Habibi

Habibi is the story of Liyani, a 14-year-old Arab-American who moves from St. Louis to Palestine with her family in the 1970s. Liyani is reluctant to go. "St. Louis air smelled of tar and doughnuts, old boards washed up out of the muddy river, red bricks, and licorice...How could Liyani give all this up?" But in giving up America, Liyani discovers Palestine/Israel in the kind of detail noticed by a young girl who keeps notebooks full of the first lines of stories and poems.Habibi is a strongly autobiographical work. Like Liyani, Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St. Louis to a Palestinian father and an American mother. Like Liyani, she had a younger brother. And like Liyani, Naomi moved from St. Louis to Jerusalem the year she was 14. The characters are particularly vivid. Rafik, Liyani's younger brother, is a Star Trek fan full of mischief and practical jokes. Poppy, her father, is understandably anxious about Liyani's public behavior in a land where women don't display their legs or hold hands in public. Sitti, her grandmother, tells wonderful stories using Poppy as a translator. And Omer, the Jewish boy who befriends Liyani, is drawn as both wise and sympathetic.That the family has moved from an insular part of the world to a place where guns go off down the road provides much of the story's tension. Aware of the generations of fearful misunderstandings between Palestinians and Israelis, Nye describes incidents in such a way as to leave the reader yearning for peace in the Middle East. Poet William Stafford has said of Naomi Shihab Nye that "reading her work enhances life." Habibi is a good example of the compassion and heart that her words provide every day people.

Fascinating novel! As a fifteen-year-old, I seem a little older than the average person writing reviews on this book. However, I am currently living in Israel (by the way, Liyana's idea about calling it Is-Pal or Pal-Is was not such a bad idea) and thought this book would be interesting. I thought that it would be nos-nos (or noosfa-wa-noosfa) to borrow an expression from the book. However, I was pleasantly surprised!Although written for younger readers (not 10-year-olds, but not really older teens either), this was excellent. In fact, it was wonderful partially because it was told from Liyana's viewpoint. It combined an age-appropriate story-line (first love, friendship, moving) with an accurate picture of the senseless fighting going on here.As an American residing in the country, this book had me crying. Parts of it were sad, but what was truly sad was the reality of it. The shootings, the occupying of houses, the bombs -- they're happening right now. They're real. Granted, this novel tells only one side of the story. But this side is still a valid and true part of the picture.I would definitely recommend this novel to everyone, from youngsters on up. Although written for children/young teens, adults would enjoy this book, too. For younger people, this book holds a wonderful story of a girl who copes with moving, discovering the other half of her extended family, and first love. For older people, this book is also a wonderful source of some Palestinian customs and language, as well as a window into what is happening here. For parents who are worried about their children reading about violence, the book is not graphic. It contains enough for children to handle and will not overwhelm a 5th or 6th grader.Please read this book! However, I also recommend that you buy a book from an Israeli viewpoint as well, so that you can balance your opinions out. Most Israelis aren't the cruel soldiers depicted in the book, and most Palestinians aren't horrible people.Also, if you liked the way this book was written, you might enjoy "Bloomability," another novel written from a young teen's point of view. It is about a girl going to an overseas school in Europe.Enjoy!!

Habibi, by Naomi Nye, is a wonderful, well-written book. I had to read this for school, and I was reluctant at first, but when I picked it up I couldn't stop reading! It centers around Liyana Abboud, a half-American half-Palestinian girl growing up in St. Louis. When her father Poppy tells the family that they are moving to Jerusalem, Liyana is anything but happy. She is an outsider in her new school and her entire family in Jerusalem speaks a foreign language she doesn't understand. Then she meets Omer, a Jewish boy, and begins a forbidden friendship with him. Other characters in this book include Khaled and Nadine, two children living in a neighboring refugee camp; Rafik, Liyana's younger brother; and Sitti, Liyana's grandmother who speaks no English.I love the way this book was written. It reads like one long, flowing poem (and the short chapters don't hurt, either). The style is so new and refreshing. One of the sentences reads: "In St. Louis, Liyana's room had been painted a deep, delicious color called 'raisin.'" This is an excellent, original book that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.However, some of the issues in Habibi deal with the ongoing hatred and violence between the Palenstinians and Jews, so take that into mind. But if you're looking for action and adventure, I would recommend another book.All in all, Habibi is a wonderful, fresh book that I think deserves to be read.

The characters glowed, and I could smell and hear the food and noises of the city.Lyana was very indepedent but was still portrayed realisitcally because she was always searching within herself. All the characters were believable. The story line was just the right pace, and the romance subplot was sweet, but did not take over the story. I will recommned it too many.

This is a inspiring book to read now with all the trouble in Israel happening now. It's about a girl named Liyana who moves from St. Louis to Israel. She makes friends with a boy named Omer. He is Jewish. All the sentences flow and sound like poetry in this amazing book. I would reccomend this book to anybody who wants peace, young or old.