Instructor Forum Commentary for When the Streets Had a Name

Hello everyone,

 

In other semesters students read the book  True Believer during our final week. That book too has a young female narrator going through a transitional period in her life and struggling to reinvent or imagine her identity as a young woman in much the way that Hayaat does. And while True Believer's protagonist LaVaughn lives in an environment not as politically turbulent as Hayaat’s, she too comes of age in an area that is sometimes violent and certainly also plagued with poverty and need. Hayaat is perhaps the more comical of the two, but they have both suffered great loss in their lives and crave emotional connections not only from their immediate family and friends, but also from a past that shadows and haunts them with grief and longing.

 

I wanted to pull some stellar examples. This is the second year I have taught this book. There were many moving thoughtful posts.

 

Thank you for your work and deep reflection. It was a pleasure reading through this semester's posts and also a comfort to see how the books affected you all as readers.

 

 

 

Forum Examples for Where the Streets Had a Name

 

1) Reflect on the significance of the book's title and what it means, both perhaps figuratively and literally for our main character, Hayaat, and others in the book.

 

From Fran:

For the characters in the book. the title Where the Streets Had a Name can mean a variety of things, but on the surface, it signifies the unfamiliar area that they now call home. For our characters, where they live is someplace they were pushed onto, not their home. They live in a world that does not belong to them where they do not belong, and Hayatt sees that. She notices this early on in the novel in a literal way- "Split in half, there is no street name visible on this side. Perhaps it has fallen on the other side. The name and named are now divorced" (73). Hayatt sees this literal signage but it is meant as a metaphor for her family and other Palestineanians who have been forced off their land and deemed invalid. For her grandmother, Sitti, the wounds cut deeper because she was a part of the transition. She left her land in hopes of one day returning and when she came back, she no longer had legal ownership of that house. Their homes were not theirs, the streets they grew up on no longer belonged to them, and the place they called home would not be occupied by them. "Eventually, when we realized we would never be allowed to return or ever be compensated..." (64). Not only was familiarity taken away from them but also the possibility of ever returning and finding peace in the world. This is the overall theme of the book too, and just the Isreali-Palestine situation in real life. No one there will ever have closure and the longer it drags out the more pain and suffering comes from it. Abdel-Fattah wanted to emphasize this idea of suffering while making us aware of the humanity of the situatiuon- thus personifying the streets as if they were people we lived, played, and laughed with. 

 

From Sadie in a second response:

I agree with you here Brittany. The soil represents a large symbol of freedom. You said “They were proud of who they were, and by this I mean, they owned land, a house, had a family, and people weren't divided. Another thing this symbolized for Sitti Zeynab is that it was her own place, land and home. She is blessed to have a place to be at her daughters house but it is not her own. And when they lived in their own home, it meant to her that it was something for her that represented "her own", she didn’t have to share it or feel like she was being intruding or not welcome.” Nearly everyone longs for this type of stability, to have their own home and raise a family one day.

 

As individuals grow older many of the times they begin to lose their independence, making them miss the past. This rings true to this story obviously as well, but with different circumstances and reasons. The home she used to call hers, was taken from her and there is now tension between the land Sitti lives on now, and her old home only 6 miles away from her. This is not just the result of growing older, but rather tension and conflict between people that devastated her life, and Sitti can’t really do anything to change that fact. However, the one thing she could have to remind her of the past was some of the soil that her house once sat upon. This soil, such as you said symbolized her personal freedom of what she used to have, and what she worked for and what she has lost. “‘My life has been all politics,’ she whispers as she touches the pile of photographs of my aunts and uncles on her bedside table. ‘ I do not watch the television for politics because it is in every breath I take. It is here in this apartment, in the empty chairs that should hold my children who were forced to scatter around the world. It is here in the mint leaves floating in this cup of tea beside in my bed. Mint leaves that should have been picked from the flower bed in my home, not bought from Abu Yusuf’s store. It is in the olives I eat from somebody else’s tree and the patch of sky I am told I must live under.’”

 

 

2) Element of Symbolism: What does the soil from Sitti Zeynab's old home in Jerusalem symbolize for Hayaat and Sitti? Or look at the wall that divides the left bank and dig into some meaty analysis of the symbolism there. Try to really dig into various angles of symbolism.

 

From Kathryn:

The soil from Sitti Zeynab’s old home in Jerusalem is very important to her personal identity and to the connection that Hayaat wants to make to her grandmother and also to her roots. Soil of course, is symbolic of the land itself. The land of their ancestors, and the land that Sitti Zeynab had her freedom, her own personal possessions, and her best personal identity. This soil is symbolic because it represents the place that lives within Sitti Zeynab and Hayaat’s hearts and souls. Every member of Hayaat’s family has been displaced from their land at some point. Hayaat sees that, and notices how much the loss of land leads to the breaking down of the spirit and soul of her family members. Of her father’s land she writes, “The land was green and fertile, and more than one hundred olive trees stretched their roots down into the soil. ‘They are holy trees,’ Baba used to say. ‘Part of our heritage’” (20). The land and the trees symbolize a family connected to the earth by faith, by community and by love. The soil that Sitti Zeynab remembers so fondly symbolizes a time in which her family was able to live directly connected to the holy land of their faith, and to the roots of their family.

 

Of course, this land is contested politically to an extreme. The political battles that rage over this land still occur today, but the real symbolism of the soil in this book shows the human story of the land that is so contested. It shows just how a family can persist, and stay determined to live and love, in spite of feeling rootless and abandoned. Sitti Zeynab says, “Land, ya Hayat. There is nothing so important. The deeper your roots, the taller and stronger you grow. When your roots are ripped out from under you, you risk shriveling up. All I want is to die on my land. Not in my daughter’s home, but in my home” (63). Much of the symbolism of the soil to Sitti Zeynab is concrete and visual. She sees the land as the literal thing holding her to the ground and connecting her to her roots.

Although Hayaat grows up in a different time, and learns to adapt to the rootlessness that her relatives feel through love and understanding and perseverance, she realizes the importance of the soil to Sitti Zeynab, and that brings her closer to her grandmother. After going through turmoil to reach the soil and finally bringing at least some Jerusalem soil to Sitti she writes, “I see her eyes and I know that every step of our journey was wroth this moment” (237). Hayaat will navigate her world as more of a vagabond, and learn to stay determined to love in spite of that, but the soil is the common bond that connects her to her past.

 

From Meghen:

The soil represents something different for each character in the book. For Sitti, this soil is a reminder of the life she had before, in Jerusalem. “I take the jar from her. ‘Open your hands.’ I pour some soil into her open palms. ‘Jerusalem soil.’ I whisper. I see her eyes and I know that every step of our journey was worth every moment.” (237) For her grandma, who had to leave her home, land, and friends, this soil is bringing back all of the memories from what her life was like. The soil symbolizes the freedom that she once had. For Hayaat, the soil itself represented her grandma and her family's homeland, although she got more out of the soil then just that. Although the soil is important symbolically for Hayaat, the journey to get the soil was even more symbolic. She showed to others and herself, that she was able to get to Jerusalem in the amount of time. She put her mind to something that is most people looked at, would deem impossible, and did it for the love she has for her grandma. It can also show her that she is powerful, if she puts her mind to something. The fact that she was able to get to Jerusalem, with Yossi’s help, showed that she is powerful, and if more people like her stood up, they could possibly change things. This trip also showed her that she should not fear everyone. Yossi, an Israeli, keeps Hayaat and Samy safe, and helps them get the soil. “Mama fires off a round of questions and I struggle to get a word in. ‘Yossi? Who is this Yossi? An Israeli?’” (227) At a young age, Hayaat is learning that not everyone is against her and her family. She also learned that she isn't going to get everything she tries for. “In silence, we lean on our haunches on the side of the road and scoop the dirt and soil into the jar. It’s not Sitti Zeynab’s village. But it's a little sprinkle of Jerusalem, and it will do.” (229) Hayaat tried to get to her grandma's village, but was only able to make it to Jerusalem. Instead of feeling defeated, or giving up all together, she realized that a piece of Jerusalem was better than nothing for her grandma to hold onto.  

 

From Jacqueline in a second response:

I definitely think that Hayaat’s adventure to Jerusalem is almost entirely driven by her love for her grandmother. After asking her grandmother how she lost her home, Hayaat tells us that she has “...heard the story countless times”(53). presumably because Sitti Zeynab was so upset by her loss. Sitti confesses that “‘the nostalgia suffocates me’”(50). But I do have to say that I think the soil itself represents something larger than just Hayaat and Sitti’s relationship and Sitti’s childhood. Fattah’s novel stages an argument of politics, a battle between authority and humanity. As humans, we thrive off of land and we especially thrive off of land that holds significance and history. When you are raised on the land your own parents or even, perhaps, your own ancestors were raised on, you carry this sense of honor. The connection I feel, for example, toward my grandmother’s house, where my mom grew up, is much stronger than the connection I feel with my current studio apartment. There is history and stories there and if she were to sell her house I would not only be sad, but I would also always feel like the house was mine. Sitti felt forced out of her home and then abandoned. Without her home, her community, and her history available to her, she lost touch in a way with her roots and herself. Can an authoritative body fairly take away one’s land? What gives someone the right to a specific piece of land or a house? How much control does “owning” something give you? These are the questions I found myself asking while reading, and still asking as I write this post. I’m not sure I have an answer yet.

 

3) This concept of a journey, specifically the hero's journey, or the journey of the main protagonist, is common in both YA lit and adult fiction. Talk about the journey that Hayaat and her friend Samy make. What makes it similar to any other journeys our previous characters have been on this semester? What makes it stand apart? Think if this in terms of both a physical and emotional journey. (Elements of comparison to consider might include the geographical distance traveled, the companions met, the emotional weight/toil, the choice of the journey, the overall purpose, what was at stake..etc)

From Savhanna:

The story begins in the West Bank, Hayaat’s Ordinary World where she has her family, that she lives with in their apartment, and her school. It’s not necessarily a simple life, with curfews, restrictions, and soldiers lining the streets, but it is what she is used to. We see what life is like for them and what kind of people they are. The curfews and its effects on Hayaat and many others can be seen when one has ended and she describes “people enjoying their first morning under the open sky in days” and how “it feels good to hear life again” (38). They are all used to the rules, even though they are unfair and burdensome. We get to see how Hayaat is very close with her family, especially Sitti Zeynab, her grandmother, who also takes the place of the Mentor in the Hayaat’s journey. It is this relationship  that causes her journey to take place.

The Call to Adventure occurs when Sitti Zeynab falls ill. Hayaat recalled Sitti telling her about her homeland and that all she wanted was to see it one last time before she died. “Never again will I see the place where I was born” (50-51) she told Hayaat. All she wanted was to touch the soil of her homeland “one last time before I die” (63). When Sitti was sick and taken to the hospital, Hayaat feared she wouldn’t live. She couldn’t bear for her grandmother’s wish to not come true and so she made a decision to bring the soil to her.

After gathering Samy, serving as her Ally, the two departed on their journey. Skipping school that day and catching the service bus to al-Ayzariyyah is the Crossing of the Threshold. Before this, they run into a boy named Wasim, who was a Mentor to them in a way. He gave them advice and directions on getting where they need to be and sneaking in to Jerusalem. Without Wasim, the two wouldn’t have been able to get where they needed to go. It’s not a smooth trip to Jerusalem, though. Hayaat and Samy face many struggles, their Tests, Allies, and Enemies. The first service they take happens to have a passenger that recognizes Hayaat. This is a problem as she reflects, “I know that we’re in trouble” (119). Hayaat and Samy run away to avoid getting caught, leading to a much longer and more complicated journey. They catch another service, but come across several checkpoints on the way, having to wait in a sweltering bus for hours that were “unbearably stuffy and claustrophobic” (162), having to switch buses, or having troubles due to not having the right paperwork to get across. The soldiers, the Threshold Guardians, cause them a lot of problems, as “there seems no system in place. No consistency. The rules are as unpredictable as the soldiers’ moods” (151). Along the way, they meet many different people, including Mali and David, more Allies. They help Hayaat and Samy on their journey, but once the adults suggest they go back, the two run again. When they are in Jerusalem, they continue to find difficulties, and eventually don’t make it to Sitti Zeynab’s home. They do get soil from her country, and that is enough for Sitti.

Hayaat’s decision to make this journey reveals a lot about her character, her bravery and willingness to do whatever it takes to save those she loves, no matter the consequences. Along the way she is faced with constant doubt and fear, but it never stops her. She realizes more and more the lack of justness of the occupation of her people’s land. She also realizes that the Israelis are people just as the Palestinians are, how “the occupation steals from the humanity of the occupier and the occupied. We are all losers” (138). It isn’t just monsters who came in and are stealing from them.

Out of all of the stories we read this semester, I think this book follows the hero's journey the most. There is an actual physical journey that the characters go on, as well as emotional, taking them through different tasks and complications. Additionally, it was a willing journey that Hayaat and Samy went on, whereas in many of the other books the journey was forced upon them. In Shizuko’s Daughter, Yuki experienced a similar journey, although hers wasn’t almost completely within herself. She had to leave behind what she knew when her mother died and face a whole new world without her. She didn’t leave her home, almost as Hayaat only traveled six miles from hers. Yuki’s world didn’t have her mother in it and that changed everything. Hayaat was close to her home and yet so far away with all of the obstacles. Yuki often reflects back to earlier times when her mother was with her and wishes she could go back. Hayaat doubts herself and her choices and considers going back several times. There are many connections between their journeys, specifically what they go through emotionally.

From Kendall:

Going into this book, I knew very little about the Israel and Palestine conflict. I knew it was a disagreement over who deserved the land that is considered sacred in many religions, and could often get violent, or at the very least, incredibly tense.  I think I did myself a bit of a disservice in this aspect because this book jumps right into the life of Hayaat and her modern-day Palestinian family, and unlike many books about diverse characters, does not feel the need to educate its audience about the culture, which I appreciated. What I did know through some travel bloggers and things is that it’s quite difficult for Palestinians to travel around the Israel-occupied areas, which made the fact that this story revolved around Hayaat’s journey all the more interesting. Arguably, the journey made by Hayaat and Samy is far more emotional than it is physical. While the journey is met with a fair few roadblocks, the pair ultimately doesn’t go very far, and make it back home within the same day, if very late at night. However, Hayaat returns home with a new perspective and having a greater sense of closure than she left with.

 

Physically, the trip to Jerusalem from Bethlehem was not easy. It’s said to be only about six miles to travel, but there are many checkpoints that travelers will need to stop at and risk being turned away by the Israeli military that is stationed there (75). This ends up being a very time-consuming portion of their travel, and ultimately leads to a dead end when their travel is cut off by a wall. Hayaat and Samy eventually resort to illegally jumping said wall and taking risky cab trips in order to make it to their destination (202). So yes, the journey is hard, but it’s also very revealing. Hayaat took this journey for the soul purpose of getting soil from her sick grandmother’s old property that was reclaimed by an Israeli couple, showing that she has a very strong, even unbreakable, tie with her family. While she’s worried about what the consequences could be if the military catches them or they don’t get home in a timely manner, she never strays from her main goal, painting her as a strong, loyal, and brave young girl. We also get to see a emotional growth in her as she becomes more open-minded and understanding of people unlike herself. For example, early on in the story, Hayaat gets into an argument with a boy from and deflects her own hurt by calling him a “filthy, stinking refugee” (91). As the journey progresses, she finds herself becoming connected with a pair of Israeli peace activists, actually growing to like them. She also has a fairly long internal monologue in which she is considering what the home life of an Israeli soldier could be like, something that I wouldn’t have expected at the start of the story (152). This journey also gives Hayaat a chance to reflect on the tragedy that lead to the death of a friend and the disfiguration of her face and become comfortable talking about it, which she didn’t like to dwell on prior to this trip. 

 

Ultimately, because this journey is so emotional, I can compare Hayaat’s development to Fabiola’s in American Street. Fabiola’s journey is geographically much longer, traveling all the way from Haiti to Detroit. But, like Hayaat, she makes this journey without a parent to guide her and, in her new environment, grows into a stronger, more confident young girl. They also both exist in a relatively violent and very community-based societies, even if they exist on opposite sides of the world. 

 

 

From Anon:

      In Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah, Palestinian thirteen year-old Hyaat is determined to help her grandmother (Sitti Zeynab) who has fallen ill. Knowing how much it would mean to her, Hyaat resolves to gather soil from the property where her grandmother’s family used to live in Jerusalem, to give her one last chance to feel home on her skin. "I suddenly understand that there is dignity in being able to claim heritage, in being able to derive identity from a rocky hill, a winding mountain road. Sitti Zeynab's village has never stopped calling her, beckoning her to return home. Her soul is stamped into these hills, and I feel her presence as strongly as if she were standing on the peak of one of the mountains. (181)” Hyaat and her best friend Samy embark on a dangerous mission through Israeli-occupied Bethlehem to Jerusalem to give Sitti Zeynab a piece of home.

          As they set out, they face many challenges. Even though the trek is only six miles long, the young teens had to navigate the brutality they faced as young Palestinians in a place where Palestinians were oppressed. From curfews and military violence to overcrowding and documentation checkpoints, the young teenagers experience more than their share of fear. In addition to these many barriers along the way, there is a huge wall that divides the west bank, so there is no shortage of physical obstacles. When Hyaat and Samy meet a family of activists on their way to Jerusalem, they learn through many shared stories of the terrible treatment of Palestinians that had been happening around them while they lived their relatively normal lives with their families. The best friends gain an understanding of people, how they’re not all bad or all good, as well as affirmations of their values.

          This story reminded me a lot of The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson, a story set in Poland in the midst of World War II. When the protagonist Leon is relocated with his family to a camp in a nearby city, Leon begins to understand just how brutal the oppression of Jews has become. Being moved to more and more cruel and inhumane ghettos and concentration camps, Leon experienced the same barbed wire and violent guards that Hyaat saw in her journey to Jerusalem. Leon, however, was in the midst of the brutality, being oppressed to the highest extent. Although Hyaat did not go through the experience of being a prisoner like Leon, she was still traumatized by the violence that occured in her home country.

 

From Sadie:

This book has many different aspects that are covered and journeys that the main character Hayat faces.  From being a young, 13 year old female in the Middle East, there is obvious tension between countries there. With stress constantly high, it places people on edge knowing that danger is near, and without a clear or easy solution to solve that.  Considering Hayaat also lives in a poor community of Bethlehem, the odds are not in her favor. However she continues to preserve and face obstacles. Her grandmother unfortunately lost her home to the Israelis.  Hayat’s grandmother doesn’t even have the proper paper work to return to Jerusalem, even though it’s only 6 miles away, it’s guarded and regulated. Sitti, Hayat’s grandmother becomes sick, then Hayat decided to travel to Jerusalem, where her grandmother once lived and bring back soil from her old property to give to her. While traveling to achieve the soil, Hayat took her friend Samy with her and they ventured on.

 

When comparing circumstances within the book “Where the Streets Had a Name”, to other young adult literature a book that comes to my mind is The Boy On the Wooden Box. Sure there are some vast difference between the characters, setting, and plot but there also some similarities. The main similarity I noticed between these two novels are age, considering both Leon and Hayat are in their young teenage years. Being an adolescent and facing this type of gruesome adversity, including death and poverty obviously has a major impact on their life. However they both manage to react in a productive manner, when placed under unexpected circumstances. For Leon, he continued to persevere though the holocaust, making a conscious effort to work while in the ghetto because he knew that kept him alive. Hayat on the other hand also had an immense amount of bravery to decide to venture to Jerusalem  and stand up to her fears and adversity. Both of these books had an incredible amount of perseverance for such young individuals and, that’s why I think they can be somewhat be related and compared.

A quote that stands out to me that exemplifies perseverance in the boy on the wooden box is “the Nazis had forced us into impossibly crowded conditions designed to bring out the worst in people. Despite everything against us, we remained determined to show respect and decency toward one another. Retaining our humanity, cherishing our heritage, we fought the depravity of the Nazis with subtle forms of resistance. Rabbis resisted by conducting services on Jewish holy days. Doctors and nurses resisted by fighting to save the lives of the ill and injured and by bringing new life into the world. Actors and musicians resisted by creating makeshift stages in hidden courtyards and performing plays and skits and holding concerts, affirming that beauty and culture could even exist in the midst of the horrible circumstances of the ghetto” (83.) even though this quote is specifically talking about the holocaust, it can be related also to the book where the streets had a name. It can be related because Hayat, her family, and Samy resorted back to their roots even if it put them in danger. The most obvious example is when samy and Hayat traveled to get the soil, a seemingly trivial thing but a large symbol for her grandmother and also freedom in general.

 

4) Open-ended: Reflect on any element or main concept in the book that struck you powerfully. Talk about what and why.

 

From Karlee:

The element and use of religion struck me powerfully when contemplating Randa Abdel-Fattah’s narrative Where the Streets Had a Name. There was a huge significance religion played in terms of the history of the wall and its effect on the surrounding population, and also in terms of how it affected the young adults in this narrative. We learn early that “...the Israelis confiscated our [their] land in Beit Sahour” (5), to which the plot of the story starts to unfold. After moving to a small, poor neighborhood in Bethlehem, the families’ woes are particularly attached to this separation that occurred in 1948 between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The wall that was erected to separate the two cut a physical scar in the holy ground, and also a theoretical scar in the hearts of those forced out of their land. Ultimately, Hayaat is not swayed by religious politics, but rather her grandmother’s plea to touch, once again, her home soil of Jerusalem before she passes away.

 

What I found powerful throughout this plotline, was the image Abdel-Fattah created in regards to young adults and their view on faith. Through Hayaat and Samy, Abdel-Fattah paints an understandable picture to what it’s like to be a young adult surrounded by the pressures of religion. Through Hayaat, we see an almost boredom and jaded reaction to religion. Responding to Sitti’s personal refugee story, Hayaat interrupts very impatienty during the middle of her prayer, and says quite rudely, “God rest their souls and open the heavens to them and everyone they have ever encountered in their lives. So, about your return? What happened?” (57). While Hayaat may have a possible personal relationship with God herself, as we see when she goes to pray for Sitti (88), we can also clearly see the struggle she has with religion due to the effect it has had in her families’ history. Because of religion’s play in the raising of the wall, Hayaat has come to look at the wall and “…see loss and death” (40). Similar to Hayaat, Samy also seems to struggle with understanding religion, resorting instead to reflexively ignoring it. Being an orphan and living with his very religious aunt and uncle, Samy undoubtedly finds it hard to contemplate God. Due to his father’s imprisonment when he was six (because of resistance to Isreali forces), and his mother’s death of a heart attack soon after (34), Samy’s reaction to faith seems understandable. Apart from his peace activist aunt and uncle, Samy regards faith in a comical way, once offering Hayaat to borrow his cross before their big plan, and continuing to note that, “But you’re Muslim, so it might not work” (76). To which they both giggle in reaction. Yet, I do believe being surrounded by such issues of religion affected Samy too, otherwise he may not have written on the wall, “FYTIGHT THE WALL UN TIL IT FOLLS” (44). He may also not have reacted the way he did at the entrance of the mosque, before going inside, if he had not been affected by religion thus far; “Samy then stops, kisses his cross, and mutters, “God forgive me” (87). In conclusion, I found Abdel-Fattah’s portrayal of the effects of religion on young adults very understandable and relatable. I believe that this truly is a powerful narrative portraying the history of Palestinians and Israelis in a way which gives truth and healing to the younger generation’s following the effects of the wall. In that retrospect, Abdel-Fattah is almost a peace activist herself.

 

From Kathryn in response to Karlee (above)

I really agree with your point that religion was an important part to understanding the young adults in this book outside of merely understanding the context of the situation. I enjoyed your descriptions of Samy and Hayaat in regards to their individual faith and to how it connects them to their families, their ancestors, and the literal land around them. I also found it important that each of the children would refer to his or her religion, but tend to take it more lightly compared to the adults around them. In the scene before they depart on their journey to Jerusalem, Hayaat wants to visit the mosque, after Samy kisses his cross as you mention, he decides to do something even more silly. Hayaat recalls, " Grinning at me, his teeth practically luminous under the lights in the mosque is Samy, draped in the green hijab. He bats his eyelashes at me and forces back a hysterical laugh"(88). Although they both have different faiths, their friendship brings them to the mosque together and they are able to joke even in the face of a tremendous journey they are about to take. They have their religion, but it is a different sense of important in their lives.

 

I would also use this to segment and add on to something else I found interesting about how religion played a role in this novel which was the ways in which Samy and Hayaat in particular transcended their religions and the politics surrounding them to become very close friends. Their relationship was more important to them than their particular religions. Although Samy was Christian and Hayaat was Muslim, they were best friends, believing in each other, supporting each other's religions and also their friendships. They were always more devoted to each other and to their families and goals than to their religions. I think it was even one of the central themes in the book that even in spite of differences, we all as humans have so much more in common. This is something that is exemplified by Samy and Hayaat's relationship, but also stood out to me at the end of the book when Hayaat reflects, "In the end we are all of us only human beings who laugh the same, and that one day the world will realize that we simply want to live as a free people, with hope and dignity and purpose. That is all"(307). Humanity became the driving force rather than religion, and I agree with you bringing this up that it was a very important distinction that the author was trying to make. 

 

From Jacqueline:

As I have now almost finished the novel and read through various interviews of the author’s, I have developed a great appreciation for Fattah’s use of humor. The larger themes— the political situation, the minority discrimination— they are blanketed with this awesome writing. Fattah makes the story so accessible for any reader and reminds us of the character’s humanity via the humorous scenes. Below are all of the scenes that literally made me laugh out loud while reading.  

 

When Jihan talks about her future move with her long-awaiting husband, she tells her mother that she can easily come visit her. With an exaggerated tone but truthful reasoning, Mama responds:

 

“‘Yes, spend hours on the road and battle Qalandiya checkpoint with Mohammed. Qalandiya? By the time I arrive, my nerves will be frazzled, I will enter your home in a bad mood, and Ahmad will complain to his mother about his ill-tempered mother-in-law. And then you will be upset with him for talking badly about me. An argument will ensue, as I know you will leap to my defense, and your domestic bliss will be ruined’”(16).

 

Mama continues to portray this cynical yet wise character, not afraid to tell her children how it is.

 

In the midst of praying for and remembering countless, terrible things that happened to her children, Sitti Zeynab is interrupted by Hayaat who says,

 

“‘Sitti?’

 

‘Yes, Hayaat?’

 

‘Can I make a suggestion? Why don’t you name all your children and then say a general prayer? It would speed things up for you.’

 

‘Eh? Do not be silly’”(52).

 

 

I picture this very old, decrepit but, intimidating woman just getting lost in her own mind, her own memories. And rightfully so! Because this woman endured so much that her daughter (and consequently us readers) cannot even fathom what it may be like to sift through all of her heartbreaking memories.

 

When Samy and Hayaat discuss their plan to sneak over the wall and get the soil for Sitti, Hayaat asks samy:

 

“‘What if we die?’

 

‘Eh?’

 

‘What if we get shot?’

 

‘I probably won’t. I have my cross for protection. I can lend you one if you life. But you’re Muslim so it might not work’”(76).

 

And then Hayaat proceeds to giggle! Holy cow, what packed commentary! They are joking about the very real possibility that they could die. As technically illegally trespassing children, the occupying soldiers would have every reason to punish them. And then Samy offers his protection, his attempt at saying, “hey, I would protect you, 'cause you’re my best friend.” Only to follow up his comment with the fact that his best friend also happens to be Muslim and his God does not protect her. So we have two innocent children living in a world of war driven by the world of religion? And yet, Fattah still manages to make this scene funny! She is an awesome Young Adult Literature author and that’s all there is to it.