Mark and Rindi Baildon here.

These Olive Trees: A Palestinian Family’s Story 

Author and Illustrator: Aya Ghanameh Languages: English
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers at Penguin Random House ISBN: 9780593525180. Borrowed via Libby. 

Aya Ghanameh’s These Olive Trees weaves a compelling tapestry of the Palestinian experience through a family narrative of Palestinian agency and resilience that is characterized by unwavering bonds of family and community. Beautifully illustrated by Ghanameh, the book highlights not only the dark moments of war and forced displacement but also the ways joy can be found in sorrow and Mama’s lesson that “wherever we go we have each other.” The book is a testament to the power of solidarity, resistance, and the human capacity to find hope even in the face of despair. While the young girl, Oraib (Ghanameh’s grandmother, born in Nablus in 1953), and Mama are the main characters in the book, Ghanameh also makes the olive tree a central figure in her family story.

The olive tree is ever present in the story and the encampments and shares many qualities with the Palestinians in the story. It is a source of wonder for Oraib, she imagines the first person to ever taste its bitterness, and she becomes aware of the patience and perseverance needed for the fruit to go through the months-long process of cultivating, harvesting, curing, and brining the fruit the way Mama taught her. This patience and perseverance pay off – olive tree trimmings are used for fire, its wood can be used for ornaments and tools, the oil can be used for soap and for cooking. Like the solidarity and vital connection that the people in the story have to each other and the land, the olive tree is a force of sustenance, hope, and life.

The book also provides a historical narrative of Ghanameh’s family and the many Palestinians forced to leave their lands and settle in refugee camps. The story informs readers that the family used to live in the coastal Palestinian village of Al-Tira where generations of the family lived among the olive trees for hundreds of years and then they were forced to leave to the Balata refugee camp near Nablus. Historically, Al-Tira was evacuated during the 1948 war that led to the Nakba, the forced evacuation and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The Balata refugee camp was established in 1950 and is the largest camp in the West Bank.

As Mama holds Oraib, the story notes that, “The sky is gray and the earth is damp with knowledge that the war has found its way to Nablus.” War is depicted in the story as gray, ghost-like arms that grab at the land as the family once again gathers their belongings to “go.” Despite being told by Mama that the olive trees can’t be saved, Oraib declares that “we can, I will borrow an olive and plants its seed.” She decides she will be patient, calls on the earth and sky to look after the seed, and says she will return later for the harvest. Here, we witness the perseverance, resilience, and resistance necessary to maintain hope and connection to ancestral lands. Although the sky is gray and the earth is damp with the knowledge of violence, bloodshed, and displacement, it is also damp with the knowledge of resistance and return, the right of return granted by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236 in 1974 as an inalienable right.

The earth and Palestinian land are also primary characters in the story to form a sense of belonging, relationship, meaning, and collective agency with Palestinians in the story. Initially, we were puzzled and troubled about why the agents responsible for the war and displacement were depicted as gray, ghost-like arms and hands ever-present over the land and the people. Ghanameh also uses passive verbs without the presence of agents when she writes about how “the war came,” Mama says “the war has come to our doorstep again,” and she later states that “war has found its way to Nablus,” as if war is a force unto itself. Christopher Hedges has written that war is a force that gives us meaning, however it is more of a force that obliterates meaning. War is an act of force accompanied by senselessness and violence, but it is also a violation, a violation of rights, of human dignity, of agency, of meaning. Violence and violation share a common etymology. Perhaps Ghanemeh’s use of the passive phrases, such as “the war came,” while rendering agency for war invisible, also highlights the violation and destruction of agents, especially for those who wage war, perpetuate violence, and violate the rights of others. The earth is also damp with this difficult, sometimes incomprehensible knowledge, that violence is not only a violation of others but also a self-destructive force for those who wage war and commit violence.

Aya Ghanemeh’s book helps readers consider their own humanity and solidarity with others as well as their connection to the Earth. It is a powerful testament to a human spirit grounded in collective memory, hope, resilience, resistance, and belonging. These are the forms of agency, whether expressed by Mama, Oraib or the olive tree, that she chooses to highlight.

Other Reviews: Kirkus Reviews; Publishers Weekly; Islamic School Librarian

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About the Author:

Aya Ghanameh is a Palestinian from Amman, Jordan who currently resides in New York City. She graduated from the prestigous Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor in Fine Arts and a minor in Literary Arts & Studies. She now works as a Designer at Penguin Workshop, Penguin Random House. Ghanameh has illustrated one other book with author Rahma Rodaah, Dear Muslim Child, which was recently published (February, 2024) by Harper Collins. According to Ghanameh’s website, These Olive Trees was inspired by the experiences of her family, especially her grandmother, who cultivated her love of the land during her upbringing in exile. Ghanameh’s work moves away from state-centric perspectives to center the voices of ordinary people in historical and political narratives. Her website also features her work as an illustrater and designer.

For more on Aya Ghanameh and her work, see YA Books Central’s Author Chat with Aya Ghanameh and her interview with Panoramic about her Reclamation project (2021) featuring the ethical reappropriation of Zionist propaganda to reflect the Palestinian experience.

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About the Guest Contributors for #UAEReads:

Mark and Rindi Baildon are new grandparents and have two children, Brady, a social studies educator in South Korea, and Taylor, an instrument scientist in an observatory in California. They enjoy spending time with Snickers, their little Schnoodle. Mark and Rindi have taught in schools in the U.S., Israel, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan.

Rindi is semi-retired and Mark is an Associate Professor of Foundations of Education at United Arab Emirates University. His latest book is How to Confront Climate Denial: Literacy, Social Studies, and Climate Change.

Reviews represent the point-of-view of the author and/or authors and not Global Literature in Libraries Initiative as an organization.

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#UAEReads strives to be reflective of the diverse demographic population that makes up the country of the United Arab Emirates (see Global Media Insight source of demographics as of 2024). Hence, we will be featuring literature coming from the major nationalities comprising the entire country: Emiratis, Pakistanis, Indians, Filipinos, Egyptians – and other nationalities including people coming from Palestine and other Arab nations (with Other nationalities making up 38.55% of the country’s population as can be seen in the image above) who have made UAE their home.

About the Guest Editor/Curator for March 2024 [#UAEReads]:

Myra Garces-Bacsal has served as a teacher educator for 15 years and has led several research projects on reading and social emotional learning, diverse picturebooks and teacher practices, psychology of high creatives and exceptional people, culturally responsive and inclusive education. She is a quintessential lover and creator of booklists (see her Social and Emotional Learning bookshelf here and other publications below). Myra serves as the Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies with the College of Education, UAE University. She is a self-proclaimed nerd who lives and breathes books and enjoys organizing events and festivals where fellow nerds converge and attempt to joyfully change the world.

Publications on booklists:

Garces-Bacsal, R. M., Alhosani, N. M., Elhoweris, H., Tupas, R. (2023). A diverse social and emotional learning booklist for gifted learners and advanced readers. Roeper Review, 45(1), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2022.2145397

Garces-Bacsal, R. M., Alhosani, N. M., Elhoweris, H., Al Ghufli, H. T., AlOwais, N. M., Baja, E. S., & Tupas, R. (2022). Using diverse picturebooks for inclusive practices and transformative pedagogies. In M. Efstratopoulou (Ed.), Rethinking Inclusion and Transformation in Special Education (pp. 72-92). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-4680-5.ch005

Garces-Bacsal, R. M. (2021). Of grit and gumption, sass and verve: What gifted students can learn from multicultural picture book biographies. In S. R. Smith’s Handbook of giftedness and talent development in Australasian Pacific (pp. 431-453). Singapore: Springer International Handbooks of Education. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-981-13-3041-4_18

Garces-Bacsal, R. M. (2020). Diverse books for diverse children: Building an early childhood diverse booklist for social and emotional learning. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 22(1), 66-95. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420901856