Ida In The Middle
Ida, a Palestinian-American girl, eats a magic olive that takes her to the life she might have had in her parents' village near Jerusalem. An important coming of age story that explores identity, place, voice, and belonging.
Every time violence erupts in the Middle East, Ida knows what's coming next. Some of her classmates treat her like it's all her fault--just for being Palestinian! In eighth grade, Ida is forced to move to a different school. But people still treat her like she'll never fit in. Ida wishes she could disappear.
One day, dreading a final class project, Ida hunts for food. She discovers a jar of olives that came from a beloved aunt in her family's village near Jerusalem. Ida eats one and finds herself there--as if her parents had never left Palestine! Things are different in this other reality--harder in many ways, but also strangely familiar and comforting. Now she has to make some tough choices. Which Ida would she rather be? How can she find her place?
Ida's dilemma becomes more frightening as the day approaches when Israeli bulldozers are coming to demolish another home in her family's village...
Reviews
"Ida in the Middle offers YA readers an immersive introduction to the occupation of Palestine. It is also a story of personal transformation ... [It] captures adolescent angst with palpable precision ... [Ida's] newfound pride in her people and their history is inspiring. It also makes for a gripping and poignant story ... Call it the miracle of the olives." --The Indypendent
"Ida in the Middle is a familiar adolescent story of our yearning to belong, while illuminating, with honesty and sensitivity, the painful experiences of Palestinians under the Occupation. Fourteen-year-old Ida, the timid and 'invisible' daughter of immigrants, finds herself magically transported to Busala, her native Palestinian village, where she discovers her voice and purpose in the world. Ida's amazing journey reveals the strength of our roots wherever they are planted, and the courage to bear witness." --Sahar Mustafah, author of The Beauty of Your Face, a 2020 New York Times Notable Book
"[A] welcome saga of a young Palestinian American middle school girl grappling with her identity ... In this young adult novel, one can teach the story of Palestine and the challenges Palestinians face every day living under Israeli occupation. At the same time, the book helps children understand and empathize with the plight of immigrants who have come to the United States due to the danger of political and economic turmoil in their native lands ... Ida in the Middle is sure to capture the minds of its teenage readers. Told with a magical realism, one cannot help but become engrossed as Ida vividly travels from homework sessions and soccer games in Massachusetts back to occupied Palestine." --Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Nora Lester Murad is a writer, educator, and activist. She co-authored Rest in My Shade: A Poem About Roots, and edited I Found Myself in Palestine: Stories of Love and Renewal From Around the Globe. From a Jewish American family, Nora moved from California to study in the Middle East. She married a Muslim Palestinian, and raised three daughters in the West Bank and in the US.
