Thirteen year old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother's ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab's life. The only problem is that Hayaat and her family live behind the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, and they're on the wrong side of check points, curfews, and the travel permit system. Plus, Hayaat's best friend Samy always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on the pair's side as they undertake the journey to Jerusalem from the Palestinian Territories when Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel. But while their journey may only be a few kilometers long, it could take a lifetime to complete. . .
Humorous and heartfelt, Where the Streets Had a Name deals with the Israel-Palestinian conflict with sensitivity and grace and will open a window on this timely subject.
Lynn says:
"Abdel-Fattah has a couple titles in Young Adult, but this one is for a slightly youngeraudience and I'd say would be fine for YA as well... It's the story of 13 yr old Hayaat
who's living in Bethlehem. Her grandmother isn't in the best health and Hayaat convinces
herself that some soil from her home (in occupied Jerusalem, from which the family was
forced to move)would help. She and best friend, Samy, have endured the headaches of
checkpoints, curfews and the huge separation wall, but never have they risked trying to
get into Jerusalem on their own without telling anyone. Their journey is a window into a
reality that begs many questions to which the author does not present facile answers, but
opens the imagination to consider the context in which the protagonist is living out her
youth half a world away. Where the Streets Had a Name will evoke the many paradoxes of the 'Holy Land' for anyone who's ever been there and will put a human face on the
'situation' there for anyone who has not...."
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