November is a special month for some Middle Eastern countries. Please note these are not an exhaustive list of the literature coming out of those countries, or even the literature in translation, merely what I have to offer our students. For further reviews and reading suggestions please take a look at the GLLI blog for Palestine, and Lebanon literature.

I would like in particular to highlight two books this month – one which was published too late to make it onto my list.

For Palestine – “We are Palestinian by Reem Kassis and illustrated by Noha Eilouti“. It is almost unimaginable that such a beautiful celebration of culture and tradition can come out of a country so devastated. It is also a book that provides such incredible solace to our students from Palestine as it is life and culture affirming. Illustrated nonfiction picture books are not often amongst my top-circulating items, however this book is. It is beloved not only by students from Palestine but also those who want to know more about the peoples of Palestine. And in fact just last week one of our social studies teachers looking for inspiration for his “colonies and colonization” unit picked it up to use as a template for students to use when interviewing their relatives about the places they come from.

For Lebanon, a book “hot off the press” as they say, is “Lebanon Is Burning and Other Dispatches by Yazan Al-Saadi illustrated by Tracy Chahwan, Ganzeer, Ghadi Ghosn, Omar Khouri, Sirène Moukheiber, Hicham Rahma, and Enas Satir” is a YA/Adult set of graphic “dispatches” that burn with the righteous indignation of peoples whose lives and existences have been disrupted by turmoil and violence. As one of my Lebanese colleagues my age remarked “I have lived through 11 wars involving Lebanon since I was born.” The book covers Lebanon, Bahrain, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Sudan and Yeman with a scathing chapter on MSF. But don’t just pick this book up for the anger. Read it for the lyrical language and the most amazing illustrations and very very clever allusions to other suppression – such as the chapter “The caged bird sings of freedom” with its allusions to Maya Angelou’s “I know why the caged bird sings” And read it for the facts and information.

Opinions expressed in posts on this site are the individual author’s and are not indicative of the views of Global Literature in Libraries Initiative.

By Nadine Bailey – middle school teacher librarian, currently living and working in Dubai, formerly in Beijing China, Singapore and a bunch of other cities around the world. Passionate about our students seeing themselves and their worlds in literature and developing curiosity and a passion for reading and learning.

The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed in this blog post are solely my own and do not reflect the positions, policies, or opinions of any current or former employer. Any references or examples provided are intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as endorsements or official statements from any organization I have been associated with.