Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

• Genre: Nonfiction; middle grade memoir
• Originally Published: 2007
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 870L; grades 7-9
• Structure/Length: 3 parts, 21 chapters; approx. 208 pages
• Central Concern: Ibtisam Barakat grew up in the shadow of the Six-Day War in 1967. She tells the story of the fear and confusion she felt as bombs exploded near her home, being separated from her family, and the joy of finding words and language. She gives readers a glimpse into the complicated nature of the Middle East and how to see the humanity in everyone.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: War violence; sexual assault; animal slaughter

Ibtisam Barakat, Author

• Bio: Born in 1963 in Beit Hanina-East Jerusalem; Palestinian American author, poet, translator, and artist; earned a bachelor’s degree from Bir Zeit University, in the West Bank; moved to New York City in 1986; interned with The Nation magazine; earned a master’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in human development and family studies from University of Missouri
• Other Works: What a Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music (2004); Free?: Stories About Human Rights (2010); Savoring the Sky (2010); Balcony on the Moon: Coming of Age in Palestine (2016)
• Awards: Middle East Council Best Literature Book Award (2007); Arab American National Museum Book Award (2008); International Reading Association’s Best Nonfiction for Young Adults (2008); Dorothy Canfield Fischer Children’s Book Award nominee (2009)      

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Loss of Childhood Innocence
• The Poison Inside: The Lasting Effects of War
• Finding Refuge: The Healing Power of Words

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the cultural and historical contexts around Palestine’s war-torn history, which directly shapes the course of Ibtisam’s life.
• Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Loss of Childhood Innocence, The Poison Inside: The Lasting Effects of War, and Finding Refuge: The Healing Power of Words.
• Research, analyze, and compare Tasting the Sky with a larger tradition of Palestinian poets, all processing their trauma and pain through the written word.
• Analyze and evaluate the author’s purpose and techniques to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Ibtisam’s relationship with her brothers, free verse poetry as a framing device, and other topics.