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The Book of Trees by Leanne Lieberman
When Mia, a Jewish teenager from Toronto, goes to Jerusalem to spend the summer studying at yeshiva, or seminary, she expects to connect with the land and deepen her understanding of Judaism. Instead, she gets a crash course in both the politics of the Middle East and the intricacies of the human heart, and discovers a whole new way of looking at the world.
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First published November 1, 2010
99 people want to read
About the author
Leanne Lieberman
7 books51 followersLeanne Lieberman is the author of six YA books including Gravity (a Sydney Taylor Notable Book), and Lauren Yanofsky Hates The Holocaust. Her latest YA book is Cleaning Up, Leanne also writes adult fiction and is working on a novel entitled The Bird Girls. Leanne is a graduate of The University of Windsor's MA in in Creative Writing. Originally from Vancouver BC, Leanne now lives in Kingston ON with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 8, 2017
Probably 3.5 stars.
There’s a lot I really enjoyed about this book: The intimate descriptions of spiritual longings, Mia’s wrestling with her religious observance, the honest and heartfelt exploration of the history and conflicts of Israel and Palestine and what it means to be a modern Jew in Israel. What I really didn’t like: The love interest.
I’m not a huge fan of romance plots in general, and, mercifully, this plot didn’t take up too much of the book. Most of the time was spent with Mia, traveling with her through her emotional and spiritual ups-and-downs (for context, she goes from being totally secular to deciding she wants to become frum, i.e. observant; a huge leap to make), which are interesting and feel fairly authentic. The love interest, Andrew, is a white American gentile who’s just hanging out in Jerusalem, busking on street corners and performing at coffee shops, all of which is already cliched enough to make me gag a little bit. But what really gets to me is that his only defining personality trait is how condescending he is. He often acts like he understands the world, and Mia, better than Mia does herself. It’s clear he’s mostly supposed to be a catalyst for Mia figuring out a balance between her faith and a comfortable lifestyle, and also her coming to terms with the bloody history of Israel (and how this is reflected in the Torah, and thus in Jewish tradition). But his reactions to Mia’s struggles are often just to smirk or subtly suggest there’s something wrong with her for being religious. It makes it even harder to get into the romantic parts of the story. Plus he wears aviator sunglasses all the time. Gross.
The struggle here, for the reader, is that the author is Jewish and so you can’t help but wonder how she was intending the audience to view Andrew as a character; was he supposed to seem supportive, wise, wordly? How is he supposed to be helpful in this Jewish context? Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I found that the story was falling apart all because it was trying to make the romance plotline the main focus. Cliches upon cliches about how Mia’s friend can ‘see’ how Andrew has fallen in love with her; Mia realizing that Andrew ‘might actually be a jerk’ and ‘how could I fall for this guy’, etc. etc.. Also, it was sad to see Mia begin to follow in Andrew’s example, acting selfishly and condescendingly toward her more religious peers. One could chalk this up to the characters all being about 18, of course, but perhaps it’s just a example of how the author views the world, or how she viewed the world at 18. Or maybe basic romance stories just make me cranky.
I was worried toward the end that Mia wouldn’t be given much space to find a spiritual and religious balance for herself, and, admittedly, she wasn’t given much, but she was given some. Religion and spirituality are messy and confusing, especially at such a young age. Religion doesn’t always feel good. A sense of spirituality may be stronger at one time than it is at another. It is totally reasonable for a person to flip-flop about how they feel or what they believe or how they want to live, the way Mia did. She jumped from knowing hardly anything about Judaism to trying to fit herself into a very strict mold of Orthodoxy, which could, of course, work for some, but probably not most people. Any person would be bound to have some culture shock, especially if parts of the new lifestyle were in direct opposition with the old lifestyle, as was Mia’s experience. I was worried that the book was going to go the route of trying to tell the audience that a person could only be SUPER religious or not religious at all. Luckily, though, in the last few pages, Mia was given the space to relax, realize that she’s still a spiritual person, and that A. she can express that spirituality in a manner of ways, and B. that there might even be a different religious community within Judaism that could help her express herself more fully.
Overall, I liked the how much time was spent on genuine explorations of spirituality, religion, and identity, especially in a Jewish context, which is kind of rare in YA.
There’s a lot I really enjoyed about this book: The intimate descriptions of spiritual longings, Mia’s wrestling with her religious observance, the honest and heartfelt exploration of the history and conflicts of Israel and Palestine and what it means to be a modern Jew in Israel. What I really didn’t like: The love interest.
I’m not a huge fan of romance plots in general, and, mercifully, this plot didn’t take up too much of the book. Most of the time was spent with Mia, traveling with her through her emotional and spiritual ups-and-downs (for context, she goes from being totally secular to deciding she wants to become frum, i.e. observant; a huge leap to make), which are interesting and feel fairly authentic. The love interest, Andrew, is a white American gentile who’s just hanging out in Jerusalem, busking on street corners and performing at coffee shops, all of which is already cliched enough to make me gag a little bit. But what really gets to me is that his only defining personality trait is how condescending he is. He often acts like he understands the world, and Mia, better than Mia does herself. It’s clear he’s mostly supposed to be a catalyst for Mia figuring out a balance between her faith and a comfortable lifestyle, and also her coming to terms with the bloody history of Israel (and how this is reflected in the Torah, and thus in Jewish tradition). But his reactions to Mia’s struggles are often just to smirk or subtly suggest there’s something wrong with her for being religious. It makes it even harder to get into the romantic parts of the story. Plus he wears aviator sunglasses all the time. Gross.
The struggle here, for the reader, is that the author is Jewish and so you can’t help but wonder how she was intending the audience to view Andrew as a character; was he supposed to seem supportive, wise, wordly? How is he supposed to be helpful in this Jewish context? Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I found that the story was falling apart all because it was trying to make the romance plotline the main focus. Cliches upon cliches about how Mia’s friend can ‘see’ how Andrew has fallen in love with her; Mia realizing that Andrew ‘might actually be a jerk’ and ‘how could I fall for this guy’, etc. etc.. Also, it was sad to see Mia begin to follow in Andrew’s example, acting selfishly and condescendingly toward her more religious peers. One could chalk this up to the characters all being about 18, of course, but perhaps it’s just a example of how the author views the world, or how she viewed the world at 18. Or maybe basic romance stories just make me cranky.
I was worried toward the end that Mia wouldn’t be given much space to find a spiritual and religious balance for herself, and, admittedly, she wasn’t given much, but she was given some. Religion and spirituality are messy and confusing, especially at such a young age. Religion doesn’t always feel good. A sense of spirituality may be stronger at one time than it is at another. It is totally reasonable for a person to flip-flop about how they feel or what they believe or how they want to live, the way Mia did. She jumped from knowing hardly anything about Judaism to trying to fit herself into a very strict mold of Orthodoxy, which could, of course, work for some, but probably not most people. Any person would be bound to have some culture shock, especially if parts of the new lifestyle were in direct opposition with the old lifestyle, as was Mia’s experience. I was worried that the book was going to go the route of trying to tell the audience that a person could only be SUPER religious or not religious at all. Luckily, though, in the last few pages, Mia was given the space to relax, realize that she’s still a spiritual person, and that A. she can express that spirituality in a manner of ways, and B. that there might even be a different religious community within Judaism that could help her express herself more fully.
Overall, I liked the how much time was spent on genuine explorations of spirituality, religion, and identity, especially in a Jewish context, which is kind of rare in YA.
June 30, 2019
A mix of good elements and not so good elements:
I think Mia was an interesting and flawed character, and many young adults could relate to her struggles as she tries to define herself and her goals. Besides Andrew, her love interest, the other characters faded fast. I guess her friends Aviva and Michelle were supposed to come off as goody-two-shoes, holier than thou seminary girls (which is okay because there are plenty of them). There was definitely a sense of place in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas, though it was interesting that someone from Canada was so drawn to the desert. Mia's love of music also added to the story, and I'm glad there wasn't a "happily ever after" ending because it would not have made sense.
Unfortunately, the book is dated. With no events to hint at the time period, and no cell phones, it probably took place in the mid-to-late 1990s, after the Oslo accords, which is ancient history to most YA readers. The timeline also doesn't make sense. She is supposed to be there for the summer doing intense learning, and she is volunteering, hanging around with Andrew, etc. Nitpicking - for someone who is supposedly on a budget, she took an awful lot of cabs. I'm also pretty sure that they do not allow non-Muslims inside the Dome of the Rock shrine (not a mosque).
I didn't mind the political bent and Mia's outrage that Arabs were kicked out of Israel. What I mind is that there wasn't enough information from either side of this epic debate, which is a lot more nuance and complicated. She sees a bunch of trees and is upset. (Don't go to Har Nof, Mia. That's a neighborhood built where Arabs used to live). Does she just have her mother's activist genes and is enraged by any perceived injustice? Does she feel some kind of bond to people who have to evacuate their homes during a war? In other words, it is not presented like she researched both sides and made an educated choice of what she believed. It seemed like her "cause of the day."
I think some people would see this as she tried to be religious, but she couldn't deal with it and reverted back to her old self. In some ways, it's true. After all these experiences, she doesn't seem to have grown much, and she is quickly distracted from her cause by Andrew. So what started as a coming-of-age story and turned into a small ideological crisis, ended up as a romance.
I think Mia was an interesting and flawed character, and many young adults could relate to her struggles as she tries to define herself and her goals. Besides Andrew, her love interest, the other characters faded fast. I guess her friends Aviva and Michelle were supposed to come off as goody-two-shoes, holier than thou seminary girls (which is okay because there are plenty of them). There was definitely a sense of place in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas, though it was interesting that someone from Canada was so drawn to the desert. Mia's love of music also added to the story, and I'm glad there wasn't a "happily ever after" ending because it would not have made sense.
Unfortunately, the book is dated. With no events to hint at the time period, and no cell phones, it probably took place in the mid-to-late 1990s, after the Oslo accords, which is ancient history to most YA readers. The timeline also doesn't make sense. She is supposed to be there for the summer doing intense learning, and she is volunteering, hanging around with Andrew, etc. Nitpicking - for someone who is supposedly on a budget, she took an awful lot of cabs. I'm also pretty sure that they do not allow non-Muslims inside the Dome of the Rock shrine (not a mosque).
I didn't mind the political bent and Mia's outrage that Arabs were kicked out of Israel. What I mind is that there wasn't enough information from either side of this epic debate, which is a lot more nuance and complicated. She sees a bunch of trees and is upset. (Don't go to Har Nof, Mia. That's a neighborhood built where Arabs used to live). Does she just have her mother's activist genes and is enraged by any perceived injustice? Does she feel some kind of bond to people who have to evacuate their homes during a war? In other words, it is not presented like she researched both sides and made an educated choice of what she believed. It seemed like her "cause of the day."
I think some people would see this as she tried to be religious, but she couldn't deal with it and reverted back to her old self. In some ways, it's true. After all these experiences, she doesn't seem to have grown much, and she is quickly distracted from her cause by Andrew. So what started as a coming-of-age story and turned into a small ideological crisis, ended up as a romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2010
Seventeen year-old Mia, a product of an Irish Catholic father and a Jewish mother, travels to Jerusalem to study at the seminary to reconnect with spirituality and Judaism. At first, she is intrigued and confident with her new-found devotion, but as time goes on and studies become irrelevant and confusing in a war torn, hostile environment, Mia begins to doubt some teachings.
The Book of Trees is an odd juxtaposition of religion and purity with sexual activity, foul language, drugs, and alcohol. Mia professes her desire to seek religious understanding, yet easily slips into vulgarity in the name of righteous do-gooding. I am not sure I totally got the point of the book, other than the author needed ranting time to absolve herself of confusion. That said, I did find the terminology, history, and Judaic facts fascinating.
Thank you to Orca Publishers, Leslie Bootle, Leanne Lieberman, and LibraryThing early reviews for this ARC book.
The Book of Trees is an odd juxtaposition of religion and purity with sexual activity, foul language, drugs, and alcohol. Mia professes her desire to seek religious understanding, yet easily slips into vulgarity in the name of righteous do-gooding. I am not sure I totally got the point of the book, other than the author needed ranting time to absolve herself of confusion. That said, I did find the terminology, history, and Judaic facts fascinating.
Thank you to Orca Publishers, Leslie Bootle, Leanne Lieberman, and LibraryThing early reviews for this ARC book.
March 25, 2019
The Book of Trees by Leanne Lieberman, starts as a young woman, Mia, tired and bored, decides she needs some spirituality in her life. With the encouragement of Aviva they decide to take a trip to Israel. Mia received a full scholarship to study at a yeshiva, soon she realizes she wants to learn and talk more about the different interpretation of the Torah and how it affects their life. While on a retreat in the “fake woods”, she is quickly pulled into the controversial politics of the country. Previously she thought the Jews came into an empty place, but learning more she comes to realize they pushed the Arabs/Palestinians out of their homes. When almost becoming a victim of a terrorist attack she decides she wants to focus more on bringing peace to the two groups rather than concentrate on her religious aspects. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because I found it compelling throughout with constantly changing themes from religion, politics, friends, and family. The only reason I would take off a star is some of the imagery is very confusing and does not paint the picture very well. This would be a great book for anyone who is interested in the conflicts of Israel without having to read boring facts about it.
October 14, 2018
Oliver Grin's review is better than what I can write, and along the same line as what I would like to say (so I'll leave him with the credit). A good book to show how much people live in ignorance. "Who cares who used to live here and that they died. They should have moved elsewhere, Israel belongs to the Jews only." Sad that so many people (Jews, Americans, etc) still think this way today.
I'm okay with a little romance in a war torn book, but the ending could have ended a little better.
I'm okay with a little romance in a war torn book, but the ending could have ended a little better.
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October 11, 2011High school graduate Mia is excited to explore her newfound spirituality by studying at a
Jewish seminary in Jerusalem for the summer, where she hopes to connect with the land, and deepen her understanding of Judaism. Instead, she finds herself feeling confined by the rigidness of Orthodox Law. Mia is also troubled by the politics of the Middle East, and finds herself frustrated by the inability of her courses or her classmates to answer the “big questions.” As the summer progresses, Mia comes to realize that what she’s looking for is within herself, and not in religion.
Based on her own experiences visiting Israel, Leanne Lieberman has created a complex and thought-provoking book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, through the fresh eyes of a Canadian teenager. Mia is a fascinating character, and an open book. Everything she thinks and feels is out there for the reader, and she is easy to relate to and empathize with. As much as she would like to, she can’t just follow without knowing why. Why do the rules exist? Where to they come from, and what do they mean? She needs and wants to understand, but the more she learns about Israel’s history and its people, the deeper her conflict.
Jewish customs and traditions, as well as a healthy dose of Israel’s history, are detailed throughout the novel, and a glossary of Hebrew terms at the back will help readers to make sense of what Mia sees and experiences.
More than just a book about a conflicted teenager, there are deep and important themes about social justice and equal treatment of all peoples. Unfortunately, the author’s treatment of this sensitive topic isn’t quite as equal, and her bias is reflected through her character. Mia is too easily swayed towards an anti-Israel stance, and she doesn’t try very hard to seek credible sources on either side.
The Book of Trees is a great book for discussion to support a History or World Issues class, but readers should be encouraged to seek out secondary material to deepen their understanding of both sides of this complicated subject.
Reviewed by Rachel Seigel in Canadian Children's Book News (Winter 2011, Vol. 34, No. 1)
Jewish seminary in Jerusalem for the summer, where she hopes to connect with the land, and deepen her understanding of Judaism. Instead, she finds herself feeling confined by the rigidness of Orthodox Law. Mia is also troubled by the politics of the Middle East, and finds herself frustrated by the inability of her courses or her classmates to answer the “big questions.” As the summer progresses, Mia comes to realize that what she’s looking for is within herself, and not in religion.
Based on her own experiences visiting Israel, Leanne Lieberman has created a complex and thought-provoking book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, through the fresh eyes of a Canadian teenager. Mia is a fascinating character, and an open book. Everything she thinks and feels is out there for the reader, and she is easy to relate to and empathize with. As much as she would like to, she can’t just follow without knowing why. Why do the rules exist? Where to they come from, and what do they mean? She needs and wants to understand, but the more she learns about Israel’s history and its people, the deeper her conflict.
Jewish customs and traditions, as well as a healthy dose of Israel’s history, are detailed throughout the novel, and a glossary of Hebrew terms at the back will help readers to make sense of what Mia sees and experiences.
More than just a book about a conflicted teenager, there are deep and important themes about social justice and equal treatment of all peoples. Unfortunately, the author’s treatment of this sensitive topic isn’t quite as equal, and her bias is reflected through her character. Mia is too easily swayed towards an anti-Israel stance, and she doesn’t try very hard to seek credible sources on either side.
The Book of Trees is a great book for discussion to support a History or World Issues class, but readers should be encouraged to seek out secondary material to deepen their understanding of both sides of this complicated subject.
Reviewed by Rachel Seigel in Canadian Children's Book News (Winter 2011, Vol. 34, No. 1)
November 15, 2012
Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com
Mia goes to Israel with her friend, Aviva, to learn about the Jewish faith. At once Mia is enthralled by this foreign place and all of its beautiful landmarks, but she quickly learns that everything in Israel isn't as beautiful as it seems.
The Palestinians are fighting for a land that was once theirs but that now the Jews claim belongs to them. Mia learns that the Jewish religion can be quite bloody and ignorant at times, and she starts to question whether she can be a part of this faith - or any faith at all.
Along this journey she meets Andrew, a handsome guitar player who seems to know more about Israel's politics than she does. So with the help of Andrew, she tries to figure out whether she can continue in this faith, and what she plans to do about the turmoil in Israel.
Lieberman writes a truly wonderful book about a girl trying to figure out who she is and what she stands for while also trying to come to grips with the Jewish religion and the politics in Israel. Not only is this book touching on a personal level, but it is educational, too. It really brings to light the politics and turmoil in Israel; it helps the reader better understand what is going on in such a faraway place.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about a brave girls' journey to find love, her beliefs, and ultimately herself. It is truly inspiring and might give you the courage to find out who you are, as well.
Mia goes to Israel with her friend, Aviva, to learn about the Jewish faith. At once Mia is enthralled by this foreign place and all of its beautiful landmarks, but she quickly learns that everything in Israel isn't as beautiful as it seems.
The Palestinians are fighting for a land that was once theirs but that now the Jews claim belongs to them. Mia learns that the Jewish religion can be quite bloody and ignorant at times, and she starts to question whether she can be a part of this faith - or any faith at all.
Along this journey she meets Andrew, a handsome guitar player who seems to know more about Israel's politics than she does. So with the help of Andrew, she tries to figure out whether she can continue in this faith, and what she plans to do about the turmoil in Israel.
Lieberman writes a truly wonderful book about a girl trying to figure out who she is and what she stands for while also trying to come to grips with the Jewish religion and the politics in Israel. Not only is this book touching on a personal level, but it is educational, too. It really brings to light the politics and turmoil in Israel; it helps the reader better understand what is going on in such a faraway place.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about a brave girls' journey to find love, her beliefs, and ultimately herself. It is truly inspiring and might give you the courage to find out who you are, as well.
May 29, 2011
I read The book of trees immediately following Lieberman's earlier novel, Gravity. Lots of recurring themes about orthodoxy, music, and love. The struggle of non-conformity within Judaism is drawn out in Mia, a newly religious teenager from Toronto who travels to a Jewish seminary school in Israel. The more Mia discovers about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the more she realises she does not fit in with the truly converted Jews who surround her. As in Gravity, the call of music and love pulls our protagonist from the rigors of orthodoxy. Recommended reading for Jewish teens!
April 9, 2011
Ugh- I probably should have given this 1 star but it had one redeeming quality. It brought some good insight to the palestinian and israeli conflict and how both sides could be viewed as in the wrong. Other than that- ugh! And can I just say the clothing descriptions were ridiculous! A "skimpy one piece purple jogging suit"- help me- the image conjures up horribleness!!!!! There has to be a better book to read for the subject. :)
April 5, 2016
Mia, a Jewish teen from Toronto goes to Jerusalem to study Yeshiva, where she sees the world from a different point of view, and grows up. I didn't like this partly because it seemed Mia was sometimes acting like a teen and sometimes like a 20-something & it seemed too contrived. But it was interesting info. on Israel and Jews.
October 9, 2010
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING!
June 3, 2011
This book was so... wishy-washy I guess. I couldn't really believe in any of the characters, and some of what she said was in fact, wrong. I didn't particularly like it.
January 3, 2014
Very tough topic. Brave author.
January 13, 2015
NAKBA Arabic for the catastrophe.
July 16, 2025
Holy crap probably one of the best books I have ever read
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews