Fans of other great coming of age writers like Judy Blume and Jerry Spinelli will likely become admirers of Naomi Shihab Nye’s Habibi and the main character Liyana. Habibi, a Palestinian term of endearment, is exactly how you’ll feel about Liyana and all of the other characters Nye creates in the novel.
Liyana, spending the first fourteen years of her life living in the suburbs of St. Louis, finds her world turned upside down when her father, “Poppy,” announces their move to his birthplace Jerusalem. Moving for any adolescent is hard, and Liyana has to deal with larger issues like not being able to bring her “short-shorts” and whether her new home will be “safe.” She’s rebellious like any girl at her age, but soon learns it may have more serious consequences in her new environment.
Liyana particularly laments her loss of identity due to moving. In St. Louis, Liyana felt like everyone knew her, her teachers, classmates, even the grocer down the street. A strong sense of identity is so important during those coming of age years, and Liyana grieves the loss of her perceived identity but learns an important lesson about who she is and who defines that by the end.
Much like the metaphor of a flower blooming, Liyana grows and blossoms during her journey. She quickly learns there is no black and white, but there is right and wrong. She realizes the importance of family, but also that love can conquer even the longest of feuds. Liyana faces the challenges before her with grace and thoughtfulness. She is a delight to spend two hundred and sixty pages with, and readers will want to know the rest of Liyana’s story after finishing this beautiful novel.
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