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Balcony on the Moon: Coming of Age in Palestine
Picking up where Tasting the Sky left off, Balcony on the Moon follows Ibtisam Barakat through her childhood and adolescence in Palestine from 1972-1981 and chronicles her desire to be a writer. Ibtisam finds inspiration through writing letters to pen pals and from an adult who encourages her to keep at it, but the most surprising turn of all for Ibtisam happens when her mother decides that she would like to seek out an education, too. This memoir is a touching, at times funny, and enlightening look at the not often depicted daily life in a politically tumultuous area.
A Margaret Ferguson Book
A Margaret Ferguson Book
239 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2016
19 people are currently reading
755 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
July 22, 2018
The author relates her life from 7-17 growing up in the West Bank controlled and occupied by Israel after the 6 Day War. She feels imprisoned by the Israelis and by being a woman in a patriarchal culture. At an early age she seeks freedom of choice and finds her voice through writing.
Her story of a blank whiteboard and how she reworked the cuttings from newspapers were examples of her gifts with words. So it is a book about the feeling of hopelessness that Palestinians face, the love of writing, of sacrifices and bravery to have the freedom to choose and that kindness to others can start in your own family.
Her story of a blank whiteboard and how she reworked the cuttings from newspapers were examples of her gifts with words. So it is a book about the feeling of hopelessness that Palestinians face, the love of writing, of sacrifices and bravery to have the freedom to choose and that kindness to others can start in your own family.
October 22, 2016
LOVED. Balcony on the Moon, a lyrical sequel to Barakat's Tasting the Sky, relates her coming of age (age 7-17) in 1970s Palestine, where the situation has not much changed for the plight of Palestinians today. What triumphs over the pervasive, continuing, and understandable sense of physical loss and cultural displacement is the great spirit of young, bright Ibtisam, determined to be a writer, to go to school and college (unusual for girls), who does what she must with energy, gile,wit and courage to attain her goals. Inspiring and highly recommended to all, but especially to girls and women of any culture who know too well the strength and drive required to live in a world that often degrades, marginalizes and infantilizes them.
Award committees please take note!
Award committees please take note!
June 2, 2018
Loved this! The world would be a much better place if there were an abundance of driven wide-eyed knowledge seekers like Ibtisam.
January 13, 2018
Insightful memoir about a girl growing up in Palestine. The story is told using beautiful, creative words. The focus was on her hopes and dreams as well as stories about her family. I am glad the story was more upbeat and hopeful considering the events around her were devastating. The author shows alot of determination, courage and wit.
I feel like you could follow the author’s way of thinking and experience living in Palestine through her vision and words.
I particularly like the author’s pursuit for independence over social norms.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes books about culture and breaking free of social and family expectations.
I feel like you could follow the author’s way of thinking and experience living in Palestine through her vision and words.
I particularly like the author’s pursuit for independence over social norms.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes books about culture and breaking free of social and family expectations.
October 7, 2018
I picked this book up after enjoying the author's previous memoir about her childhood during the Six-Day War and its aftermath, and I enjoyed this book just as much. It reminded me of how much I take for granted about my life, especially the education opportunities I've had. I really liked the fact that the author refused to simply let familial and cultural expectations decide her fate, and that even though she was young, she never lost sight of the importance of human dignity and the value of education, despite external circumstances and pressures making things very difficult for her at times.
January 4, 2023
I’ve always been impressed by how beautiful Ibtisam Barakat’s English prose is. This second volume is a companion, not a sequel, to the first book which details her childhood during the Six Day War and their family’s exile to Jordan all the way until she starts college in Birzeit. This companion volume covers the same time frame as the first book , Tasting the Sky, but with different stories. I was a little disappointed by that; both books left off with the author finishing high school. I expected this one to continue from that point, but instead it revealed other facets of their Palestinian lives under Israeli occupation.
December 22, 2016
This memoir reminded me of The Circuit and the series of memoirs from Francisco Jimenez. I really loved this story and rooted for Ibtisam, a true feminist. It has its happy and sad moments, but neither really define her life. It truly is her story of becoming an independent woman in day to day Palestine.
June 12, 2019
Another great book about her childhood in Palestine. Recommend to anyone who wants to learn about life in an occupied country. So sad what these people have to endure.
February 12, 2022
I read this book as part of my quest to read a book written by an author from every country in the world. This author was born in Jerusalem and is a Palestinian. I included Palestine on my list even though the United Nations consider it to be a non-member observer state.
As an American Catholic, I have difficulty understanding the relationship between Palestine Arabs and Israeli Jews. I will do my best to explain it. As written in the magazine “Vox”, “Israel is the world’s only Jewish state, located just east of the Mediterranean Sea. Palestinians, the Arab population that hails from the land Israel now controls, refer to the territory as Palestine and want to establish a state by that name on all or part of the same land. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is over who gets what land and how it’s controlled.”
The land of Israel is claimed by both the Jews and Arabs, going back 1000’s of years. When Jews began being prosecuted throughout Europe in the early 1900s, they fled to Israel as their homeland. Israel was then under British rule and the Arabs and Muslims had already claimed the country as their territory. Various wars ensued and the Palestinians are now located in only 2 locations in Israel - the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The West Bank is ruled by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) but it is under Israeli occupation. Israeli troops patrol the West Bank and curtail the rights and movements of Palestinians.
“Egypt controlled Gaza until 1967, when Israel occupied it in the Six-Day War. Until 2005, Israeli military authorities controlled Gaza in the same way they control the West Bank, and Jews were permitted to settle there. In 2005, then–Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pulled out Israeli troops and settlers unilaterally. Gaza is today ruled by Hamas, an Islamist group. It is a militant resistant group that fights against Israel."
The story,” Balcony on the Moon”, is written by a young girl who grew up in the West Bank during the early 1970s and ’80s. Ibtisam Barakat was born in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem, and she grew up in Ramallah, in the West Bank.
She lived with her parents and her 6 siblings. The family often moved to different houses in Ramallah to be closer to work or to distance themselves from the Israeli fighting. Ibtisam loved words and language and loved to go to school. Since the West Bank was under Israeli control, their movements and opportunities were restricted. She attended schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Being a Muslim also restricted the opportunities of girls and women. But Ibtisam fought against these restrictions holding her down and continued to write.
This is a beautifully written book – she is a skilled author who now lives in the United States. It wasn’t until I finished the book and looked at the spine that I realized it was a Young Adult book. That explains why it is written rather simply and straightforward. That is exactly what is needed – a book that explains the background and current situation of the conflict.
As an American Catholic, I have difficulty understanding the relationship between Palestine Arabs and Israeli Jews. I will do my best to explain it. As written in the magazine “Vox”, “Israel is the world’s only Jewish state, located just east of the Mediterranean Sea. Palestinians, the Arab population that hails from the land Israel now controls, refer to the territory as Palestine and want to establish a state by that name on all or part of the same land. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is over who gets what land and how it’s controlled.”
The land of Israel is claimed by both the Jews and Arabs, going back 1000’s of years. When Jews began being prosecuted throughout Europe in the early 1900s, they fled to Israel as their homeland. Israel was then under British rule and the Arabs and Muslims had already claimed the country as their territory. Various wars ensued and the Palestinians are now located in only 2 locations in Israel - the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The West Bank is ruled by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) but it is under Israeli occupation. Israeli troops patrol the West Bank and curtail the rights and movements of Palestinians.
“Egypt controlled Gaza until 1967, when Israel occupied it in the Six-Day War. Until 2005, Israeli military authorities controlled Gaza in the same way they control the West Bank, and Jews were permitted to settle there. In 2005, then–Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pulled out Israeli troops and settlers unilaterally. Gaza is today ruled by Hamas, an Islamist group. It is a militant resistant group that fights against Israel."
The story,” Balcony on the Moon”, is written by a young girl who grew up in the West Bank during the early 1970s and ’80s. Ibtisam Barakat was born in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem, and she grew up in Ramallah, in the West Bank.
She lived with her parents and her 6 siblings. The family often moved to different houses in Ramallah to be closer to work or to distance themselves from the Israeli fighting. Ibtisam loved words and language and loved to go to school. Since the West Bank was under Israeli control, their movements and opportunities were restricted. She attended schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Being a Muslim also restricted the opportunities of girls and women. But Ibtisam fought against these restrictions holding her down and continued to write.
This is a beautifully written book – she is a skilled author who now lives in the United States. It wasn’t until I finished the book and looked at the spine that I realized it was a Young Adult book. That explains why it is written rather simply and straightforward. That is exactly what is needed – a book that explains the background and current situation of the conflict.
August 27, 2022
Oh.My.God this book was so beautiful 💜💜💔💔
I don't think I can express how much I truly loved this book. Though I rarely read memoirs, this book was much needed to understand the colonialism and unlawful control over Palestinian land and how it affects the day to day life of Palestinians.
The author does a very good job of weaving in historical dates and events into her memoir that makes it easy to understand and remember the tragic events.
Most importantly, this book is about a young girl's struggle to break free from traditional roles of women and how she fights to get the education she wants. Through her writing, I felt that I got to know her family members and why they had a certain view point and such.
It gets even more interesting once her mother begins to enroll in school at the same time as her daughter and the challenges she faces in the name of traditions. No, this book isn't bashing Palestinian traditions, but that people can change their viewpoint and be understanding.
It felt very much like I was in the story with the characters, experiencing everything along with them. I loved how Ibtisam described her love for the land and the different places she called home throughout her life. It was so beautiful and so painful at the same time.
This book is a very thought-provoking novel and I highly recommend you to read it if you have the chance.
✅️ Recommend
I don't think I can express how much I truly loved this book. Though I rarely read memoirs, this book was much needed to understand the colonialism and unlawful control over Palestinian land and how it affects the day to day life of Palestinians.
The author does a very good job of weaving in historical dates and events into her memoir that makes it easy to understand and remember the tragic events.
Most importantly, this book is about a young girl's struggle to break free from traditional roles of women and how she fights to get the education she wants. Through her writing, I felt that I got to know her family members and why they had a certain view point and such.
It gets even more interesting once her mother begins to enroll in school at the same time as her daughter and the challenges she faces in the name of traditions. No, this book isn't bashing Palestinian traditions, but that people can change their viewpoint and be understanding.
It felt very much like I was in the story with the characters, experiencing everything along with them. I loved how Ibtisam described her love for the land and the different places she called home throughout her life. It was so beautiful and so painful at the same time.
This book is a very thought-provoking novel and I highly recommend you to read it if you have the chance.
✅️ Recommend
December 25, 2017
Growing up in Palestine was not easy. Living in a time period full of turmoil and the Six-Day War of 1967, being a girl in Palestine was even harder. Inspired by her correspondence with her favorite author, Ibtisam wanted to be a writer. To do so, however, she needed a good education. With the support of her father, her mom and her pursue their education. In this memoir, she recalls what it was like for the women in her family. How her mother’s chafing against the cultural and religious norms of the time forced her to leave school and other struggles. Her words are eye-opening, poignant, and engaging. The narrative is easy to follow and is well written. Fans of the young reader’s edition of I Am Malala and narrative non-fiction will want to pick this book up.
This book was featured on The Keepers of the Books' December Weekly Reads #2 episode. For more book reviews, recommenations, or online librarian advice, please visit us at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK3v... . A copy of this review may also be found at kissthebook.blogspot.com
Please Note: A copy of this book was given to us in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed, however, are our own.
This book was featured on The Keepers of the Books' December Weekly Reads #2 episode. For more book reviews, recommenations, or online librarian advice, please visit us at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK3v... . A copy of this review may also be found at kissthebook.blogspot.com
Please Note: A copy of this book was given to us in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed, however, are our own.
December 28, 2017
Review cross-posted from reviewer’s personal Goodreads account
Barakat, Ibtisam, Balcony on the Moon. Pgs. 240. MacMillan Publishing, 2016. Language: G, Mature Content: PG, Violence: G
Growing up in Palestine was not easy. Living in a time period full of turmoil and the Six-Day War of 1967, being a girl in Palestine was even harder. Inspired by her correspondence with her favorite author, Ibtisam wanted to be a writer. To do so, however, she needed a good education. With the support of her father, her mom and her pursue their education. In this memoir, she recalls what it was like for the women in her family. How her mother’s chafing against the cultural and religious norms of the time forced her to leave school and other struggles. Her words are eye-opening, poignant, and engaging. The narrative is easy to follow and is well written. Fans of the young reader’s edition of I Am Malala and narrative non-fiction will want to pick this book up.
MS, HS. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Jessica M, Library Media Specialist.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
Barakat, Ibtisam, Balcony on the Moon. Pgs. 240. MacMillan Publishing, 2016. Language: G, Mature Content: PG, Violence: G
Growing up in Palestine was not easy. Living in a time period full of turmoil and the Six-Day War of 1967, being a girl in Palestine was even harder. Inspired by her correspondence with her favorite author, Ibtisam wanted to be a writer. To do so, however, she needed a good education. With the support of her father, her mom and her pursue their education. In this memoir, she recalls what it was like for the women in her family. How her mother’s chafing against the cultural and religious norms of the time forced her to leave school and other struggles. Her words are eye-opening, poignant, and engaging. The narrative is easy to follow and is well written. Fans of the young reader’s edition of I Am Malala and narrative non-fiction will want to pick this book up.
MS, HS. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Jessica M, Library Media Specialist.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
April 2, 2020
This is a book for a young teen who is curious about their Palestinian heritage and the growing pains of Palestinian teens in the 70s; or this is a book for an adult who lives within the bounds of nostalgia, finding themselves reminiscing of all that they loved about Palestine.
Barakat’s book is first and foremost a testament of innocence while the world demands destruction. Her reflections show the kindness and compassion of youthfulness, met with the spirit of a people insistent on surviving— and even thriving— amidst circumstances that call for their erasure.
It was in the way she showed her father’s humor, her mother’s hunger for education, her brothers’ yearning for freedom, her friends’ dreams of marriage and love, her teachers’ encouragement to reach the moon, and mostly through her own outstanding resilience that the eternal beauty of Palestine was revealed. And importantly, preserved.
If you have spent time in Palestine as a child, this book will feel like your heart has been replaced by a harp. And the details written about Palestine play the tune. Rukab booza. Abu Iskandar shawarma. Ramallah Main Street...
Barakat’s book is first and foremost a testament of innocence while the world demands destruction. Her reflections show the kindness and compassion of youthfulness, met with the spirit of a people insistent on surviving— and even thriving— amidst circumstances that call for their erasure.
It was in the way she showed her father’s humor, her mother’s hunger for education, her brothers’ yearning for freedom, her friends’ dreams of marriage and love, her teachers’ encouragement to reach the moon, and mostly through her own outstanding resilience that the eternal beauty of Palestine was revealed. And importantly, preserved.
If you have spent time in Palestine as a child, this book will feel like your heart has been replaced by a harp. And the details written about Palestine play the tune. Rukab booza. Abu Iskandar shawarma. Ramallah Main Street...
December 14, 2017
This is a beautiful follow-up to TASTING THE SKY. On the surface, it's simply a biography of a Palestinian girl pinning her hopes and dreams on writing to lift her above the war, poverty and oppression she faces. Barakat is able to write the truth without asking for pity, which is difficult to do when talking about Palestine. By focusing on character development, the author avoids over-indulgence in history, allowing most of those details to be seen in the character of her father, who lives with a great sense of loss. The book could also be seen as a feminist manifesto for Palestinian women. Not only Ibtisam but also her mother commit themselves to education as the way toward personal peace and human dignity. Barakat is a world-class writer, committed to the power of words, a motif that started in TASTING THE SKY and continues to this day. I can't wait for her next book to learn about her college adventures.
July 15, 2017
I liked Balcony on the Moon as much as or more than her first memoir, Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood. As Ibtisam grows up, her spunky, engaged with life personality emerges: she sneaks away from home during the day to go work at a tissue paper factory, and then quits due to the poor treatment of workers, which she tries to stand up for. She endears herself to all her fellow workers, and her parents forgive her as well. They move often, so she describes the wide variety of neighborhoods and schools she is in. The secondary awesome woman in this story is Ibtisam's mother, who gets married at 15 (!), has 7 kids in quick succession in unstable conditions, and then decides to go back to school to get her high school diploma. Her husband bends to her strong will, and Ibtisam helps her study. Informative, funny at times, well-written: a great memoir!
May 4, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book, especially since I was unfamiliar with Palestinian culture and not very educated on the issues that they have faced. This memoir follows the struggle that the author faces as a female who wants to please her family but who also has huge aspirations of education and a career. While the plot was not particularly edge-of-your-seat exciting, I was drawn in by Barakat’s resilience and determination.
November 11, 2020
I want to thank all of you wonderful readers for reviewing my books Balcony on the Moon, Coming of Age in Palestine, and Tasting the Sky, A Palestinian Childhood. When I want to remember why I write, I come and read your reviews.
Every time you see the moon, remember to notice that you have beautiful light in you too.
Off to working on books, including the third memoir about the college years.
May you all be inspired in all the ways you seek to be inspired.
Ibtisam Barakat
Every time you see the moon, remember to notice that you have beautiful light in you too.
Off to working on books, including the third memoir about the college years.
May you all be inspired in all the ways you seek to be inspired.
Ibtisam Barakat
September 13, 2016
Succeeds everywhere Four-Four-Two fails. Even if its subject matter is much less dangerous and life-threatening, I still felt more suspense and interest in this book. Judged on its own merits, description and narration are vivid and lots of imagery is used. For one, the characters are compelling and multi-dimensional. It maintains a good balance from the beginning.
December 17, 2017
This writer teems with wit, confidence, love of learning, humanity and a sense of wonder. Her optimism and kinda different way of thinking reminded me a little of me. I would like to meet her. This was a rare book where the very last paragraph was among the best and most symbolically special in the whole book.
October 24, 2017
Very well-written with a nice use of Arabic words, customs, and holidays worked in to the story to make it feel educational as well. I know more are the plight of the Palestinian person and about the culture from this book , yet I didn't feel clobbered over the head with the information.
January 22, 2017
I received the print book as an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway. It was a quick read(I think it's a YA book) but I did like it even more than I thought I would. Definitely recommend.
May 18, 2017
My review of this must-read title is up at: http://theloudlibrarylady.com/2017/05...
June 9, 2019
It was very similar to the first book and a little repetitive. Maybe they are assuming people don't read the books in order.
July 25, 2019
I loved this book, and have added Tasting the Sky to my list. Barakat is a precise and eloquent writer.
February 21, 2021
This was an interesting read: I have not read much regarding the Middle East, and especially not much from a Palestinian point of view. I have often wondered about the plight of the Palestinian people who struggle to maintain a foothold in what they feel is their homeland, while the larger forces on the planet conspire to deny them that same land.
Because of the intricate politics involved and the charged emotional atmosphere surrounding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, I appreciated the narrator's perspective as a young adult coming of age amidst it all. She was able to keep the focus more on the effects of the conflict on the people who are trying to live through every day lives. As a teacher, I found the information about the educational system, the tracking of students, the testing very interesting; I found her discussion about the limitations of educational material due to the conflict disheartening. She is a charming narrator--driven to overcome the customs of her culture to assert her own personhood and power.
For young adults, this is an approachable text, and I can see it being very valuable in helping to add life to the textbook discussions of world history. The language is simple (reflecting a narrator who is both a child and an English language learner) but it keeps the poetry of Arabic in the descriptions.
I guess I just would have like more... the thread about the journalist was dropped at the end and the final chapter seemed like a super-quick resolution. I was disappointed that so much was left unexplained and unresolved.
Because of the intricate politics involved and the charged emotional atmosphere surrounding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, I appreciated the narrator's perspective as a young adult coming of age amidst it all. She was able to keep the focus more on the effects of the conflict on the people who are trying to live through every day lives. As a teacher, I found the information about the educational system, the tracking of students, the testing very interesting; I found her discussion about the limitations of educational material due to the conflict disheartening. She is a charming narrator--driven to overcome the customs of her culture to assert her own personhood and power.
For young adults, this is an approachable text, and I can see it being very valuable in helping to add life to the textbook discussions of world history. The language is simple (reflecting a narrator who is both a child and an English language learner) but it keeps the poetry of Arabic in the descriptions.
I guess I just would have like more... the thread about the journalist was dropped at the end and the final chapter seemed like a super-quick resolution. I was disappointed that so much was left unexplained and unresolved.
July 27, 2021
I liken this book to He Named Me Malala. The author is spirited and willful with hopes and dreams of equality. All girls can see themselves in her and feel for her. I openly wept at the opening of “Agreement” feeling her fears of not being able to continue her education therefore losing her self-sovereignty and any chance at freedom. This book grows ones empathy and does so with beautiful prose and words that go beyond their order to cast a spell on the reader. It appeals to our shared desire for freedom and invites us to join the author’s hope for it:
“With history one learns that nothing lasts. So it is only a matter of time before we will become free again. I do not know how long from now. But it will happen. Big change is the rule in history, not the exception.”
“With history one learns that nothing lasts. So it is only a matter of time before we will become free again. I do not know how long from now. But it will happen. Big change is the rule in history, not the exception.”
February 24, 2024
Very well done, very emotional without exaggerating anything. Moving. Feminist. Definitely a lot of triggering content, which i will detail as much as I can remember below.
Trigger warnings:
suicidal ideation and I would say an attempt, by a side character. Child endangerment by a parent. War, bombs, curfews enforced by an occupier, police/military police violence. Depression, ableism, internalized ableism. Massacre and genocide described happening off page. Colonialism and apartheid.
Trigger warnings:
suicidal ideation and I would say an attempt, by a side character. Child endangerment by a parent. War, bombs, curfews enforced by an occupier, police/military police violence. Depression, ableism, internalized ableism. Massacre and genocide described happening off page. Colonialism and apartheid.
July 4, 2024
"...everyone loves freedom, but mostly for themselves and not for others...It seems that the idea of freedom for everyone everywhere is more hated than loved, resisted than encouraged. Talk of it is one thing, and refusing to grant or share equal freedom with others is behind most wars..."
(a teacher in the story) p. 87
"Nobody who is afraid to take a risk can accomplish anything."
(mother) p. 125
(a teacher in the story) p. 87
"Nobody who is afraid to take a risk can accomplish anything."
(mother) p. 125
December 16, 2024
Ibtisam Barakat talks about her "people being refugees in [their] own home, about feeling the world does not see [them], and how all the loss [they] have been experiencing makes [them] feel that [they] always have to be ready to lose more." I wish she had leaned more into to her creative/poetic side to write this novel. You get to see glimpses of it, but most of the book reads like a school paper or newspaper article.
P.S. I won this book through a goodreads giveaway!
P.S. I won this book through a goodreads giveaway!
December 11, 2018
For me the story was kind of boring in more of a fiction reader so that is part of the reason i didn't really like the story. But there were some parts of the story that I did enjoy. For example the part with the writing contest. Also the addition of the letters from pen pals help with the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews