Ibtisam's Story

"Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam is a life changing memoir through the lens of a Palestinian child that reminding us of the persistent battle for freedom, the power of remembrance, and how the love of family can overcome every fear and any obstacle.

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Tasting The Sky by Ibtisam Barakat Video by: Jaileessa Casimir

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عندما تنظر إلى حياتك فإن أعظم حب هو حب العائلة

"When you look at your life,the greatest love is family love" Pgs 25-28; 82,83; 156,157 I like these parts of the book because it’s very heart warming. It how much family means to her. She cares for every single one of her family and together they'll do whatever it takes to protect each other. Through these traumatic experiences, family support and love is what they only need.

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“I want to ask him if I can take out a pen and paper. If he let’s me, I will empty myself of what I feel." This quote is my favorite part in the book because I can relate this to myself. Ibtisam uses writing as her "escape" and whenever I do nail I feel a sense of freedom and an "escape" from the rest of the world.

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- What did you say about freedom?

- I spoke about a feeling of deep loss.

- But you haven’t lost your freedom..

- To lose something you need to own it first, and you never owned your freedom.

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This quote immediately reminded me of the book "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat. In first part, A Letter To No One, she illustrates a resilient battle for freedom in the state of Palestine. Many people in Palestine are on a quest for freedom, students become activist, and even Ibtisam's father is bound that the invisible palpable presence of the Israeli government. All this fighting for an abstract symbol--- freedom. Unlike many the oppressed and hopeless, Ibtisam has found her own freedom. "I have my freedom. It is hidden in Post Office Box 34."

However, the most heartbreaking but most memorable part in the book, is when she describes her father's freedom, or the lack of. She says, "he is like a lion in the zoo. Any of us can be taken away any day...no matter how hard he roars from the fenced space allotted to him...My father has no language for the pain and loneliness he feels. Is that because he has lived all of his life not knowing freedom?"

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We would rate this book, Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakat, 5 stars because for one it tells us how the war was like between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Also it gives us the point of view from Ibtisam views as a child going through war. This book helps the readers understand what war was like for a child whom at the time was 3 years old. We did not only witness what she went through during war, but also the repercussions of the war and how it affect her and her family throughout the years. The war devastated their lives and tore them away from all they know which was home. We would recommend this book to everyone and not just to children.

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June 8

Egypt accepts a cease-fire.

Hebron falls to the Israeli army.

Fighting continues on the border of Golan.

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June 7 U.N. Security Council presents a cease-fire initiative. Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser turns it down. Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eskol proposes to Jordan's King Hussein that a cease-fire and peace talks begin. Hussein doesn't respond. Bir al-Hasna and Al Qazima in Egypt are claimed by Israel. Old City of Jerusalem, Nablus and Jericho are among those places that fall in Jordan. Jordanian forces are ordered to retreat. Fighting between Syria and Israel continues on the border of Golan.

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June 6 Syrian forces fortify the border with Israel and begin artillery fire. Israel takes Gaza, Ras el Naqeb and Jebel Libni from Egypt. Ramallah, North East Jerusalem, Ammunition Hill and Talpiot are among areas Israeli forces capture. Jordanian forces are ordered to retreat from West Bank.

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June 5

Israeli air attacks against Egypt begin in the morning.

Israel later begins air strikes in Jordan and targets Syria air force bases.

Syria, Jordan and Iraq begin air strikes on Haifa.

Jordan launches air strikes on Netanya and other Israeli targets.

Jordan and Iraq attempt airstrikes against Tel Aviv. Jordan also begins artillery fire against the city.

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Palestinian Map

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The flag was symbol of liberation and unity f the Arab nation, and was established after the Arab-Isreali War in 1498, which was part of the Palestine war. Though Ibtisam felt the recoil of the war, Ibtisam's mother tried keep her sheltered from this part of her reality. "I never learned about how the Palestinian flag are arranged...I see it for seconds only, before the hand that holds [Palestinian flag] shot by Israeli soldiers," She accounts.

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In a patriarchal society, much like Palestine, women are beginning to break away from traditional ideas had limited their rights.

Unfortunately, many women are not giving the opportunity to continue their education in the Middle East. In the book, Tasting the Sky, Ibtisam’s Mother was not able to afford schooling after the sixth grade. Although she begged to sit on the floor to reduce the fee, and even clean in exchange of being a student, she was still unable to continue her schooling. However, she continued to encourage her children to adopt a love for learning.

“But school and learning were just as sacred to Mother.” -Tasting The Sky

Palestinian culture is heavily associated with books, poems, stories and folk stories as a way of sustaining and honoring their identity. A common Palestinian/Arab proverb states: The cheapest pen is better than memory

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Boys into Men

Ibtisam's brothers had to get circumcisions, which is a Palestinian ceremony that makes a boy into a "man."

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Hijab

Worn by women that conforms to a certain standard of modesty

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"To celebrate their regained freedom, my brothers wanted to build a kite." -Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakat