Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Where the streets had a name by Randa Abdel-Fattah


Genre - Fiction
This is a moving and topical story about the Palestinian experience from a child’s perspective. Thirteen year old Hayaat and her family deal with many obstacles in their daily lives. There are curfews and checkpoints, travel restrictions and dangerous public protests. They live in a small apartment as the family home was confiscated to make way for a new road which is now on the other side of the wall that divides the West Bank. When her grandmother falls ill, Hayaat decides it is important for her to once again touch some soil from her beloved Jerusalem. So she sets out on a curfew free day with her best friend Samy, who loves football and X factor. Although they are only venturing a few kilometres for this handful of dirt it is a long and dangerous journey as they pass through numerous checkpoints without correct travel permits.
This story gives us a very personal insight into the reality of life for so many people who live in the turmoil of war and is based partly on the authors own experiences of travelling in Palestine.
---- Reviewed by Sue, Knox

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