Customer Reviews

The Shepherd's Granddaughter

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have looked at this book several times and was always put off by the cover. Last night I started reading it and was immediately drawn in. The story follows independent Amani (starting from age 6 to mid-teens) as she and her close-knit Palestinian family deal with the conflict with Israel. I am not able to speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of politics in the book, and it is obvious this story is told from Amani's point of view. All that aside, the story is riveting, Amani and her family are wonderfully rich characters, and I predict you will find the book hard to put down. This book would spark an interesting discussion on the conflict Middle East, and could be a stepping stone to finding other books (both fiction and nonfiction) that portrayed the situation from the Israeli point of view. Suggestion to the publisher: add a map, and change the cover.

When I finished this book I couldn't for the life of me understand why anyone would want to remove it from libraries. This book does not make Israeli's out to be evil people, but it does bring to light some of the issues that Palestinian's live with on a daily basis. I feel that this book is important because it gives notice to both sides of the story and portrays each side in favorable and unfavorable lights. Yes, Israeli's are portrayed, at times, as tyrants pushing their way into the lands occupied by Palestinians. But then the author shows how some Palestinian's want to react with violence and threats. We all know that this way of dealing with conflict can not continue, but how do you stop it??? Well, it sure as hell isn't by censoring and removing books that certain groups of people take issue with. We start by educating our children and showing them that violence, no matter which side of the fence you're on, is not the answer. And hope and pray that this new generation of humans will somehow bridge this cultural difference. Will it happen? I don't know, this conflict is ancient, but I do know that we need to have honest, thoughtful discussions about the issues. I for one will be talking about this book to the students at my school that I feel will appreciate the story within the covers and be smart enough to start asking questions, investigate, and make an informed decision about how they feel in regards to this situation. I urge you, the reader, to pick this book up and make that decision for yourself...should we allow groups who don't like that another point of view (other than theirs) is being brought to light and they want to stop you from questioning the information that you've gathered from the nightly news, newspaper, magazine, and the internet get away with censorship?????? Regardless of where you stand on this issue, this book deserves to be on the shelves of libraries worldwide. I am one librarian who will make sure that the copy at my middle school is never pulled from circulation.

I have only become interested in the Middle Eastern conflict because it seems that there is more to the eye than what is being printed in the media. This book is definitely one of them. I am also starting a collection of books for my sons to read; books that are being banned in other countries or talk about controversial issues that we may not be aware of. This book is definitely going to be included in that personal library.

In this book, we meet Amani, who wants nothing more than to be a shepherd like her grandfather. Throughout this entire book, the story tells of how the Jewish settlers keep invading in the land that her ancestors have lived upon for hundreds of years. Not only that, the story also shows how her uncle and even her father got arrested for nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is anger being stirred up especially towards the end, but Amani and her family find encouragement and support from the least likely supporters that she would have never imagined.

It is an insightful book and so very beautifully written. It is a moving account of a story told from a young child's eyes. If nothing else, this book will at least open your eyes to the fact that there are two sides to every conflict.

4/22/10

Very incisive depiction of life in the occupied land of Palestine and how to survive the degrading conditions of life under repressive occupation.

Anne Laurel Carter states that her book is a "fictional rendering of a complex situation", meaning; it is one of the very few YA novels attempting to tackle the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the tender age of six, Amani, the Palestinian protagonist, decides to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and become a shepherd. She will not be going to school but will be tutored by members of the family. The author does an excellent job of showing the tender relationship between Amani and her grandfather as well as the closeness of the large immediate and extended family. She shares interesting information on sheep raising, the olive harvest, Arab views of the roles of women, as well as wedding and death observances. To enable the reader to learn some Arabic and Hebrew words, Carter includes a glossary with translations. However, the author also has a heavy agenda. As the book progresses, it shows the pain and displacement to the entire family as a result of what the Israelis do. Israeli settlers move into the area where the family has lived for many years, roads built by the Israelis are ones that the Palestinians are forbidden to use, the families' houses are demolished, their olive trees are destroyed, Amani's sheep are poisoned, her sheepdog is shot, and her brother and father are jailed. If readers do not cry at the suffering of the families in this book, they have a heart of stone. As this is a work of fiction the author need not substantiate anything that she writes, but this book is meant for an audience that either wants to believe what is written or has little background to dispute what is on the page. There is an American Jewish boy who is depicted sympathetically, however he refuses to stay in Israel and instead chooses to go back to New York to speak out against Israeli settlements. This earnest effort to create meaningful fiction from this difficult subject eventually falls flat because it is too one-sided. Ages 12 and up. Marge Kaplan

This book is typical of the blatantly one sided anti-Israel propaganda that is common when dealing with the Israeli - Arab conflict. The Muslim Arabs on one side are depicted as peace loving natives who want nothing more than to live their simple lives herding their flocks on their ancestral lands, while on the other side are evil Jewish religious fanatics from New York who have descended on these hapless innocents to destroy their lives and steal their land. The son of the Jewish settlers turning on his parents ideology and leaving Israel to go back to New York and talk out against settlements effectively turns this into "Dances with Wolves" or better yet, Avatar, in the Holy Land. Just imagine Na'avi with Keffiya's and you'll understand this book. While skillfully written, the book presents a simplistic and one sided rendering of a complex topic - a nationalist conflict between Jews and Muslim Arabs that has been going on for over 100 years. Just more anti-Israel propaganda.