A review by abigailbat
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat

3.0

This beautifully written memoir gives us a glimpse into the childhood of Ibtisam Barakat, a Palestinian refugee in Israel. Although Ibtisam grew up in a country ravaged by war, not all of her memories are unhappy ones. She held on to a strong sense of home and family and her love for writing helped her deal with some of the scary things that happened to her. Although a lot of things about her childhood were very different from an American child's, many things were the same. I think this book is a great starting point for introducing the Israel-Palestine conflict and for showing kids that they can have something in common with kids halfway around the world.

Readalike suggestions: Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye for another (fictional) look at Israel/Palestine. For older readers, When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmerelda Santiago for another memoir of growing up in a different country