Shihab+Habibi

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye Reviewed by Kimberly Nguyen

Habibi is a fictional story about one girl’s journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to Jerusalem in Palestine. The story is based on Liyana Abboud, who is 14 years old and just about to embark on the journey of high school in the United States before her father decides to uproot their family and move to Jerusalem, his hometown. Liyana struggles to find a balance within herself to find happiness in a strange and unknown land. But once she does find some happiness it gets threatened to be taken away because of a racial indifference in Jerusalem.

Although this novel is not directly connected to World War II, it can is similar in the ways that one racial group is supposedly superior to another, but this time it is the Jews, vs. the Palestinians. It exhibits the fact that racial segregation is still very much alive. And even though it is not to the extent of Hitler, it is still in existence. The evidence shows that racial differences will always be an issue, some one or some race will always think that they are better or smarter or more whatever, but in the end it you can’t prove it or stop it.

Overall this is a good book to read. It has more of a younger audiences language so it is easier to read. It has a little romance, and a little bit of conflict, and the whole I need to find myself concept to it. But because it is a easy read, you need to look deeper into it, to find out exactly what real injustices are really touched upon. I liked it mainly because it is really a girly book with all of Liyana boy problems and such but its pretty informational about how strict things are over in the Middle East.

This is a book for the young at heart and the young looking for a novel where they can easily follow where things are going and like a little romance/conflict in their novels.