19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East

19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East

Written by: Naomi Shihab Nye

Junior High and High School Grades

"Beginning with a work inspired by the events of September 11, Naomi Shihab Nye brings together 60 of her poems in 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East including "Different Ways to Pray," "The Palestinians Have Given Up Parties" and "Football." Many of the poems, which focus on the Middle East and the Arab-American experience, have appeared in previous collections; others are published here for the first time. An excellent way to invite exploration and discussion of events far away and their impact here at home."

Publishers Weekly Review

Online Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/now/classroom/poet.html

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

Written by: Ibtasim Barakat

Junior High and High School Grades

"In a spare, eloquent memoir, Barakat recalls life under military occupation. In 1981 the author, then in high school, boarded a bus bound for Ramallah. The bus was detained by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint on the West Bank, and she was taken to a detention center before being released. The episode triggers sometimes heart-wrenching memories of herself as a young child, at the start of the 1967 Six Days' War, as Israeli soldiers conducted raids, their planes bombed her home, and she fled with her family across the border to Jordan. She also recalls living under occupation and the thrill of being able to attend the United Nations school for refugees. The political upheaval is always in the background, but for young Barakat, much of the drama was in incidents that took place in everyday life. What makes the memoir so compelling is the immediacy of the child's viewpoint, which depicts both conflict and daily life without exploitation or sentimentality. An annotated bibliography will help readers fill in the facts."

Booklist Review

Web Resources:
http://us.macmillan.com/tastingthesky#guides
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070618/bennett