I consider the subject matter to be generally relevant to today's situation in the Middle East. In fact, the topic is universal, describing with direct story telling, the psychological effect of war, oppression, humiliation, and discrimination on real people, whether in Palestine, the former apartheid South Africa, or occupied Europe during World War II. This book ought to be required reading in all high schools in all countries, including Israel.

This is a beautifully written book that puts a human face on the suffering of the Palestinians under the illegal Israeli occupation of their land. Despite the terrible day to day circumstances that Palestinian children have to endure, nothing is able to suppress their irresistible desire to play. If you want to know how much misery is caused by our billions of dollars per year that the USA sends to Israel, read this book.

I probably never would have read this book if it hadn't been the object of "book banning" in Canada. I did read it and I'm glad I did. I cannot understand why booksellers are boycotting it. There is no hate in this novel, just good writing. The novel helps the reader understand what it would be like to be a Palestinian boy under current circumstances. For the sake of humanity, we should all -- from time to time -- walk for a bit in someone else's shoes.