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Habibi
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From: Donald & Rebecca Wojahn <woho>
Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2003 07:20:03 -0500
I have been a lurker on CCBC for many years, but reading Naomi Shihab Nye's comments to Bill Moyers reminded me of my experience with middle school students and her book Habibi.
Two years ago, I was a middle school library media specialist who ran a very successful Battle of the Books/book discussion group with over 300 kids participating. The season was just getting underway when September 11, 2001 occurred. While we were all stunned and learning so much about our place in the world in a new light, I substituted a book on my reading list for Habibi, the story of a Palestinian-American girl who moves to Jerusalem and falls in love with a Jewish boy. I like to think this quiet decision had a similar impact on the students as Ms. Nye describes to Bill Moyers. My school was very much a small town, homogenous group (white) with no students of Arab descent--or Jewish for that matter, but this book allowed the kids to explore some of the history and background of that region and gave them a broader view of their world. Many students remarked that after reading this book they could sense the frustration of the Palestinians in a way that is seldom explained on the news, and while it didn't forgive terrorists for their actions, it at least gave the students a clue about their motivation, which many had no idea of before reading Habibi. From these discussions, we were able to move to talking about September 11th and its repercussions. A wonderful book, with so much to teach, but in a way that is natural and never preachy.
Rebecca Hogue Wojahn
Received on Sat 06 Sep 2003 07:20:03 AM CDT
Date: Sat, 06 Sep 2003 07:20:03 -0500
I have been a lurker on CCBC for many years, but reading Naomi Shihab Nye's comments to Bill Moyers reminded me of my experience with middle school students and her book Habibi.
Two years ago, I was a middle school library media specialist who ran a very successful Battle of the Books/book discussion group with over 300 kids participating. The season was just getting underway when September 11, 2001 occurred. While we were all stunned and learning so much about our place in the world in a new light, I substituted a book on my reading list for Habibi, the story of a Palestinian-American girl who moves to Jerusalem and falls in love with a Jewish boy. I like to think this quiet decision had a similar impact on the students as Ms. Nye describes to Bill Moyers. My school was very much a small town, homogenous group (white) with no students of Arab descent--or Jewish for that matter, but this book allowed the kids to explore some of the history and background of that region and gave them a broader view of their world. Many students remarked that after reading this book they could sense the frustration of the Palestinians in a way that is seldom explained on the news, and while it didn't forgive terrorists for their actions, it at least gave the students a clue about their motivation, which many had no idea of before reading Habibi. From these discussions, we were able to move to talking about September 11th and its repercussions. A wonderful book, with so much to teach, but in a way that is natural and never preachy.
Rebecca Hogue Wojahn
Received on Sat 06 Sep 2003 07:20:03 AM CDT
