Customer Reviews

The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East

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This book has room in its heart for the passions and longings of writers from all of the Middle East. It offers readers, in beautiful poetry, the longings for place, for a loved past, for a more secure future, felt by Lebanese, Syrians, Israelis, Turks, Palestinians, Iraqis, Saudis, Egyptians, and more. Meticulously designed and printed, it offers art from across the Middle East that illuminates these poems and helps us learn with our children important lessons about that part of the world.

This is a wonderful book. It is full of the imagery and feelings that in turn, delight, amuse and sadden. Naomi Nye has compiled a collection of writers from various countries within the Middle East. Although the writers come from many countries and competing nationalities, there is a common commitment to peace. Since the poems are translated,rather than presented in the original languages, the reader does not have the benefit of the natural rhythms of the languages the poems were taken from. What the translations lack in terms of rhyme is more than made up by the poets' use of Metaphor. One poet talks about "drinking in the melancholy of morning". Another talks about being passed by trains with eyes looking back at you. The language is effective and persuasive. Many of the poems deal with loss. They deal with the loss of loved ones, the loss of time, the loss of relationships, but more importantly, they deal with the loss of basic human rights and something as basic as a homeland. The book has many fine paintings that supplement the text. They are all very well done and add to the feeling of the book. The reader of this book will not only read, but will also have an experience. All the senses except hearing will be involved. I recommend this book to anyone, particularly to Young Adults.

I bought this book from amazon.com, fell in love with it & wrote the following review for The Capital Times, Madison WI's afternoon newspaper:

That this exquisitely beautiful, painfully direct and ultimately joyful book, "The Space Between Our Footsteps,'' is published under the imprint of Simon & Schuster's Books for Young Readers is an example of how badly we adults need to learn the lessons we try to teach our children.

The poems and paintings of more than 100 writers and artists from 19 countries are loosely grouped by theme,without a condescending preface or explanations of how to feel when we read or view them...This book is an ideal gift for anyone old enough to read "The Diary of Anne Frank,'' and to know that just as, for Anne, life went on as war went on, so it does today. It is for anyone who thinks he or she understands the conflicts in the Middle East, and for anyone whose life needs a sudden rush of beauty.

(Lin Seagren teaches in Stoughton WI and for the UW-Extension.)

We are living in a time where being Arab, Muslim, or Southeast Asian makes one a "terror suspect." In this age of fear and ignorance, it is more important than ever for educators and readers of poetry to take a look at Nye's touching portraits of Arab and Arab American life. If these poems reveal the beauty, intelligence, and vitality of Arab and Arab Americans, then -- to the seething reader from Denver, CO-- you may find Nye guilty of being truthful: All human life is precious, and all human beings are capable of exceeding our expectations.

I first fell in love with Nye's poetry through "The Words Beneath the Words" and recommend all of her works. Educators, activists, lovers of poetry, please read and share Nye's work. They are more important then ever in creating peaceful relationships for the future.

I love this book -- the art and the poems are all very high quality, thoughtful, thought-provoking and a balm for all in this mad and hateful world.

I think the map at the end is very thought-provoking, too. But please take the time to discuss the enormity of the implications of the way this map is created with the young people in your circle. I hope the map generates long discussions and is not just ignored. Some people may find the map inflamatory. Even though the map is an attempt at creating discussion around boundaries and definitions, I don't know what kind of thought process is behind what is included or not with this conception of "The Middle East." I can guess, but I think parents and teachers need more info to guided discussion. For example, I have no idea why Armenia is not included on this map.

The art and poetry throughout is beautiful, poignant, and contextual to a culture that is mostly foreign to an American audience. Nye is correct regarding the American sentiment of the Middle East and Muslims, and her attempt to ratify that, while somewhat lofty, is still admirable all the same. The poetry collected reveals something about people's hearts, loves, dreams, hates, and fears that media cannot. Much of the writing is so fiercely honest that one can't help but to feel drawn into the narrative of the people in a way that bridges the gap of religion, distance, and culture. I recommend this to all readers, because I believe that anyone who reads it will be positively changed by the poetry within, and hopefully the attempts toward peace and understanding will continue to move forward.

-Lindsey Miller, lindseyslibrary