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Where The Streets Had A Name
Thirteen year old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is that Hayaat and her family live behind the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, and they're on the wrong side of check points, curfews, and the travel permit system. Plus, Hayaat's best friend Samy always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on the pair's side as they undertake the journey to Jerusalem from the Palestinian Territories when Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel.
But while their journey may only be a few kilometers long, it could take a lifetime to complete. . . .
Humorous and heartfelt, WHERE THE STREETS HAD A NAME deals with the Israel-Palestinian conflict with sensitivity and grace and will open a window on this timely subject.
Praise for DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS?:
"Determined to prove she's strong enough to 'wear a badge of my faith,' Amal faces ostracism and ridicule as she dons her hijab with both good humor and trepidation. . . . Abdel-Fattah's fine first novel offers a world of insight to post-9/11 readers." --KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred)
"More than the usual story of the immigrant teen's conflict with her traditional parents, the funny, touching contemporary narrative will grab teens everywhere." --BOOKLIST (starred)
"Using a winning mix of humor and sensitivity, Abdel-Fattah ably demonstrates that her heroine is, at heart, a teen like any other. This debut should speak to anyone who has felt like an outsider for any reason." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"[A] witty, sensitive debut . . ." -PEOPLE
Praise for TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT ME:
"Written with insight, humor and sensitivity, Abdel-Fattah introduces a winning Muslim-Australian heroine who discovers that 'honesty is liberating.' " -- KIRKUS REVIEWS
"[T]he author brings a welcome sense of humor to Jamilah's insights about her culture, and she is equally adept at more delicate scenes. . . ." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
64 people are currently reading
2595 people want to read
About the author
Randa Abdel-Fattah
29 books991 followersRanda Abdel-Fattah was born in Sydney in 1979. She is a Muslim of Palestinian and Egyptian heritage. She grew up in Melbourne and attended a Catholic primary school and Islamic secondary college where she obtained an International Baccaularetate. She studied Arts/Law at Melbourne University during which time she was the Media Liaison Officer at the Islamic council of Victoria, a role which afforded her the opportunity to write for newspapers and engage with media institutions about their representation of Muslims and Islam.
During university and her role at the ICV, Randa was a passionate human rights advocate and stood in the 1996 federal election as a member of the Unity Party-Say No To Hanson. Randa has also been deeply interested in inter-faith dialogue and has been a member of various inter-faith networks. She also volunteered with different human rights and migrant resource organisations including the Australian Arabic council, the Victorian migrant resource centre, Islamic women’s welfare council, Palestine human rights campaign, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, to name a few.
Randa has used her writing as a medium for expressing her views about the occupation of Palestine. Her articles about Palestine, Australian Muslims and the misunderstood status of women in Islam have been published in the Australian, the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Canberra Times, New Matilda, Le Monde (France).
Randa is frequently sought for comment by the media on issues pertaining to Palestine, Islam or Australian Muslims. She has appeared on SBS’s Insight, ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club, ABC’s Q & A, Channel 7’s Sunrise and Channel 10’s 9am.
Randa is also a regular guest at schools around Australia addressing students about her books and the social justice issues they raise. Randa has also been a guest at Sweden’s Gothenburg and Litterlund book festivals (2007 and 2008) and Kuala Lumpur’s Book festival (2008). She has also toured in Brunei and the UK.
Randa lives in Sydney with her husband and their two children. She works as a litigation lawyer.
During university and her role at the ICV, Randa was a passionate human rights advocate and stood in the 1996 federal election as a member of the Unity Party-Say No To Hanson. Randa has also been deeply interested in inter-faith dialogue and has been a member of various inter-faith networks. She also volunteered with different human rights and migrant resource organisations including the Australian Arabic council, the Victorian migrant resource centre, Islamic women’s welfare council, Palestine human rights campaign, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, to name a few.
Randa has used her writing as a medium for expressing her views about the occupation of Palestine. Her articles about Palestine, Australian Muslims and the misunderstood status of women in Islam have been published in the Australian, the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Canberra Times, New Matilda, Le Monde (France).
Randa is frequently sought for comment by the media on issues pertaining to Palestine, Islam or Australian Muslims. She has appeared on SBS’s Insight, ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club, ABC’s Q & A, Channel 7’s Sunrise and Channel 10’s 9am.
Randa is also a regular guest at schools around Australia addressing students about her books and the social justice issues they raise. Randa has also been a guest at Sweden’s Gothenburg and Litterlund book festivals (2007 and 2008) and Kuala Lumpur’s Book festival (2008). She has also toured in Brunei and the UK.
Randa lives in Sydney with her husband and their two children. She works as a litigation lawyer.
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April 27, 2025
آنجا که زمانی خیابان ها نامی داشتند ، کتابی ایست از رنده عبدالفتاح ، نویسنده فلسطینی . کتاب او که در سال 2008 منتشر شده ، حکایت پردرد زندگی فلسطینیانی ایست در بیت الحم در کرانه باختری زندگی می کنند . جایی که گرچه زیر نظر تشکیلات خودگردان فلسطین باید اداره شود ، اما در عمل اسرائیلی ها هستند که کنترل شهر را به کل در دست دارند .
همانند دیگر کتاب های این مجموعه انتشارات مان ( ایوان ، یادداشت های شبانه نیشا و از هیروشیما با عشق ) این کتاب هم از دیدگاه نوجوانی روایت می شود . قهرمان داستان خانم عبدالفتاح ، حیات نام دارد . حیات دختری ایست که نگاهی شوخ و همراه با طنز به زندگی دارد و نگاه سرخوشانه او به زندگی ، از زهر و نکبت زندگی در فلسطین اشغال شده کاسته .
نویسنده کاری به انبوه مبارزات فلسطینی ها و نبردهای مکرر آنان برای آزاد سازی سرزمین خود ندارد ، کتاب او داستان جنگی یا حکایت بازماندگان جنگ را بیان نمی کند . آنچه عبدالفتاح در این کتاب دنبال کرده ، داستان تلخ آوارگی سه نسل از فلسطینیان بوده .
نسل اول این آوارگان را باید مادربزرگ حیات دانست که خانه آنها توسط یهودیانی اشغال شده که فامیل خود را به سبب جنایات نازی ها از دست داده اند . داستان این یهودیان گرچه پر رنج و درد است اما ارتباطی به فلسطینیان و اشغال خانه های آنان ندارد . نسل دوم آوارگان ، پدر حیات است که خانه ، زمین و مزرعه خود را از دست داده ، بهانه رژیم اسرائیل این بار راه سازی و ارتباط بهتر میان شهرهای یهودی ایست که آنها هم به زور از فلسطینیان گرفته شده اند . نسل سوم آوارگان ، کودکانی مانند خود حیات و دوستان اوست که یک بار خانه آنان در کودکی اشغال شده و شوربختانه این داستان تلخ اشغال خانه های آنان درسراسر زندگی آنان ادامه خواهد داشت ، البته اگر زنده بمانند ...
موضوع داستان :
خانم نویسنده برای نشان دادن اوضاع فاجعه بار فلسطین و زیستن در سایه وحشت ، ترس و تحقیر همیشگی اسرائیلی ها ، موضوع جالبی را انتخاب کرده . حیات قهرمان داستان به همراه دوست نزدیکش ، سامی که پسری ایست مسیحی ، در سفری بسیار خطرناک که می تواند به بهای جان آن دو تمام شود راهی اورشلیم یا قدس می شوند . نویسنده ازاین سفر استفاده کرده و مصیبت های مردمی که هویت آنان نادیده گرفته شده را نشان می دهد . حکومت نظامی های بی دلیل ، گشت های بازرسی ، رفتار تحقیر آمیز با فلسطینیان و به هر وسیله ای مانع زندگی آنان شدن تنها بخشی شاید بخش راحت داستان پر درد مردمانی مانند حیات و سامی باشد .
دنیای فلسطینی ها :
اشغال خانه ، آواره شدن و نداشتن ، شهر و سرزمین و دیدن فجایعی که جنگ و اشغال به مردمان فلسطین وارد کرده ، آنها را به مردمانی دیگر تبدیل کرده ، خبر چندانی از دبکه ، رقص محلی آنان دست کم در میان بزرگسالان نیست . مادربزرگ یا نسل اول آواره گان ، که دیگر عمری برای آنان باقی نمانده که وطن خود را ببینند ، نسل دوم ، مردانی در بهت و حیرت فاجعه و ترس همیشگی از تکرار آن به همراه زنانی که می کوشند تا با خارج کردن فرزندان خود ، دست کم آنان را از این زندگی نجات دهند و نسل سوم ، حیات و سامی و کودکانی دیگر ، شور بختانه آنها زندگی بسیار سخت تری خواهند داشت .
نمیتوان این کتاب را خواند و به یاد آنچه بیش از یک سال و نیم در غزه میگذرد نیفتاد. جنگ غزه تاکنون بیش از شصت هزار قربانی گرفته که متاسفانه بیش از بیست هزار نفر از آنان کودکانی همچون حیات و سامی بودهاند. در حالی که مرگ و میر ناشی از حملات اسرائیل، بیماری، گرسنگی، تشنگی، گرما و سرما همچنان قربانی میگیرد، جامعه جهانی به فکر برگذاری جلسه هایی بی اهمیت برای بررسی احتمال نسلکشی توسط اسرائیل است. تاسفبارتر آنکه همین نشست نیز به دلیل فشارهای آمریکا لغو میشود.
کتاب خانم نویسنده ، درد و رنج مردمانی را نشان می دهد که گذشته آنها ، به مراتب از حال بهتر بوده . او با هوشمندی از پرداختن به قتل و عام بی دلیل فلسطینی ها پرهیز کرده و به جای آن ، به مصیبت زندگی مردمانی پرداخته که نه تنها از خانه و شهر خود آواره شده اند ، بلکه همواره به آنها اخطار داده می شود که جایی در این سرزمین ندارند و باید آنجا را هم ترک کنند . در این میان کودکانی مانند حیات و سامی هستند که قربانی خشونت ها می شوند .
عبدالفتاح روش دیگری از خشونت علیه فلسطینی ها را نشان داده که چندان در نظر گرفته نمی شود ( البته قتل و عام آنها نیز چندان به حساب نمی آید ) ، مجبور کردن یک ملت به ترک وطن و گرفتن خانه و کاشانه و هویت آنها و حتی دفن نمادهای آنان مانند درخت زیتون . کتاب او را به سبب نشان دادن زجر ، مصیبت والبته توانایی انسان در مواجهه با فاجعه ، باید ستود .
همانند دیگر کتاب های این مجموعه انتشارات مان ( ایوان ، یادداشت های شبانه نیشا و از هیروشیما با عشق ) این کتاب هم از دیدگاه نوجوانی روایت می شود . قهرمان داستان خانم عبدالفتاح ، حیات نام دارد . حیات دختری ایست که نگاهی شوخ و همراه با طنز به زندگی دارد و نگاه سرخوشانه او به زندگی ، از زهر و نکبت زندگی در فلسطین اشغال شده کاسته .
نویسنده کاری به انبوه مبارزات فلسطینی ها و نبردهای مکرر آنان برای آزاد سازی سرزمین خود ندارد ، کتاب او داستان جنگی یا حکایت بازماندگان جنگ را بیان نمی کند . آنچه عبدالفتاح در این کتاب دنبال کرده ، داستان تلخ آوارگی سه نسل از فلسطینیان بوده .
نسل اول این آوارگان را باید مادربزرگ حیات دانست که خانه آنها توسط یهودیانی اشغال شده که فامیل خود را به سبب جنایات نازی ها از دست داده اند . داستان این یهودیان گرچه پر رنج و درد است اما ارتباطی به فلسطینیان و اشغال خانه های آنان ندارد . نسل دوم آوارگان ، پدر حیات است که خانه ، زمین و مزرعه خود را از دست داده ، بهانه رژیم اسرائیل این بار راه سازی و ارتباط بهتر میان شهرهای یهودی ایست که آنها هم به زور از فلسطینیان گرفته شده اند . نسل سوم آوارگان ، کودکانی مانند خود حیات و دوستان اوست که یک بار خانه آنان در کودکی اشغال شده و شوربختانه این داستان تلخ اشغال خانه های آنان درسراسر زندگی آنان ادامه خواهد داشت ، البته اگر زنده بمانند ...
موضوع داستان :
خانم نویسنده برای نشان دادن اوضاع فاجعه بار فلسطین و زیستن در سایه وحشت ، ترس و تحقیر همیشگی اسرائیلی ها ، موضوع جالبی را انتخاب کرده . حیات قهرمان داستان به همراه دوست نزدیکش ، سامی که پسری ایست مسیحی ، در سفری بسیار خطرناک که می تواند به بهای جان آن دو تمام شود راهی اورشلیم یا قدس می شوند . نویسنده ازاین سفر استفاده کرده و مصیبت های مردمی که هویت آنان نادیده گرفته شده را نشان می دهد . حکومت نظامی های بی دلیل ، گشت های بازرسی ، رفتار تحقیر آمیز با فلسطینیان و به هر وسیله ای مانع زندگی آنان شدن تنها بخشی شاید بخش راحت داستان پر درد مردمانی مانند حیات و سامی باشد .
دنیای فلسطینی ها :
اشغال خانه ، آواره شدن و نداشتن ، شهر و سرزمین و دیدن فجایعی که جنگ و اشغال به مردمان فلسطین وارد کرده ، آنها را به مردمانی دیگر تبدیل کرده ، خبر چندانی از دبکه ، رقص محلی آنان دست کم در میان بزرگسالان نیست . مادربزرگ یا نسل اول آواره گان ، که دیگر عمری برای آنان باقی نمانده که وطن خود را ببینند ، نسل دوم ، مردانی در بهت و حیرت فاجعه و ترس همیشگی از تکرار آن به همراه زنانی که می کوشند تا با خارج کردن فرزندان خود ، دست کم آنان را از این زندگی نجات دهند و نسل سوم ، حیات و سامی و کودکانی دیگر ، شور بختانه آنها زندگی بسیار سخت تری خواهند داشت .
نمیتوان این کتاب را خواند و به یاد آنچه بیش از یک سال و نیم در غزه میگذرد نیفتاد. جنگ غزه تاکنون بیش از شصت هزار قربانی گرفته که متاسفانه بیش از بیست هزار نفر از آنان کودکانی همچون حیات و سامی بودهاند. در حالی که مرگ و میر ناشی از حملات اسرائیل، بیماری، گرسنگی، تشنگی، گرما و سرما همچنان قربانی میگیرد، جامعه جهانی به فکر برگذاری جلسه هایی بی اهمیت برای بررسی احتمال نسلکشی توسط اسرائیل است. تاسفبارتر آنکه همین نشست نیز به دلیل فشارهای آمریکا لغو میشود.
کتاب خانم نویسنده ، درد و رنج مردمانی را نشان می دهد که گذشته آنها ، به مراتب از حال بهتر بوده . او با هوشمندی از پرداختن به قتل و عام بی دلیل فلسطینی ها پرهیز کرده و به جای آن ، به مصیبت زندگی مردمانی پرداخته که نه تنها از خانه و شهر خود آواره شده اند ، بلکه همواره به آنها اخطار داده می شود که جایی در این سرزمین ندارند و باید آنجا را هم ترک کنند . در این میان کودکانی مانند حیات و سامی هستند که قربانی خشونت ها می شوند .
عبدالفتاح روش دیگری از خشونت علیه فلسطینی ها را نشان داده که چندان در نظر گرفته نمی شود ( البته قتل و عام آنها نیز چندان به حساب نمی آید ) ، مجبور کردن یک ملت به ترک وطن و گرفتن خانه و کاشانه و هویت آنها و حتی دفن نمادهای آنان مانند درخت زیتون . کتاب او را به سبب نشان دادن زجر ، مصیبت والبته توانایی انسان در مواجهه با فاجعه ، باید ستود .
July 24, 2015
نسيم بلادنا للجسم منعش ... بدون الوطن إقنع يوم ما اتعيش
بيبكى الطير إذا بنطرد من عش ... فكيف الوطن اللى لو أصحاب ؟
يمكن العمل بلغته الأصليه ينتمى إلى كتب الأطفال لكن عندما قرأته باللغه العربيه لم أجده كذلك على الأطلاق. فقد وجدته كعادة الأدب (اللى بيحكى عن فلسطين )مؤلم جدا .
البيتين اللى فى أول كلامى انشدتهم الجدة لحفيدتها عندما عادت من مهمه طفوليه انتحاريه
الجده اللى هى أجمل شخصيات الروايه على الإطلاق , اللى غالبا موجوده فى كل بيت عربى ولكن فى فلسطين يختلف الوضع , فإذا كان البيت العربى يواجه مصاعب حياتيه مختلفه نظراً لمأساة كونه عربى فإن الفلسطينى يختلف ان له من النصيب إثنين: ماساة عروبته ومأساة الإحتلال.
أنا لا أعرف كم كان عمر الكاتبه عند كتابة هذا العمل وان كنت أعرف صغر سنها ولكن مهما كان عمرها فإنها نجحت فى أن تتقمص دور الأطفال وتقدمهم بطريقه ناجحه . طريقه مضحكه عند اللزوم رغم الألم فى ثنايا العمل مغالب اعمال الفلسطينين.
من المؤكد ان الكاتبه على علم عميق بالوضع المجتمعى الفلسطينى رغم انها مولوده فى أستراليا وغالبا يرجع هذا الفضل لأبيها الفلسطينى.
رغم أن العمل مترجم إلا أن اللغه رائعه وسهله وبسيطه .
لا أستطيع أن أمحى مشاهد الجده العجوز من مخيلتى ومن وجهة نظرى هذا ما أبدعت فيه الكاتبه بحق وهذه الشخصيه هى أفضل شخصيات العمل رغم ابداعها فى تصوير باقى الشخصيات وخاصة بطلة العمل (المشوهة فى وجهها بأثر عميق مثّل لها ألم دائم) كذلك شخصية رفيق دربها (سامى) ذو الشخصيه القويه (اللمضه)فى تعامله مع الغير وخاصة الأكبر منه وألمه الدفين لإعتقال ابيه من قِبل قوات الاحتلال.
فى المجمل عمل رائع من ناحية الشخصيات .
جيد من ناحية اللغه.
عظيم من ناحية الأحداث وخاصة الطفوليه منها.
الوصف والتشبيهات فلسطينيه جدا .
أتفهم جدا إن قرأ فلسطينى هذا العمل ولم يعجبه : ففى النهايه أنا مجرد مصرى أشاهد المشهد الخارجى وأبدى تعاطفه ولم أنكوى بنار الإحتلال (القذر) مثل أخى الفلسطينى الذى هو أكثر منى درايه بواقع مجتمع ووقائع الاحتلال التى قد تفشل الكاتبه فى تصويره نتيجة للعزلة الطبيعيه المفروضه عليه (أقصد بالعزلة وجودها فى مجتمع بعيد عن مجتمعها الأم )
تبقى الفقرات الأخيرة فى العمل هى الأكثر تأثيرا وألما بالنسبه لى وفيها :
... عمرى ثلاث عشرة سنة وأعرف معنى الدم.أعرف ماذا يعنى أن نفقد الأحيه.أعرف رائحة الجثه.أعرف شكل الجسم يُسوّى تحت دبّابه . أعرف سُحب التراب والغبار التى يخلّفها بلدوزر مسعور.سوف يتم الانتهاء من الجدار قريبا .سوف تُهجَر أجزاء كامله من بيت لحم . سوف تغلق الأعمال ,تُهجر البيوت,تخلو الشوارع,تقسم المدارس إلى نصفين.إننى أعيش فى سجن مفتوح.
ولكننى لن أعيش فى يأس . لأن عمرى ثلاث عشرة سنه وهذا ما أعرفه أيضا..
إنه طالما كانت هناك حياة سوف يكون هناك حب.إننى سوف أتعلم ان أحب ّ المرآة بكل تأكيد مثلما تعلمت أن أفكّر فى مايسه وابتسم. إن الماضى يمكن أن يعذّب ويشفى على السواء.إننى سأفعل أكثر من مجرّد البقاء.أننا جميعا فى النهايه لسنا سوى مخلوقات بشريه تضحك نفس الضحكه , وإن العالم يوما ما سوف يُدرك أننا ببساطه نريد أن نعيش كشعب حرّ,له أمل وكرامه وهدف , هذا هو كل شئ )))
عمل عظيم فعلا. أنصح الجميع بالاطلاع عليه .
November 15, 2009
The Middle East is such a rare setting to see in books for teenagers, and I found this to be such an interesting, intelligent and thought-provoking book that also managed to be funny, despite such heavy content. Hayaat was a likeable protagonist, and I really felt as I was reading her need to save her grandmother.
I really enjoyed one of Randa Abdel-Fattah's earlier novels Does My Head Look Big In This?, which I think is a really wonderful book, but it is dramatically different from Where the streets had a name which seems to me a more mature novel, even though the central character is younger. It's such a real novel; to me, it felt as Hayaat and her family could really exist. There is so much about politics and history in this book, but it never seems forced. It's fascinating and heart-breaking at once.
Where the streets had a name is definitely a book that I would love to see being studied in schools, or at least on some recommended reading lists. So often you see on the news things that are occurring in the middle east, and it's so impersonal most of the time, not really a thing you think about for more than a moment or two and I think Where the streets had a name shows the reality of life in a warzone, and it's such a touching and outstanding novel. A must-read.
I really enjoyed one of Randa Abdel-Fattah's earlier novels Does My Head Look Big In This?, which I think is a really wonderful book, but it is dramatically different from Where the streets had a name which seems to me a more mature novel, even though the central character is younger. It's such a real novel; to me, it felt as Hayaat and her family could really exist. There is so much about politics and history in this book, but it never seems forced. It's fascinating and heart-breaking at once.
Where the streets had a name is definitely a book that I would love to see being studied in schools, or at least on some recommended reading lists. So often you see on the news things that are occurring in the middle east, and it's so impersonal most of the time, not really a thing you think about for more than a moment or two and I think Where the streets had a name shows the reality of life in a warzone, and it's such a touching and outstanding novel. A must-read.
October 25, 2012
من أروع الروايات التي قرأتها...و هذا أكثر موقف أحببته:
أقول لراغب بعد أن هدأ الجميع وسادت السكينة في السيارة: " هذا الجندي لطيف أليس كذلك"
يقول لي راغب في صوت خفيض: " يذكرني هذا الموقف بقصة قرأتها في طفولتي هل تريدين أن أحكيها يا حياة؟ " عندما رآني اومئ استمر في حكايته: " كان يا ما كان، كان هناك صياد خرج إلى الغابة ليصطاد. وفي الغابة رأى شجرة تمتلئ بالطيور فصوب بندقيته ناحيتها فأصاب الكثيرين، بعض الطيور مات وبعضها أصيب. بدأ الصياد في التقاط الطيور الميتة وقتل الطيور المصابة بسكينه.
و أثناء انهماكه في هذا العمل ترقرقت بضع قطرات من الدموع في عينيه بسبب برودة الجو. فقال الطائر: "هذا الصياد طيب القلب. انظر إلى عينيه، فهو يبكي علينا"
فقا�� له الطائر الآخر "انس عينيه وانظر إلى يديه"
أقول لراغب بعد أن هدأ الجميع وسادت السكينة في السيارة: " هذا الجندي لطيف أليس كذلك"
يقول لي راغب في صوت خفيض: " يذكرني هذا الموقف بقصة قرأتها في طفولتي هل تريدين أن أحكيها يا حياة؟ " عندما رآني اومئ استمر في حكايته: " كان يا ما كان، كان هناك صياد خرج إلى الغابة ليصطاد. وفي الغابة رأى شجرة تمتلئ بالطيور فصوب بندقيته ناحيتها فأصاب الكثيرين، بعض الطيور مات وبعضها أصيب. بدأ الصياد في التقاط الطيور الميتة وقتل الطيور المصابة بسكينه.
و أثناء انهماكه في هذا العمل ترقرقت بضع قطرات من الدموع في عينيه بسبب برودة الجو. فقال الطائر: "هذا الصياد طيب القلب. انظر إلى عينيه، فهو يبكي علينا"
فقا�� له الطائر الآخر "انس عينيه وانظر إلى يديه"
January 27, 2013
I might be a bit biased towards this one, because the story is set in Palestine, and I believe many of us, Muslim or not, have a soft spot for Palestine. Being a children’s book though, this was written in the eyes of 13-year-old Hayaat, and is dotted with humour and childish naivety. I also already love the Arab culture and Arabic language so I now know a few more words like dabka, the folk dance, and ya zalami, which means “oh man”, etc.
But on a serious note, I believe the author’s intention was indeed to shed light on the Palestine-Israel conflict, to bring out the things we might not know or even think about: how life goes on during war (people have weddings, children go to school, families need to go shop for groceries), the multi-religious society (Muslims, Christians, Jews), how there are good people in all religions and how prejudices and generalisations just do not work, injustice in the littlest and biggest things… And I also like how the author portrays the family in this story, in particular the grandmother-granddaughter and sister-sister relationship. Favourite quotes:
"Feel as you wish; that is your right. But you will soon find that even hatred will not give you comfort. It will only make you miserable." — Sitti Zeynab
"Once upon a time a fisherman went out to sea. He caught many fish and threw them into a large bucket on his boat. The fish were not yet dead, so the man decided to ease their suffering by killing them swiftly. While he worked, the cold air made his eyes water. One of the wounded fish saw this and said to another, “What a kind heart this fisherman has — see how he cries for us.” The other fish replied, “Ignore his tears and watch what he is doing with his hands.” "— Raghib
"Your soul is strong, Hayaat. Do not deprive the world of your soul and heart. Justice will come when those who hope outweigh those who despair. Hope is a force that cannot be reckoned with, ya Hayaat. You will find a place for yourself in this world." — Sitti Zeynab
But on a serious note, I believe the author’s intention was indeed to shed light on the Palestine-Israel conflict, to bring out the things we might not know or even think about: how life goes on during war (people have weddings, children go to school, families need to go shop for groceries), the multi-religious society (Muslims, Christians, Jews), how there are good people in all religions and how prejudices and generalisations just do not work, injustice in the littlest and biggest things… And I also like how the author portrays the family in this story, in particular the grandmother-granddaughter and sister-sister relationship. Favourite quotes:
"Feel as you wish; that is your right. But you will soon find that even hatred will not give you comfort. It will only make you miserable." — Sitti Zeynab
"Once upon a time a fisherman went out to sea. He caught many fish and threw them into a large bucket on his boat. The fish were not yet dead, so the man decided to ease their suffering by killing them swiftly. While he worked, the cold air made his eyes water. One of the wounded fish saw this and said to another, “What a kind heart this fisherman has — see how he cries for us.” The other fish replied, “Ignore his tears and watch what he is doing with his hands.” "— Raghib
"Your soul is strong, Hayaat. Do not deprive the world of your soul and heart. Justice will come when those who hope outweigh those who despair. Hope is a force that cannot be reckoned with, ya Hayaat. You will find a place for yourself in this world." — Sitti Zeynab
August 10, 2015
داستان کتاب در مورد یک دختر فلسطینیه که در کرانه ی باختری ساکنه و بعد از مریض احوال شدن مادربزرگش تصمیم می گیره به قدس غربی بره و مقداری از خاک روستایی رو که مادربزرگش قبل از اشغال در اون ساکن بوده، براش بیاره. کتاب برای نوجوانان نوشته شده و مخاطب بزرگسال احتمالا لذت چندانی از خوندنش نمی بره.
ترجمه ی کتاب چندان خوب نبود. بیشتر اوقات مشکل چندانی نداشت، اما وقتی دو نفر با هم صحبت می کردن و یا یک نفر با بقیه شوخی می کرد، ترجمه به شدت نامفهوم می شد!
ترجمه ی کتاب چندان خوب نبود. بیشتر اوقات مشکل چندانی نداشت، اما وقتی دو نفر با هم صحبت می کردن و یا یک نفر با بقیه شوخی می کرد، ترجمه به شدت نامفهوم می شد!
September 6, 2017
Trigger warnings: war and everything that goes along with it, death of a friend, PTSD.
For a book intended for young adults, this is...INCREDIBLY political. It's the story of a thirteen year old Palestinian girl growing up in the West Bank. So, like, it was always going to be an incredibly political story. But at the same time, I don't think it had really occurred to me just HOW political this was going to be. It definitely doesn't paint Israel in a good light, and it's definitely pushing a Palestinian perspective, which should come as no surprise to anyone given that the author is of Palestinian descent.
Most of the story takes place over a single day as the protagonist and her best friend try to make their way from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Along the way, they encounter roadblocks (literally), people on both sides who go out of their way to help, and see how the other half live.
In some ways, it reminded me of The Hate U Give. The protagonist has facial scarring as the result of an incident that killed her childhood best friend, and moving through the checkpoints and seeing certain things on her journey is very triggering for her.
I wanted a more definitive ending than I got, but given the political situation in which the book is set, it was pretty naive of me to expect a definitive ending. It's not my favourite of her books, but it's definitely an interesting read that stabbed me right in the feels more times than I anticipated.
For a book intended for young adults, this is...INCREDIBLY political. It's the story of a thirteen year old Palestinian girl growing up in the West Bank. So, like, it was always going to be an incredibly political story. But at the same time, I don't think it had really occurred to me just HOW political this was going to be. It definitely doesn't paint Israel in a good light, and it's definitely pushing a Palestinian perspective, which should come as no surprise to anyone given that the author is of Palestinian descent.
Most of the story takes place over a single day as the protagonist and her best friend try to make their way from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Along the way, they encounter roadblocks (literally), people on both sides who go out of their way to help, and see how the other half live.
In some ways, it reminded me of The Hate U Give. The protagonist has facial scarring as the result of an incident that killed her childhood best friend, and moving through the checkpoints and seeing certain things on her journey is very triggering for her.
I wanted a more definitive ending than I got, but given the political situation in which the book is set, it was pretty naive of me to expect a definitive ending. It's not my favourite of her books, but it's definitely an interesting read that stabbed me right in the feels more times than I anticipated.
April 13, 2018
اسم فلسطین برای هیچکس ناآشنا نیست. ولی شاید برای خیلی از ما سوال باشد که مردم آن چگونه زندگی می کند. برای خود من همیشه سوال بود که اسرائیلی ها و عرب ها چه طور با هم زندگی می کنند. یا این که هیچکدام از سربازان اسراییلی در کارشان شک نکرده اند یا وقتی بچه ها را به گلوله می بندند هیچ حسی ندارند؟
"جایی که خیابان ها نام داشت" یک دیدی نسبت به زندگی در فلسطین اشغالی به من داد.
کتاب داستان دختری به نام حیات است که برای برآوردن آخرین آرزوی مادربزرگش به قدس می رود. در مسیر این سفر نویسنده کمی وضع زندگی در فلسطین زخم خورده را شرح می دهد و در فلش بک هایی، داستان غصب شدن زمین های فلسطینی ها و زندگی در اردوگاه ها را نیز تعریف می کند.
پی نوشت: ایده ی نویسنده اواخر کتاب درباره ی جنگ "تو ذوق زن" بود:|
"جایی که خیابان ها نام داشت" یک دیدی نسبت به زندگی در فلسطین اشغالی به من داد.
کتاب داستان دختری به نام حیات است که برای برآوردن آخرین آرزوی مادربزرگش به قدس می رود. در مسیر این سفر نویسنده کمی وضع زندگی در فلسطین زخم خورده را شرح می دهد و در فلش بک هایی، داستان غصب شدن زمین های فلسطینی ها و زندگی در اردوگاه ها را نیز تعریف می کند.
پی نوشت: ایده ی نویسنده اواخر کتاب درباره ی جنگ "تو ذوق زن" بود:|
July 7, 2024
This was such an enthralling and engaging read that give an interesting insight into what life for Palestinians in the West Bank looks like. Particularly, it showed the ways in which the very movement of Palestinians across their ancestral land is strictly policed and limited. Overall, though, this is a story about having the audacity to hope and to live your life to the fullest, despite the risks, knowing that what you yearn for and what you fight for is worthy.
One of the best Young Adult novels I have ever read in my life, and you should read it too.
One of the best Young Adult novels I have ever read in my life, and you should read it too.
September 22, 2010
When I was a child I had a very vague sense of global conflicts in other countries. Because of my Bloom County comics I knew a bit about apartheid in South Africa. Later as a teen I heard The Cranberries sing “Zombie” and eventually learned a bit about the troubles in Northern Ireland. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict, however, had a lousy pop culture PR department. Nowhere in the whole of my childhood did I encounter anything that even remotely explained the problems there. Heck it wasn’t until college that I got an inkling of what the deal was. Even then, it was difficult for me to comprehend. Kids today don’t have it much easier (and can I tell you how depressing it is to know that the troubles that existed when I was a child remain in place for children today?). They do, however, have a little more literature at their disposal. For younger kids there are shockingly few books. For older kids and teens, there are at least memoirs like Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat or Palestine by Joe Sacco. What about the middle grade options? Historically there have been a couple chapter books covering the topic, but nothing particularly memorable comes to mind. Enter Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah. Written by the acclaimed author of the YA novel Does My Head Look Big in This, Abdel-Fattah wades into waters that children’s book publishers generally shy away from. Hers is the hottest of hot topics, but she handles her subject matter with dignity and great storytelling.
Hayaat was beautiful once. That’s what her family would tell you. But since an accident involving the death of her best friend, she’s remained scarred and, to be blunt, scared. Hayaat lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank in 2004. Her family occupies a too small apartment and is preparing for the wedding of Hayaat’s sister Jihan. Unfortunately there are curfews to obey and constant checkpoints to pass. When Hayaat’s beloved Sitti Zeynab grows ill, Hayaat decides to put away the past and do the impossible. She will travel to her grandmother’s old home across the wall that divides the West Bank to bring some soil from in front of her old house. With her partner-in-crime Samy by her side, Hayaat reasons that the trip is attainable as it’s just a few miles. What she doesn’t count on, however, is the fact that for a Palestinian kid to make that trip, it may as well be halfway across the world. Hayaat, however, is determined and along the way she’s able to confront some of the demons from her past.
In a lot of ways this book is a good old-fashioned quest novel. You have your heroine, battle scarred, sending herself into a cold cruel world to gain the impossible. That the impossible would be a simple sample of soil doesn’t take anything away from the poignancy of her intent. By her side is her faithful sidekick, and along the way she meets a variety of different people. Some are bad, some are good, and all are human. So it's a quest novel, sure, but it's also a family dynamics novel. The story does a great job of making this an accessible novel to all kids so you believe in Hayaat’s family through and through. From her overbearing mother to her silent father to her grandmother, caught up in dreams and memories. You care about these people. You desperately want a happy ending for them.
Needless to say, if a person writes a book about Palestinians for kids, be it a picture book or a novel, it’s going to be considered a contentious subject. It’s easy to avoid such subjects. Most middle grade does. Abdel-Fattah is to be commended for her guts then. Though her critics will try to find fault with her depictions of Israel, Abdel-Fattah’s restraint is remarkable. There is a moment in this book when a curfew is in place and Hayaat peeks out at the streets at the Israeli soldiers patrolling there. She notes how young they are and how they must have families somewhere. That doesn’t stop her from remembering how her best friend was killed with rubber bullets, of course. Later we hear the tale from Hayaat’s grandmother of how she lost her home. When she and her husband went back, there were new residents living there. Through a translator they hear how the woman’s family died in the Holocaust and there’s that moment of feeling simultaneous pity and horror and anger. Regardless, one family has taken another family’s home which is wrong and not a difficult thing to understand. What Abdel-Fattah does is continually show that everyone in this situation is human. You’ll see similar techniques when authors write middle grade novels about Jim Crow in the American South. In those books you’ll usually find one sympathetic white person in the midst of racists. Similarly, this novel has Mali and David, two Israeli’s who object to the situation in the Middle East and have returned from their new country of residence to try and change things. Through their eyes you see that there is never a single way of thinking about something.
There are a lot of things I admire about this book but it’s the humor I particularly respect. This book is chock full of situations that are not funny. Curfews are not funny. Dehumanization of citizens is not funny. But between these bad times are moments of levity. You care deeply about Hayaat and her family and the little snatches of dialogue we get between characters can be telling. At one point Hayaat’s grandmother explains to her that husband was killed by getting run over by a car shortly after understanding that he’d never be able to return to his home. Hayaat interrupts by asking if he died of a broken heart. “ ‘Yes, of course it was,’ she says, looking confused. And every other part of his body. It was a big car’.”
There were a couple practical storytelling elements I would have changed, had I the power. For example, the moment when Hayaat pours the Jerusalem soil over her grandmother’s hands occurs on page 237. Yet we have a good seventy pages left to go at that point. Admittedly, there’s a lot of backstory to sum up. There’s Jihan’s wedding and the street kid that convinces Samy that he might contain the key to getting out of this life. Still, it was surprising to get past the most exciting elements of the book only to find everything was to be slowly slowly rectified. Another thing I would have included was an Author’s Note on the history of the region. The book sort of makes the assumption that kids are already aware of the history of Palestine and what it has been through. It assumes that they know why there are Israeli soldiers and checkpoints. Even a map of the region would have been important, particularly if it showed the remarkably short route Hayaat and Samy attempt to take. It would be interesting to hand this book to a kid who knew nothing about Israel/Palestine and see how much they comprehend. I suspect that this book would appeal to such kids with a yen for contemporary realistic fiction, but it would pair even better with taught units about Israel/Palestine today.
Getting kids to care about children like themselves in other countries is difficult. Getting kids to care about children in countries they may not have even heard of before is even more difficult. Certainly this book pairs beautifully with Barakat’s aforementioned Tasting the Sky. Both books beautifully convey an untenable situation that cries out for resolution. Abdel-Fattah’s book fills a massive gap in collections everywhere. This is a book worth reading. Hopefully lots of folks will.
For ages 9-12.
Hayaat was beautiful once. That’s what her family would tell you. But since an accident involving the death of her best friend, she’s remained scarred and, to be blunt, scared. Hayaat lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank in 2004. Her family occupies a too small apartment and is preparing for the wedding of Hayaat’s sister Jihan. Unfortunately there are curfews to obey and constant checkpoints to pass. When Hayaat’s beloved Sitti Zeynab grows ill, Hayaat decides to put away the past and do the impossible. She will travel to her grandmother’s old home across the wall that divides the West Bank to bring some soil from in front of her old house. With her partner-in-crime Samy by her side, Hayaat reasons that the trip is attainable as it’s just a few miles. What she doesn’t count on, however, is the fact that for a Palestinian kid to make that trip, it may as well be halfway across the world. Hayaat, however, is determined and along the way she’s able to confront some of the demons from her past.
In a lot of ways this book is a good old-fashioned quest novel. You have your heroine, battle scarred, sending herself into a cold cruel world to gain the impossible. That the impossible would be a simple sample of soil doesn’t take anything away from the poignancy of her intent. By her side is her faithful sidekick, and along the way she meets a variety of different people. Some are bad, some are good, and all are human. So it's a quest novel, sure, but it's also a family dynamics novel. The story does a great job of making this an accessible novel to all kids so you believe in Hayaat’s family through and through. From her overbearing mother to her silent father to her grandmother, caught up in dreams and memories. You care about these people. You desperately want a happy ending for them.
Needless to say, if a person writes a book about Palestinians for kids, be it a picture book or a novel, it’s going to be considered a contentious subject. It’s easy to avoid such subjects. Most middle grade does. Abdel-Fattah is to be commended for her guts then. Though her critics will try to find fault with her depictions of Israel, Abdel-Fattah’s restraint is remarkable. There is a moment in this book when a curfew is in place and Hayaat peeks out at the streets at the Israeli soldiers patrolling there. She notes how young they are and how they must have families somewhere. That doesn’t stop her from remembering how her best friend was killed with rubber bullets, of course. Later we hear the tale from Hayaat’s grandmother of how she lost her home. When she and her husband went back, there were new residents living there. Through a translator they hear how the woman’s family died in the Holocaust and there’s that moment of feeling simultaneous pity and horror and anger. Regardless, one family has taken another family’s home which is wrong and not a difficult thing to understand. What Abdel-Fattah does is continually show that everyone in this situation is human. You’ll see similar techniques when authors write middle grade novels about Jim Crow in the American South. In those books you’ll usually find one sympathetic white person in the midst of racists. Similarly, this novel has Mali and David, two Israeli’s who object to the situation in the Middle East and have returned from their new country of residence to try and change things. Through their eyes you see that there is never a single way of thinking about something.
There are a lot of things I admire about this book but it’s the humor I particularly respect. This book is chock full of situations that are not funny. Curfews are not funny. Dehumanization of citizens is not funny. But between these bad times are moments of levity. You care deeply about Hayaat and her family and the little snatches of dialogue we get between characters can be telling. At one point Hayaat’s grandmother explains to her that husband was killed by getting run over by a car shortly after understanding that he’d never be able to return to his home. Hayaat interrupts by asking if he died of a broken heart. “ ‘Yes, of course it was,’ she says, looking confused. And every other part of his body. It was a big car’.”
There were a couple practical storytelling elements I would have changed, had I the power. For example, the moment when Hayaat pours the Jerusalem soil over her grandmother’s hands occurs on page 237. Yet we have a good seventy pages left to go at that point. Admittedly, there’s a lot of backstory to sum up. There’s Jihan’s wedding and the street kid that convinces Samy that he might contain the key to getting out of this life. Still, it was surprising to get past the most exciting elements of the book only to find everything was to be slowly slowly rectified. Another thing I would have included was an Author’s Note on the history of the region. The book sort of makes the assumption that kids are already aware of the history of Palestine and what it has been through. It assumes that they know why there are Israeli soldiers and checkpoints. Even a map of the region would have been important, particularly if it showed the remarkably short route Hayaat and Samy attempt to take. It would be interesting to hand this book to a kid who knew nothing about Israel/Palestine and see how much they comprehend. I suspect that this book would appeal to such kids with a yen for contemporary realistic fiction, but it would pair even better with taught units about Israel/Palestine today.
Getting kids to care about children like themselves in other countries is difficult. Getting kids to care about children in countries they may not have even heard of before is even more difficult. Certainly this book pairs beautifully with Barakat’s aforementioned Tasting the Sky. Both books beautifully convey an untenable situation that cries out for resolution. Abdel-Fattah’s book fills a massive gap in collections everywhere. This is a book worth reading. Hopefully lots of folks will.
For ages 9-12.
September 18, 2013
كتب زي دي هي اللي بتخليك عاوز تصرخ جامد أوي
كأن فيه جرح كبير شبه ملتئم جواك
وحد يحطلك فيه شوية ملح
الكتاب ده مفروض انه خفيف و كوميدي زي ما مكتوب عليه
بس ده بالنسبة لواحد مش عربي
ممكن عشان مش هيخليه يحس بالعجز الفظيع ده أو إحساس الذل والهوان
ازاي أبسط حق للإنسان يروح منه بالشكل ده؟؟
و الاخر احنا عنصريين وكارهي السلام وأعداء للسامية وإرهابيين والكلام الأهبل ده
بينما أي حد عنده ذرة تفكير يقدر يقولك مين الظالم ومين صاحب الحق
الكتاب نفسه مستواه جيد ولكن متوسط الجودة
الأسلوب كويس
كان فيه بعض الحاجات الغير لائقة هدفها انك تضحك لكن انتهت بشعورك بالاشمئزاز
عجبتني الحوارات الطفولية بين حياة وسامي
كل واحد عاوز يعمل نفسه كبير وفاهم أكتر من التاني
الفكرة الرئيسية للكتاب كانت رائعة
الطفلة اللي هدفها تجيب تراب الوطن لجدتها
فكرة نبيلة فعلا لا تليق بتفكير طفلة طبيعية
ولكن من قال أن أطفال فلسطين أطفال طبيعيون؟؟
وعلي لسان البطلة :عمري ثلاثة عشر عاما وأعرف معني الدم أعرف ماذا يعني أن تفقد الأحبة أعرف رائحة الجثة أعرف شكل الجسم يسوي تحت دبابة أعرف سحب التراب والغبار التي يخلفها بلدوزر مسعور
مواقف كتير أوي صعب تتخيلها لجان التفتيش وهدم البيوت وحظر التجوال
في الواقع الكتاب ده مش كوميدي ومش خفيف بالنسبة لي علي الأقل
حرك جوايا مشاعر كراهية و هوان وإحساس بالظلم
كأن فيه جرح كبير شبه ملتئم جواك
وحد يحطلك فيه شوية ملح
الكتاب ده مفروض انه خفيف و كوميدي زي ما مكتوب عليه
بس ده بالنسبة لواحد مش عربي
ممكن عشان مش هيخليه يحس بالعجز الفظيع ده أو إحساس الذل والهوان
ازاي أبسط حق للإنسان يروح منه بالشكل ده؟؟
و الاخر احنا عنصريين وكارهي السلام وأعداء للسامية وإرهابيين والكلام الأهبل ده
بينما أي حد عنده ذرة تفكير يقدر يقولك مين الظالم ومين صاحب الحق
الكتاب نفسه مستواه جيد ولكن متوسط الجودة
الأسلوب كويس
كان فيه بعض الحاجات الغير لائقة هدفها انك تضحك لكن انتهت بشعورك بالاشمئزاز
عجبتني الحوارات الطفولية بين حياة وسامي
كل واحد عاوز يعمل نفسه كبير وفاهم أكتر من التاني
الفكرة الرئيسية للكتاب كانت رائعة
الطفلة اللي هدفها تجيب تراب الوطن لجدتها
فكرة نبيلة فعلا لا تليق بتفكير طفلة طبيعية
ولكن من قال أن أطفال فلسطين أطفال طبيعيون؟؟
وعلي لسان البطلة :عمري ثلاثة عشر عاما وأعرف معني الدم أعرف ماذا يعني أن تفقد الأحبة أعرف رائحة الجثة أعرف شكل الجسم يسوي تحت دبابة أعرف سحب التراب والغبار التي يخلفها بلدوزر مسعور
مواقف كتير أوي صعب تتخيلها لجان التفتيش وهدم البيوت وحظر التجوال
في الواقع الكتاب ده مش كوميدي ومش خفيف بالنسبة لي علي الأقل
حرك جوايا مشاعر كراهية و هوان وإحساس بالظلم
July 17, 2016
اسلوب الرواية يعطيك شعور وكأنك تعيش احداثها.. :)
"حياة" مراهقة تعيش في بيت لحم تذهب في مغامرة مع "سامي" للقدس عشان تحقق حلم جدتها "زينب".. ^^
شعور كتير صعب أن تحس بالغربة في وطنك..!!
"حياة" مراهقة تعيش في بيت لحم تذهب في مغامرة مع "سامي" للقدس عشان تحقق حلم جدتها "زينب".. ^^
شعور كتير صعب أن تحس بالغربة في وطنك..!!
February 1, 2015
رواية تحكي رحلة حياة و صديقها سامي المحفوفة بالمخاطر لإعتقادها بأن حفنة تراب من بلدة جدتها ستشفيها من المرض..
مقطع أعجبني من الرواية..
أقول لراغب بعد أن هدأ الجميع وسادت السكينة في السيارة: " هذا الجندي لطيف أليس كذلك"
يقول لي راغب في صوت خفيض: " يذكرني هذا الموقف بقصة قرأتها في طفولتي هل تريدين أن أحكيها يا حياة؟ " عندما رآني اومئ استمر في حكايته: " كان يا ما كان، كان هناك صياد خرج إلى الغابة ليصطاد. وفي الغابة رأى شجرة تمتلئ بالطيور فصوب بندقيته ناحيتها فأصاب الكثيرين، بعض الطيور مات وبعضها أصيب. بدأ الصياد في التقاط الطيور الميتة وقتل الطيور المصابة بسكينه.
و أثناء انهماكه في هذا العمل ترقرقت بضع قطرات من الدموع في عينيه بسبب برودة الجو. فقال الطائر: "هذا الصياد طيب القلب. انظر إلى عينيه، فهو يبكي علينا"
فقال له الطائر الآخر "انس عينيه وانظر إلى يديه"
مقطع أعجبني من الرواية..
أقول لراغب بعد أن هدأ الجميع وسادت السكينة في السيارة: " هذا الجندي لطيف أليس كذلك"
يقول لي راغب في صوت خفيض: " يذكرني هذا الموقف بقصة قرأتها في طفولتي هل تريدين أن أحكيها يا حياة؟ " عندما رآني اومئ استمر في حكايته: " كان يا ما كان، كان هناك صياد خرج إلى الغابة ليصطاد. وفي الغابة رأى شجرة تمتلئ بالطيور فصوب بندقيته ناحيتها فأصاب الكثيرين، بعض الطيور مات وبعضها أصيب. بدأ الصياد في التقاط الطيور الميتة وقتل الطيور المصابة بسكينه.
و أثناء انهماكه في هذا العمل ترقرقت بضع قطرات من الدموع في عينيه بسبب برودة الجو. فقال الطائر: "هذا الصياد طيب القلب. انظر إلى عينيه، فهو يبكي علينا"
فقال له الطائر الآخر "انس عينيه وانظر إلى يديه"
March 11, 2017
يا للْماضي حتى أن الشوارع لم تسلم منه!!ا
لم تُتقن فن النسيان بعد!! لم تُتقن كره أرضها بعد!!ا
وإن أتى من يزودها بمردودٍ من الأحلام، فلكم أن تتخيلو ماذا سيحدث!؛ا
حياة" فتاة تمتلك حسا ثائراً شجاعاً في داخلها، ويبدو أنه على بساطة الرواية جعلتني أرى جميع شخصياتها كذالك
الرواية كانت عبارة عن رحلة شيقة مشوبة بقلق ينزاحُ بعفوية
فلا مجال فيها للتعقيد بتاتا فهي تنقل الواقع بكل دقته وبساطته وصدقه!!ا
ليس لي سوى أن أقول: حينما تغربُ شمس الظلام عنك يا قدسُ، سأصفقُ عالياً
فهناكَ حتما قطعٌ منها متواجدة فوق أرضكِ يا دمشقُ
لم تُتقن فن النسيان بعد!! لم تُتقن كره أرضها بعد!!ا
وإن أتى من يزودها بمردودٍ من الأحلام، فلكم أن تتخيلو ماذا سيحدث!؛ا
حياة" فتاة تمتلك حسا ثائراً شجاعاً في داخلها، ويبدو أنه على بساطة الرواية جعلتني أرى جميع شخصياتها كذالك
الرواية كانت عبارة عن رحلة شيقة مشوبة بقلق ينزاحُ بعفوية
فلا مجال فيها للتعقيد بتاتا فهي تنقل الواقع بكل دقته وبساطته وصدقه!!ا
ليس لي سوى أن أقول: حينما تغربُ شمس الظلام عنك يا قدسُ، سأصفقُ عالياً
فهناكَ حتما قطعٌ منها متواجدة فوق أرضكِ يا دمشقُ
December 20, 2023
This middle grade novel does an excellent job bringing to life some of the realities of Palestinian life to young readers. From checkpoints to parents kidnapped by IDF, witnessing the death of young friends to mourning the loss of ancestral lands, Abdel-Fattah's writing is moving and meaningful.
While the plot itself might seem "slow" to some readers (two Palestinian children trying to secretly enter Jerusalem from the West Bank), it is the emotion within it that makes all the difference in the world.
This book should be mandatory reading in public schools as part of any history and social justice lessons.
While the plot itself might seem "slow" to some readers (two Palestinian children trying to secretly enter Jerusalem from the West Bank), it is the emotion within it that makes all the difference in the world.
This book should be mandatory reading in public schools as part of any history and social justice lessons.
April 24, 2021
سیزده سالم بود و معنی خون را میفهمیدم. معنی از دست دادن عزیزان را میفهمیدم. بوی بدن مرده را میفهمیدم. شکل بدنی را که زیر تانک صاف و له بشود میفهمیدم. خاک و غباری را که بولدوزری دیوانه بلند میکرد میفهمیدم. عن قریب بود که دیوار کامل شود و فکر میکردم بخش زیادی از بیت لحم مجبور خواهند شد وطن و خانهشان را ترک کنند. کارها تعطیل خواهد شد. خانهها و خیابانها خالی خواهد شد. مدرسهها نصف خواهد شد. من در زندانی گشاده زندگی میکنم ولی هیچ وقت در ناامیدی زندگی نخواهم کرد. چون سیزده سال دارم و این هم چیزی است که آن را میفهمم.
در آنجا تا هروقت که حیات باشد، عشق هم خواهد بود. حتما خواهم آموخت آینه را دوست بدارم، همان طور که آموختم در حالی که به مایسه میاندیشم لبخند بزنم. گذشته میتواند هم عذاب آور باشد و هم شفابخش. من تلاش خواهم کرد، تلاشی بیش از آنچه برای بقا و زنده ماندن لازم است. در نهایت، همه ما جز مخلوقات بشری نیستیم که به یک شکل میخندیم و دنیا روزی خواهد فهمید
که ما فقط میخواستیم همچون ملتی آزاد زندگی کنیم؛ ملتی که امید، کرامت و هدف دارد. این همه چیز است.
در آنجا تا هروقت که حیات باشد، عشق هم خواهد بود. حتما خواهم آموخت آینه را دوست بدارم، همان طور که آموختم در حالی که به مایسه میاندیشم لبخند بزنم. گذشته میتواند هم عذاب آور باشد و هم شفابخش. من تلاش خواهم کرد، تلاشی بیش از آنچه برای بقا و زنده ماندن لازم است. در نهایت، همه ما جز مخلوقات بشری نیستیم که به یک شکل میخندیم و دنیا روزی خواهد فهمید
که ما فقط میخواستیم همچون ملتی آزاد زندگی کنیم؛ ملتی که امید، کرامت و هدف دارد. این همه چیز است.
January 27, 2013
كان ينبغي تحذيري بأنها رواية للمراهقين :)
كانت لطيفة على أي حال.
كانت لطيفة على أي حال.
January 28, 2026
I’m going to let quotes from the author be my review for this book; her words are far better than my thoughts on it…
Memorable Quotes:
(Pg.67)-“ Yes, Hayaat, they laugh. It is just that nobody has realized that laughter sounds the same, whether it shakes its way out of an Israeli, or Palestinian.”
(Pg.259)-“We have two choices in this world…we either try to survive or we give up.”
(Pg. 307)-“In the end we are all of us human beings who laugh the same, and one day the world will realize that we simply want to live as free people, with hope and dignity and purpose.”
This book was written in 2008, but its message for today is so, so timely…
Memorable Quotes:
(Pg.67)-“ Yes, Hayaat, they laugh. It is just that nobody has realized that laughter sounds the same, whether it shakes its way out of an Israeli, or Palestinian.”
(Pg.259)-“We have two choices in this world…we either try to survive or we give up.”
(Pg. 307)-“In the end we are all of us human beings who laugh the same, and one day the world will realize that we simply want to live as free people, with hope and dignity and purpose.”
This book was written in 2008, but its message for today is so, so timely…
August 22, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
An effortlessly captivating style of writing, with the innocence of a 13-year-old protagonist is what I like about this book: makes its dark and heavy setting less intense. Being exposed to our media, which shows only bombings, destruction and conspiracy when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, makes it very hard to imagine that in the West Banks, life goes on. Tourists walk around, kids go to school, people throw weddings, dance Dabka, buy groceries and, well, live their lives. For me, the concept of acceptance among people of different ethnicities in a multi religious environment IN THE MIDDLE EAST, is very very difficult. This book is one of the best children's book I've read. War is always better described from the point of view of a child, and the author has managed to add humor and life to the sad and dark themes of the book. however, I could clearly distinguish between when Hayaat was talking and when the author herself took over, putting adult words in the mouth of a child, but there weren't many moments like this. There was a lot of history in the book but it wasn't forced, it was natural and real. Overall I enjoyed it very much and I think more kids should have the opportunity to read it. (It made me want to visit Jerusalem so badly, but that's not possible, so, never mind. Ugh.)
An effortlessly captivating style of writing, with the innocence of a 13-year-old protagonist is what I like about this book: makes its dark and heavy setting less intense. Being exposed to our media, which shows only bombings, destruction and conspiracy when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, makes it very hard to imagine that in the West Banks, life goes on. Tourists walk around, kids go to school, people throw weddings, dance Dabka, buy groceries and, well, live their lives. For me, the concept of acceptance among people of different ethnicities in a multi religious environment IN THE MIDDLE EAST, is very very difficult. This book is one of the best children's book I've read. War is always better described from the point of view of a child, and the author has managed to add humor and life to the sad and dark themes of the book. however, I could clearly distinguish between when Hayaat was talking and when the author herself took over, putting adult words in the mouth of a child, but there weren't many moments like this. There was a lot of history in the book but it wasn't forced, it was natural and real. Overall I enjoyed it very much and I think more kids should have the opportunity to read it. (It made me want to visit Jerusalem so badly, but that's not possible, so, never mind. Ugh.)
February 24, 2017
What a great idea for a book. This is about a Palestinian family living in the West Bank. They have lost their land in Jerusalem, and to add insult to injury, they are forbidden to even go there since they are now "green cards". When 13-year-old Hayatt's grandmother is rushed to the hospital, she decides to do something really special for her so she can regain her strength: she will find a way to sneak into Jerusalem and retrieve some soil from her ancestral home. Jerusalem is only 6 miles away, but for Hayatt and her friend Samy, it is a far-away and forbidden country, and indeed it is that difficult to penetrate. They face soldiers with machine guns, flying checkpoints, The Wall, and more. For these West Bankers, this is a way of life. Hayatt likens her life to being confined to an open-air prison. Along the way she meets people with all kinds of opinions on the situation in Israel, even two Israelis fighting for peace between the people. We finally find out what happened to Hayatt and it is a poignant moment. I love when I find a book like this that really has the potential to make an impact on people. A great middle-grade novel, but just as great for teens and adults of all ages. 5 stars, highly recommended.
November 19, 2008
Abdel-Fattah leaves her familiar subject of ethnic Australia, and explores the characters of youths living in a troubled society in the Middle East. However, this story, whilst tragic, is also very funny and uplifting, and celebrates the strength and hope that we can still gain through family, even in the harshest circumstances.
December 26, 2023
'There is no war in music.' A beautifully told & nuanced story about family roots, hope, loss and life in the middle of occupied, stolen Palestinian land.
Full review on the blog: https://paperwanderer.wordpress.com/2...
Full review on the blog: https://paperwanderer.wordpress.com/2...
May 24, 2024
حالا که تموم شده، وقتی کل کتاب رو نگاه میکنم؛ یه قفس میبینم، یه زندان، یه خانواده تو این قفس که تفکر بزرگترها و کوچکترها اینه که خانه و باغ و هر چیزی که تو این دن��ا دوست داشتن رو ازشون گرفتن. خاک کشورشون رو ازشون گرفتن، خونه، اتاق، آشپزخونه، پنجرهای که دیداندازش به باغشون که بابا داره توش کار میکنه رو گرفتن و به جاش ادمهای غریبهای که به زور از خونه بیرونشون کردن، به جای اونا به اون دیدانداز دسترسی دارن، توی اون آشپزخونه غذا درست میکنن و... به طور کل آزادی و امنیت رو ازشون گرفتن...
ولی تو این قفس هنوز زندگی در جریانه... باید با حکومت نظامی کنار بیایم، با تیراندازی کنار بیایم، با ترس و نا امنی کنار بیایم، با ایستگاه های نظامی برای عبور از هر کجا و معطلی چند ساعته بدون دلیل کنار بیایم، با کشته شدن نزدیکانمون کنار بیایم، ولی دست از زندگی نکشیم، دست از امید نکشیم، دست از رویای آزادی نکشیم، و در نهایت؛
دست از رویای بودن در قدس نکشیم....🌾
ولی تو این قفس هنوز زندگی در جریانه... باید با حکومت نظامی کنار بیایم، با تیراندازی کنار بیایم، با ترس و نا امنی کنار بیایم، با ایستگاه های نظامی برای عبور از هر کجا و معطلی چند ساعته بدون دلیل کنار بیایم، با کشته شدن نزدیکانمون کنار بیایم، ولی دست از زندگی نکشیم، دست از امید نکشیم، دست از رویای آزادی نکشیم، و در نهایت؛
دست از رویای بودن در قدس نکشیم....🌾
May 15, 2011
One of the hardest things to do in fiction is tackle a complex issue and still deliver an engaging story.
Randa Abdel-Fattah, a Muslim of Palestinian and Egyptian heritage who grew up in Melbourne, has a strong literary track record of tackling the challenging topic of being a teenage girl of Middle Eastern descent in urban Australia.
Her breakthrough first novel, Does my head look big in this?, was a witty and enjoyable story about an Australian-Palestinian Muslim who decides to wear the hijab, and the courage it takes to display her faith.
Her follow up, Ten things I hate about me, was more about cultural identity (rather than religious), in which a Lebanese teenager in Sydney goes to great lengths to hide her ethnicity from her friends.
Now, Abdel-Fattah has gone a step further, using her gifts as a storyteller to present a Palestinian perspective on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.
Where the streets had a name features the likable narrative voice of Hayaat, a teenage girl whose face is scarred from an event we don’t fully understand until almost the end of the novel.
Hayaat is like most teenagers. She wants to be loved and accepted. She wants her family to be safe. She’s learned to live with the restrictions and curfews of the occupation and the bitterness of those around her who have lost homes and land to the Israelis.
Hayaat has no desire to cause trouble, but when her beloved grandmother, Sitti Zeynab, falls ill, Hayaat is convinced the only thing to lift her spirits will be to touch the soil of her village again. So she and her best friend Samy decide to go themselves, to bring back a jar of the precious dirt.
The trouble is, Sitti Zeynab’s village is on the other side of the giant concrete wall built by the Israelis to keep them separate from the West Bank Palestinians. What should only be a trip of a few miles will take Hayaat and Sami a full day, as they negotiate check points, roadblocks, unreliable public transport and Israeli soldiers.
Given the polemic nature of the Israeli-Palestinian situation itself, it’s a near impossible task to write a story about it with polarising people. But while the Abdel-Fattah’s sympathies lie with the non-violent men, women and children suffering under the occupation, she avoids the trap of painting a simple picture of villains and heroes.
This is a human story. It’s an attempt to show the human face of the occupation – on both sides of the wall. Both sides fear and mistrust the other, but – as this novel quietly suggests – there is hope on both sides too.
Hayaat is a Muslim, yet her best friend Samy is Christian and the difference in their faith appears to have very little significance to them or their community: they are all Palestinian and all living under occupation. And, interestingly, the men and women who help Hayaat and Samy the most during their journey (probably because they have the freedom to so) are Israelis, who – openly or otherwise – oppose the occupation.
Abdel-Fattah’s connection to the people and the place in this story allows her to capture the humour, spirit and humanity of a people whose plight is frequently over-shadowed by the violence perpetrated by a few, but ascribed to all.
Sitti, who has suffered the most in Hayaat’s family, also has the greatest capacity to laugh at the situation of her people.
To Hayaat’s sister, who is dieting in the lead-up to her wedding: “A little meat on a woman is nice. Do you want people to look at your on your wedding day and think you had a holiday in Gaza?”
But Sitti also carries the grief of a nation without a status. To the Israeli family who claimed her home as her own: “I’m sorry for what happened to your family and your people, but why must we be punished?”
And finally, it is Sitti who offers her granddaughter a glimmer of hope that one day the Israelis and Palestinians may find a way to live together: “Justice will come when those who hope outweigh those who despair. Hope is a force that cannot be reckoned with, ya Hayaat.”
Randa Abdel-Fattah, a Muslim of Palestinian and Egyptian heritage who grew up in Melbourne, has a strong literary track record of tackling the challenging topic of being a teenage girl of Middle Eastern descent in urban Australia.
Her breakthrough first novel, Does my head look big in this?, was a witty and enjoyable story about an Australian-Palestinian Muslim who decides to wear the hijab, and the courage it takes to display her faith.
Her follow up, Ten things I hate about me, was more about cultural identity (rather than religious), in which a Lebanese teenager in Sydney goes to great lengths to hide her ethnicity from her friends.
Now, Abdel-Fattah has gone a step further, using her gifts as a storyteller to present a Palestinian perspective on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.
Where the streets had a name features the likable narrative voice of Hayaat, a teenage girl whose face is scarred from an event we don’t fully understand until almost the end of the novel.
Hayaat is like most teenagers. She wants to be loved and accepted. She wants her family to be safe. She’s learned to live with the restrictions and curfews of the occupation and the bitterness of those around her who have lost homes and land to the Israelis.
Hayaat has no desire to cause trouble, but when her beloved grandmother, Sitti Zeynab, falls ill, Hayaat is convinced the only thing to lift her spirits will be to touch the soil of her village again. So she and her best friend Samy decide to go themselves, to bring back a jar of the precious dirt.
The trouble is, Sitti Zeynab’s village is on the other side of the giant concrete wall built by the Israelis to keep them separate from the West Bank Palestinians. What should only be a trip of a few miles will take Hayaat and Sami a full day, as they negotiate check points, roadblocks, unreliable public transport and Israeli soldiers.
Given the polemic nature of the Israeli-Palestinian situation itself, it’s a near impossible task to write a story about it with polarising people. But while the Abdel-Fattah’s sympathies lie with the non-violent men, women and children suffering under the occupation, she avoids the trap of painting a simple picture of villains and heroes.
This is a human story. It’s an attempt to show the human face of the occupation – on both sides of the wall. Both sides fear and mistrust the other, but – as this novel quietly suggests – there is hope on both sides too.
Hayaat is a Muslim, yet her best friend Samy is Christian and the difference in their faith appears to have very little significance to them or their community: they are all Palestinian and all living under occupation. And, interestingly, the men and women who help Hayaat and Samy the most during their journey (probably because they have the freedom to so) are Israelis, who – openly or otherwise – oppose the occupation.
Abdel-Fattah’s connection to the people and the place in this story allows her to capture the humour, spirit and humanity of a people whose plight is frequently over-shadowed by the violence perpetrated by a few, but ascribed to all.
Sitti, who has suffered the most in Hayaat’s family, also has the greatest capacity to laugh at the situation of her people.
To Hayaat’s sister, who is dieting in the lead-up to her wedding: “A little meat on a woman is nice. Do you want people to look at your on your wedding day and think you had a holiday in Gaza?”
But Sitti also carries the grief of a nation without a status. To the Israeli family who claimed her home as her own: “I’m sorry for what happened to your family and your people, but why must we be punished?”
And finally, it is Sitti who offers her granddaughter a glimmer of hope that one day the Israelis and Palestinians may find a way to live together: “Justice will come when those who hope outweigh those who despair. Hope is a force that cannot be reckoned with, ya Hayaat.”
September 12, 2021
“The nostagia suffocates me. I see my limestone house in the village. I see the radio your grandfather bought when we went to Souk in the old city. We kept the radio in the kitchen. I see the arched windows overlooking the hills, each window like a stone frame. I can smell my jasmine and almond trees and remember the olive trees i harvested. Those memories stow themselves in my windpipe until i dare not conjure another memory or i will scarcely be able to breathe”.
- Where the streets had name by Randa Abdel-Fatteh
.
.
In the alternate universe, maybe this story will be just about 2 mischievous teenagers named Hayaat and Samy embarking a road trip to the unknown place which Hayaat’s grandmother used to live. Instead of scaling the wall to enter the place illegally, the worst obstacle they faced is just the place no longer exist and being replaced by the shopping mall building not being taken over illegally by Zionist Occupation. In the alternate universe, Hayaat Grandmother may lose her house due to the financial constraint instead of being forced to fled by the Israel force. But we are not talking about the alternate universe, Arent we? Be it in the book or what happened right now, illegal occupation is still going on and people are being evicted from their land and home by Israel. I can see that this book is somewhat a tribute to Author’s grandma that wanted to touch the soil of their homeland but couldnt do so. We always take granted of what we have such as traveling 10 km from our home does not mean anything to us. However, for Hayaat and Samy, it is not that easy, checkpoint upon checkpoint, insults and unfair treatment by Israelis Officers and they can easily being forced to leave their bus if these zionists felt they are up to no good. Overall, this book provided great insights of what it felt being a teenagers in Palestine. They saw the despair of their parents and grandparents losing their homeland but that does not stop them to still enjoy life has to offer. Hayat and Samy friendship is adorable, as hayat is optimist and self aware but Samy is pessimist and nihilist which causing them to always bicker and argue over small things. However, they are fiercely loyal to each other. Along their unplanned journey to collect the soil for Hayaat’s grandma, they have met many people along the way, Naseem (a refugee boy), David and Mali (An israeli activists) and also Kareem’s family who were forced out of bus even they did nothing wrong. This is fast-paced novel with a brief history commentary especially Palestine and Israel Conflict. If you wanted to read a young adult novel about Palestine, this has it all. A highly recommended reading.
- Where the streets had name by Randa Abdel-Fatteh
.
.
In the alternate universe, maybe this story will be just about 2 mischievous teenagers named Hayaat and Samy embarking a road trip to the unknown place which Hayaat’s grandmother used to live. Instead of scaling the wall to enter the place illegally, the worst obstacle they faced is just the place no longer exist and being replaced by the shopping mall building not being taken over illegally by Zionist Occupation. In the alternate universe, Hayaat Grandmother may lose her house due to the financial constraint instead of being forced to fled by the Israel force. But we are not talking about the alternate universe, Arent we? Be it in the book or what happened right now, illegal occupation is still going on and people are being evicted from their land and home by Israel. I can see that this book is somewhat a tribute to Author’s grandma that wanted to touch the soil of their homeland but couldnt do so. We always take granted of what we have such as traveling 10 km from our home does not mean anything to us. However, for Hayaat and Samy, it is not that easy, checkpoint upon checkpoint, insults and unfair treatment by Israelis Officers and they can easily being forced to leave their bus if these zionists felt they are up to no good. Overall, this book provided great insights of what it felt being a teenagers in Palestine. They saw the despair of their parents and grandparents losing their homeland but that does not stop them to still enjoy life has to offer. Hayat and Samy friendship is adorable, as hayat is optimist and self aware but Samy is pessimist and nihilist which causing them to always bicker and argue over small things. However, they are fiercely loyal to each other. Along their unplanned journey to collect the soil for Hayaat’s grandma, they have met many people along the way, Naseem (a refugee boy), David and Mali (An israeli activists) and also Kareem’s family who were forced out of bus even they did nothing wrong. This is fast-paced novel with a brief history commentary especially Palestine and Israel Conflict. If you wanted to read a young adult novel about Palestine, this has it all. A highly recommended reading.
October 24, 2013
إن كنت فلسطينياً
ستعلم ما معنى أن تعيش بغربة وأنتَ في وطنك
معنى أن يمنعك من سرق منك وطنك من الوصول إلى قريتك
وأرضك
أن تُحرم من تقبيل تراب وطنك أو حتى الحصول عليه
أن يُهدم بيتك أمامك ولا تملك القوة لتمنع حدوث ذلك
أن يفصل بين كل بلد بضع الكيلومترات فقط
ولكن لا يمكنك الوصول إلا بعد المرور بمئات نقاط التفتيش والحواجز
أن يكون جسدك في مكان وقلبك وروحك تنتمي لمكان آخر
معنى أن ترمي الدنيا همومها كلها عليك
وتجعل من المكان الذي أنت توجد فيه جهنم
إلا أنك تقاوم كل ذلك وتبتسم
ورغم كل ذلك فلسطينيتك تمنعك من محو كل تلك الذكريات
الذكريات كلها تلك المؤلمة والموجعة هي الوحيدة التي تبقى عالقة في الذهن وحتى لو أصابه المرض تبقى صورة الوطن..
فكيف ل "حياة" التي تبلغ من العمر ثلاث عشرة سنة
أن تعرف معنى أن تفقد أحبتها دون لقاء أو تعرف رائحة الجثة كيف تكون ومعنى الدم والحواجز وهدّم البيوت وحظر التجوال وشكل الجسم تحت دبابة وأن يكون هدفك هو... الحصول على تراب الوطن؟
أخبرتني ستّي كثيراً عن قريتها التي هجرت منها في "يافا" وعن حلمها في الرجوع إلى بيتها أو حتى الحصول على القليل من ترابه
لكن لم أكن في ذلك الوقت أملك الشجاعة التي تمتلكها حياة في أن أتحدى كل تلك الحواجز والوصول إلى قرية ستّي
ماتت ستّي وهي ما زالت ترى "يافا" كما تركتها..
"إنّني أعيش في سجن مفتوح، ولكنّني لن أعيش في يأس. لأن عمري ثلاث عشرة سنة وهذا ما أعرفه أيضاً."
"طالما كان هناك حياة كان هناك حُب. إنّني سأفعل أكثر من مجرد البقاء. أنّنا جميعاً في النهاية لسنا سوى مخلوقات بشرية تضحك نفس الضحكة، وإنّ العالم يوماً ما سوف يُدرك أنّنا ببساطة نريد أن نعيش كشعب حرّ، له أمل وكرامة وهدف.. هذا هو كل شيء.
حقاً أطفال فلسطين ليسوا طبيعيين.
ستعلم ما معنى أن تعيش بغربة وأنتَ في وطنك
معنى أن يمنعك من سرق منك وطنك من الوصول إلى قريتك
وأرضك
أن تُحرم من تقبيل تراب وطنك أو حتى الحصول عليه
أن يُهدم بيتك أمامك ولا تملك القوة لتمنع حدوث ذلك
أن يفصل بين كل بلد بضع الكيلومترات فقط
ولكن لا يمكنك الوصول إلا بعد المرور بمئات نقاط التفتيش والحواجز
أن يكون جسدك في مكان وقلبك وروحك تنتمي لمكان آخر
معنى أن ترمي الدنيا همومها كلها عليك
وتجعل من المكان الذي أنت توجد فيه جهنم
إلا أنك تقاوم كل ذلك وتبتسم
ورغم كل ذلك فلسطينيتك تمنعك من محو كل تلك الذكريات
الذكريات كلها تلك المؤلمة والموجعة هي الوحيدة التي تبقى عالقة في الذهن وحتى لو أصابه المرض تبقى صورة الوطن..
فكيف ل "حياة" التي تبلغ من العمر ثلاث عشرة سنة
أن تعرف معنى أن تفقد أحبتها دون لقاء أو تعرف رائحة الجثة كيف تكون ومعنى الدم والحواجز وهدّم البيوت وحظر التجوال وشكل الجسم تحت دبابة وأن يكون هدفك هو... الحصول على تراب الوطن؟
أخبرتني ستّي كثيراً عن قريتها التي هجرت منها في "يافا" وعن حلمها في الرجوع إلى بيتها أو حتى الحصول على القليل من ترابه
لكن لم أكن في ذلك الوقت أملك الشجاعة التي تمتلكها حياة في أن أتحدى كل تلك الحواجز والوصول إلى قرية ستّي
ماتت ستّي وهي ما زالت ترى "يافا" كما تركتها..
"إنّني أعيش في سجن مفتوح، ولكنّني لن أعيش في يأس. لأن عمري ثلاث عشرة سنة وهذا ما أعرفه أيضاً."
"طالما كان هناك حياة كان هناك حُب. إنّني سأفعل أكثر من مجرد البقاء. أنّنا جميعاً في النهاية لسنا سوى مخلوقات بشرية تضحك نفس الضحكة، وإنّ العالم يوماً ما سوف يُدرك أنّنا ببساطة نريد أن نعيش كشعب حرّ، له أمل وكرامة وهدف.. هذا هو كل شيء.
حقاً أطفال فلسطين ليسوا طبيعيين.
August 21, 2016
Simply breathtaking. That is all I can say.
July 5, 2021
"في هذا العالم خياران. إما البقاء وإما الاستسلام"
رواية تقص حياة أحد العائلات الفلسطينية، بسيطة اللغة والشرح والتسلسل، عظيمة التأثير!
لأول مرة أقرأ كتاب عن حياة الفلسطينيين وأشعر بالفرح ولو قليلاً، شكراً حياة وشكراً سامي.
شكراً لرندة عبد الفتاح.
رواية تقص حياة أحد العائلات الفلسطينية، بسيطة اللغة والشرح والتسلسل، عظيمة التأثير!
لأول مرة أقرأ كتاب عن حياة الفلسطينيين وأشعر بالفرح ولو قليلاً، شكراً حياة وشكراً سامي.
شكراً لرندة عبد الفتاح.
October 30, 2012
رواية تجمع بين المتناقضات ،، كيف لا و هي تحكي قصة أبطالها على أرض فلسطين الحبيبة التي ترتدي ثوب التناقض كي تستطيع العيش و تعلن للعالم أننا باقون رغم كل شئ
،
تشويق وكوميديا طريفة يقابله حنين إلى الوطن وصور من الواقع المرير الذي
يعانيه أبناء الوطن
" حياة) بطلة القصة ،، رغم صغر عمرها إلا أنها اسم على مُسمّى فالـ"الحياة)
أذاقتها الكثيـــر ،، و ربما كانت مثالاً ورمزاً للكثير من أطفال شعبنا
،
ولكن فاجأتني النهاية بحيث شعرتها تقليدية في بداية الأمر ،، و لكن عندما تعمقت بها وجدت (حفلة الزفاف) تحمل معاني كثيرة ،، تحمل معني الأمل وعدم اليأس و الاستمرار و البقاء رغم كل ما تناولته الرواية من صنوف الكبت و العذاب في المجتمع الفلسطيني المحتل ،،
فليس هنالك نهاية للقضية الفلسطينية يمكن تسطيرها في صفحات الروايات ،، ستدوم القضية و تدوم معها الحياة حتى يبزغ فجر الحرية ذات يوم و عندها ستكون النهاية بالفعل !!
فكما قالت حياة:
"لدينا في هذا العالم خياران ، إمّاأن نحاول البقاء و إمَا أن نستسلم "
،
تشويق وكوميديا طريفة يقابله حنين إلى الوطن وصور من الواقع المرير الذي
يعانيه أبناء الوطن
" حياة) بطلة القصة ،، رغم صغر عمرها إلا أنها اسم على مُسمّى فالـ"الحياة)
أذاقتها الكثيـــر ،، و ربما كانت مثالاً ورمزاً للكثير من أطفال شعبنا
،
ولكن فاجأتني النهاية بحيث شعرتها تقليدية في بداية الأمر ،، و لكن عندما تعمقت بها وجدت (حفلة الزفاف) تحمل معاني كثيرة ،، تحمل معني الأمل وعدم اليأس و الاستمرار و البقاء رغم كل ما تناولته الرواية من صنوف الكبت و العذاب في المجتمع الفلسطيني المحتل ،،
فليس هنالك نهاية للقضية الفلسطينية يمكن تسطيرها في صفحات الروايات ،، ستدوم القضية و تدوم معها الحياة حتى يبزغ فجر الحرية ذات يوم و عندها ستكون النهاية بالفعل !!
فكما قالت حياة:
"لدينا في هذا العالم خياران ، إمّاأن نحاول البقاء و إمَا أن نستسلم "
December 4, 2014
رواية إنبهرت بإسمها ولكنه�� ف النهاية مملة
الأسلوب معقول يخليك ماشى ورا الكاتب لا عاوز تكمل الرواية ولا هاين عليك تقفلها
بس تفاصيل التفاصيل تخليك تحس ان الموضوع رخم
255 صفحة ممكن جدا يبقو 150 بسهولة
مفهمتش ليه الرواية مخلصتش بعد م رجعت بيتهم وستها فرحت بالتراب؟؟؟
وليه الكاتب يخلبنى اعدى ثلثى الرواية عشان اعرف قصة الجرح
رواية مملة
ميزتها الوحيدة انها بتوصف معاناة يومية لشعب كبير
الأسلوب معقول يخليك ماشى ورا الكاتب لا عاوز تكمل الرواية ولا هاين عليك تقفلها
بس تفاصيل التفاصيل تخليك تحس ان الموضوع رخم
255 صفحة ممكن جدا يبقو 150 بسهولة
مفهمتش ليه الرواية مخلصتش بعد م رجعت بيتهم وستها فرحت بالتراب؟؟؟
وليه الكاتب يخلبنى اعدى ثلثى الرواية عشان اعرف قصة الجرح
رواية مملة
ميزتها الوحيدة انها بتوصف معاناة يومية لشعب كبير
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews