Children of Israel, Children of Palestine

By Laurel Holliday

Book Overview

Israeli Jews and Palestinians appear side by side for the first time in this remarkable book to share powerful feelings and reflections on growing up in one of the world's longest and most dangerous conflicts. Here, thirty-six men and women, boys and girls, tell of their coming-of-age in a land of turmoil.
From kibbutzim in Israel and the occupied territories to Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Israeli Jews and Palestinians tell of tragedy and transcendence as they face their deepest fears and dream of a peaceful future. Listen to them as they recount stories of their brief and often violent youth.
No matter what their ethnic identity, how much and how long they have suffered, these courageous autobiographers most often reveal a deep longing for peace. Perhaps their hopes and fears are best illustrated by a parable retold by eighteen-year-old Redrose (a pseudonym):
"Two frogs got trapped in a jar of cream. They couldn't jump out of the liquid and they couldn't climb because the sides of the jar were slippery. One frog said, 'By dawn I'll be dead, ' and went to sleep. The second frog swam all night long and in the morning found herself floating on a pat of butter."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671008048
• ISBN13: 9780671008048
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.9" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

Brings the conflict to life

The childrens' stories really gave me a great understanding of what it must be like to have lived or continue to live in Israel/Palestine. Stories of love, heartbreak, hate, understanding, confusion provided an understanding of the impact of the conflict in the lives of real people instead of just the political views. If everyone tried to understand and care for both sides of the conflict as presented by the stories in this book maybe we would find the motivation to create peace.