HABIBI

Rating:
Summary: A Fun Quick Read
Review: She really didn't want to move. How could she move to a new country, culture, language, and continent, while leaving her normal American life behind? Written by Naomi Nye, Habibi portrays the life of Liyana Abboud, a teenaged Arab-American, who moves to Palestine when her father wants to work in his hometown. Liyana has to adjust her own ideas and traditions to fit in a very different life of a Palestinian. While learning a new language, and going to a new school, Liyana becomes very close to her odd grandmother, Sitti. Breaking several Muslim laws, Liyana also comes to love a Jewish boy, Omer, which she has to keep secret. She always wonders if she can finally adjust to the strange traditions of her Muslim family and culture, but in the end, Liyana's life turns out just right. The overall theme of this book is subtly informing readers of Muslim/Palestinian culture, while captivating them with adventure, suspense, and romance. Readers will also be pleased in the variety of distinctiveness in the characters. While smaller parts tend to become dry, the main characters always liven up the chapters.
Overall, the book is very informative, and usually remaining interesting to the reader. The novel is also sprinkled with facts about Islamic culture, while also explaining the importance of keeping an open mind. Aimed towards teenagers, this book will also help learning about different cultures, including those not as common in the United States. Just like the audience, Liyana is not used to Muslim tradition. The plot of the book flows straight from one idea to another, so it creates a quick read. However, this novel is not as deep as one would hope. Just barely touching topics like Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and only describing the effects, creates a shallow explanation. One example is how a Palestinian house is raided by Israeli soldiers, but the book hardly explains why this happens. This read is very pro-Palestinian, and even though there is a Jewish character, Israeli view is not often presented. As Liyana is a Palestinian, along with most of her family and friends, their ideas and experiences are mostly the only ones told. This includes their religion and their bias against the Israelis. Throughout the book, however, tolerance of the other religions and cultures mature and grow.
Because of the easy to understand and colorful language, plot, and characters, it is easy to see why Habibi is such a great read for young adults everywhere. I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy current events, as well as teen novels. However, readers above the age of sixteen may not like this book as much, as emotional issues involving the Middle East and experiences are not very detailed or deep. Habibi is a wonderful choice for middle school classrooms, as it sparks ideas and questions about the conflict abiding in the Middle East, while still remaining understandable. Habibi is a fun and quick read about the Middle East, that almost anybody could understand

Rating:
Summary: Habibi 's Tradition and Culture
Review: The Middle East is a constant center of violence and prejudice, which is perpetuated only by ignorance and tradition. In Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye, the Abbouds, an Arab-American family from the United States, decide to move back to Mr. Abboud's homeland, Israel, the heart of the Middle East conflict. Liyana, the Abboud's fourteen-year-old daughter, doesn't want to go, but within days of arriving and meeting the crazy extended Abboud family, Liyana learns to love Israel. Liyana and her brother, Rafik, explore the land and meet two friends, Khaled and Nadine, who live in the Palestinian refugee camp near the Abboud's house. Liyana also meets Omer, who is Jewish, the enemy of the Arabs. Through Habibi, Nye teaches the reader that there is more to the Middle East than prejudice and hatred. The characters in the book are full of emotions and strong opinions about the conflict. Nye fills her characters with charisma and charm, making them easy to relate to and very likeable. One of the strongest characters is Liyana's Arab grandmother, Sitti, who is vibrant, outgoing and loving. Liyana is full of expression and is not afraid to say what she wants or desires, and the reader really gets into her head through Nye's writing. Despite the colorful characters, the plot is very weak. Nye wants to follow Liyana's growth throughout the book, but it proves to be an uninteresting read and not as focused as it should be on other, more important topics. Nye is biased for the Palestinians, and does not give the Israeli side except through Omer, who doesn't have very strong Jewish views. However, Habibi's themes send positive messages. The most prevalent one is learning and accepting heritage, no matter how eccentric it is. In the book, Liyana learns to love and accept the Middle East and all of its customs and traditions. The theme of defying prejudice also teaches the reader there is more than hatred in the Middle East. Liyana becomes friends with a Jewish boy, defying what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is all about. The characters in the book learn to look past preconceptions and strive for peace. This book is a light read and is recommended for younger audiences. Children in grades five and six would enjoy the happy nature of the book and the light discussion of the conflict in Israel. It is appropriate for this age group, but young adults would not appreciate the plot and would like a book with more discussion of deeper issues. For that reason, Habibi would not be a good book to use for middle school classes.