Fernando M. Reimers et al.

indignities and sufferings of the Palestinian refugees and also
friendship and love. Abulhawa makes a great effort to empa—
thize with all sides and tells an affecting and important story
that succeeds as both literature and social commentary. {1766.)
6) Ibtisam Barakat’s flirting t/ae Sky: A Palestinian Child/100d

Starred Review. This moving memoir of a Palestinian woman’s
childhood experiences during the Six—Day War and its aftermath is
presented in beautifully crafted vignettes. Barakat, now living and
working in the United States, frames the story of her life between
1967 and 1970 with a pair of letters from herself as a high school
student in 1981. Detained by soldiers during an ordinary bus trip,
she was prompted to try to recall her shattered childhood and
share her experiences with others around the world. She begins
with a description of her three—year—old self, temporarily separated
from her family in their first frantic flight from their Ramallah
home as the war began. The author’s love for the countryside and
her culture shines through her bittersweet recollections. Careful
choice of episodes and details brings to life a Palestinian world that
may be unfamiliar to American readers, but which they will come
to know and appreciate. Readers will be charmed by the writer—
to—be as she falls in love with chalk, the Arabic alphabet, and the

first—grade teacher who recognizes her abilities.

Culminating Activity

The culminating project will be a series of briefing notes prepared by groups
of students on various conflicts and will lead to daylong simulations of at—
tempts to bring resolution to the conflicts. The briefing notes will include

1. The history of the conflict, including major incidences of clashes
and the various attempts to resolve the conflict;

2. A list of stakeholders and their grievances and demands; and

3. The economic, social, cultural, personal, and other consequences of
the conflict and an explanation of whom it affects.

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