The Enemy Has a Face [Paperback]

Gloria D. Miklowitz (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

Fourteen-year-old Netta Hofman wakes one morning to find that her older brother did not come home the night before. Having just moved from Israel to Los Angeles, the family of seventeen-year-old Adam is stunned and baffled by his disappearance. Adam has not had time to make many friends yet, and he has always been responsible, the last person who would leave home without a word. Netta and her parents desperately seek answers to Adams disappearance. Could he have run away with a girl he met on-line? Was he abducted for ransom? Or, is it possible that Palestinian terrorism is to blame - revenge for his Israeli fathers work? When Netta makes a new and unlikely friend at school, an Arab boy named Laith, she begins addressing issues of prejudice - her classmates prejudice against foreign students, her own prejudice against Palestinians, and her familys growing suspicion that Palestinian hatred of Israelis is behind Adams disappearance. In this thoughtful and suspenseful book, Gloria Miklowitz explores issues of Middle Eastern relationships through the eyes of young people on both sides of the age-old conflict. The surprising conclusion to the novel will leave readers with a renewed understanding of other peoples needs, fears, and beliefs.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Newly emigrated from Israel to Los Angeles, Netta assumes that Palestinians are behind every bad thing that happens to Israelis. When her 17-year-old brother turns up missing, she is certain that they have kidnapped him. While trying to uncover Adam's whereabouts, the 14-year-old gets to know some Palestinian students and discovers that she has more in common with them than she does with Americans. She also learns that it is highly unlikely that the Palestinians had anything to do with Adam's disappearance. When her classmate Laith al Salaam works especially hard to befriend her and to find her brother, Netta at first rebuffs him, but with time a grudging friendship is forged. Almost unbearably suspenseful, the plot will keep readers turning pages as fast as they can. Nicely interspersed with the events is a thoughtful examination of some of the reasons behind the age-old strife between Palestinians and Israelis. Readers come away with a greater understanding of the conflict, and Netta is given the opportunity to modify her attitude about her former enemies.
Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Just a few months after middle-schooler Netta Hoffman moves from Israel to Los Angeles with her family, her brother, Adam, goes missing. Netta's father, a professor, is outspoken about Israeli issues, and the grief-stricken family wonders if Palestinians may be responsible for Adam's disappearance. Netta, an outsider at school, feels torn when Laith, a Palestinian classmate, extends his sympathies and friendship. At first, Laith's face represents terror, reminding her "of photos back home of suicide bombers." But Netta eventually finds that, despite arguments, she enjoys talking with someone who can share her longing for familiar things. After the police finally discover the shocking facts of Adam's disappearance, Netta is forced to further reexamine her prejudices. Using Netta's believable voice, veteran writer Miklowitz tells a suspenseful, heart-wrenching story that conveys both the facts and anger behind the ancient Middle-East conflict. Pair this with Daniella Carmi's Samir and Yonatan (2000) for another view of teen friendships across the Arab-Israeli divide. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 139 pages
• Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802852610
• ISBN-13: 978-0802852618
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,309,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Multicultural Stories > Other
  • #61 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Multiculturalism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping Story for Adults and Children, May 15, 2003

By 

Christian Observer (Manassas, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enemy Has a Face (Hardcover)

This gripping story is the account of the Hofman family recently moved from Israel to Los Angeles. Their seventeen year old son Adam was in high school and fourteen year old daughter Netta in middle school. Adam quickly found friends and began enjoying the new school while Netta did not really feel at home. The family was panic stricken when Adam failed to come home one night. The story from there on is a description of the search for the missing Adam. Because of the bitter feeling between people in Israel and those in Palestine, the Hofmans were sure that Adam was the victim of Palestinian Terrorists. Netta took some risks in her effort to find out her brother's fate and who was responsible. In the process she learned to value people as individuals rather than as part of a group. This timely well-written story of a family in grief is especially important now in the present world situation. The book is directed to ages 12 and up but is also excellent for adults because it helps them see the struggle through the eyes of a young person experiencing the emotional impact of the crisis situation in Israel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Enemy Has a Face, February 8, 2007

By 

Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enemy Has a Face (Hardcover)

Gloria Miklowitz tackles the prickly subject of the Arab-Israeli conflict in this new novel for young adults. She sets her story in Los Angeles where 14 year old Netta Hofman wakes up one morning to find that her older brother, Adam, did not come home the night before. Three months earlier, the family had moved from Israel to LA and they are baffled by Adam's disappearance. They assume it may have something to do with Palestinian terrorism since Netta's father's work is related to the defense industry. During the course of the investigation into Adam's disappearance, Netta reluctantly befriends a Palestinian boy in her school, learns about the murky cyber-world of Palestinian chat rooms, and finds out information about her brother that surprises her. This short novel retains its suspense until the final pages, when we finally find out what happened to Adam.

The author of this book is clearly trying her best to balance both sides of the Middle East conflict. However, using a 14-year-old girl's view to explore the issue of Palestinian-Israeli relationships is only partially successful. Both sides are represented to the reader, but Miklowitz wisely keeps politics from overwhelming the storyline. The book works better as a young adult mystery.

A few highly unlikely scenarios in this book do detract from the storyline, however. From discovering Adam's computer password on the third guess to making her way around the city on public transportation, things come a bit too easily to the young Netta. One must also conclude that her spoken and written English is perfect, even though her family arrived in Los Angeles only three months earlier. Also, it is unlikely that this clever young teen would chose to keep some of her discoveries about her brother a secret from her parents during such tragic circumstances.

However, if these flaws can be set aside, the novel does attempt to show how young people in a political conflict can often be much better than adults at examining their prejudices. The growing and tenuous relationship between Netta and Laith, the Palestinian boy, is plausible and realistic. Miklowitz has captured the flavor of the middle school world well. The characters here are appealing and could even merit a longer book so their true depth could be discovered. The subject matter, however, is suspenseful and ultimately sad, so this book is recommended for 5th grade and up.
Reviewed by Lisa Silverman

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 2003 Notable Book, Association of Jewish Libraries!, February 8, 2004

By 

Heidi Estrin (The Book of Life podcast, www.jewishbooks.blogspot.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Enemy Has a Face (Paperback)

This title was declared a 2003 Notable Book by the Association of Jewish Libraries! Almost 200 children's books of Judaic content were reviewed during the year to find the best of the bunch. Find out more at www.jewishlibraries.org.