This post contains affiliate links. As part of Cuddle Bug’s curriculum, we recently read Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakat. This book is a children’s/young adult book, but the author experiences difficult moments in her life that made my heart break for her and her childhood.
About Tasting the Sky
This book is based on Barakat’s childhood. She was preschooler living in Ramallah with her parents, three brothers, and younger sister when the Six-Day War began. After that, her life would never be the same.
Her mother was much younger than her father, and the war changed her mother. She became afraid of the threats around her and took extreme steps to “protect” her family such as claiming her husband was dead and checking herself and her children into an orphanage. This was an ill-fated move that negatively affected all of the children.
Unfortunately, that is just one example of some of her mom’s ill-advised moves.
My Thoughts on Tasting the Sky
This book reminded me of The Land I Lost by Huynh Quang, though it wasn’t as graphic as that book. Barakat’s childhood was filled with chaos and loss. Some of that was created by her environment and the war, but some was created directly by her mother. I felt bad for her and the way she had to grow up.
I give Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakat 4 out of 5 stars on the Mom’s Plans’ scale.
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