In this stirring anthology of sixty poems from the Middle East, Naomi Shihab Nye welcomes us to this lush, vivid world and beckons us to explore. Eloquent pieces from Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, and elsewhere open windows into the hearts and souls of people we usually meet only on the nightly news. What we see through these windows is the love of family, friends, and for the Earth, the daily occurrences of life that touch us forever, the longing for a sense of place. What we learn is that beneath the veil of stereotypes, our human connections are stronger than our cultural differences.
Middle East
Wishing Moon
After a fourteen-year-old orphan named Aminah comes to possess a magic lamp, the wishes granted her by the genie inside it allow her to alter her life by choosing prosperity, purpose, and romance.
Thura’s Diary: My Life In Wartime Iraq
Nineteen-year-old Thura al-Windawi traces the days leading up to the bombings in Iraq, the war, and the chaos that followed, describing her life and the reality of war for Iraqi families.
Duel
In Jerusalem, when elderly Mr. Rosenthal receives a threatening letter accusing him of stealing a painting and challenging him to a duel, twelve-year-old David needs to find who really stole it before someone gets hurt.
Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up In A War
An ancient Sumerian tale about the youngest and weakest of eight brothers who, caught up in an ill-advised war, uses his wits and courage and eventually becomes king.
The Key to My Heart
After Jonathan’s dad loses his keys, they retrace all of their steps throughout the day, from the post office to the playground, and all of the places in between.
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq
When war comes, Alia Muhammad Baker, the librarian of Basra, fears the library will be destroyed, so she asks government officials for help, but they refuse, which means Alia must take matters into her own hands to protect the books that she loves.
The Treasures of Trinkamalee
With the background of The Arabian Nights, this book deals with themes of young men’s folly, greed, adventure, crime and punishment. An old man narrates how years earlier he and friends set out to see the world and to find riches to bring home.
Iblis
An Islamic version of the story of Adam and Eve and the fall from Paradise. In this Islamic version of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden, the devil is called Iblis.
The Deliverance of Dancing Bears
A poor man spends all his money to free two mistreated dancing bears, and in doing so reminds the onlookers that the dignity of all living creatures must be respected.