A Little Piece of Ground Paperback – October 1, 2006

An important story demonstrating the frustrating lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, something the rest of the world knows little about. This important book enables readers to understand why living continuously under occupation and threat from settlers, youngsters are hopeless and frustrated and what then stems from these feelings. This book is an excellent insight into the struggles in the lives of ordinary Palestinian youth. Both YA and adults in America should read this story and get an understanding of the Middle-East conflict from a different perspective, a perspective we overlook or that is hidden. This is a very important and unique. There is very little literature on the stories and feelings of Palestinian lives. I hope more books will be published teaching us more about this race. Because every race matters!

I liked this book because it explaned about a person’s life and experince during the Palestine war. I also like this book because it also explains how the Iraelans and the Palestinians are both similar in ways that are very important.

Imagine being a kid on the verge of teenagehood trapped in a small apartment for days on end with an angry older brother, a depressed father worried about his business, a mother fearful for your safety and two younger sisters, one of them sick. You can't go out of your front door or else you'll get shot by the soldiers manning the tanks and jeeps that patrol the streets of your city. You get two hours once or twice a week to go see your friends, buy anything you need, run to school to turn in assignments and get new ones. Imagine the stifling anger, frustration and helplessness. That's where Elizabeth Laird's "A Little Piece of Ground" begins.From this claustrophobic opening, the story opens up a little bit with glimmers of hope and happiness, but each such glimmer is marred by the brutality and uncertainty of the occupation. A trip to the countryside village is marred by humiliation at a checkpoint along the way and the discovery that the family's olive groves have been confiscated by settlers. The discovery of "Hopper's ground" is shadowed by the destruction and rubble of the buildings which once stood on the site.Laird has created a fictionalized account of life in an occupied land, which in the story happens to be Palestine. Having little knowledge and no direct experience with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I have no idea how accurate her portrayal of life in Palestine really is (although my gut tells me "very accurate"). But in many ways, it doesn't matter what country we're talking about. The horrors of war and occupation are universal and the damage done - to both the occupied and the occupiers - is profound. The occupied people live in fear and rage at their occupiers and they react aggressively, instinctively trying to assert their need for freedom. The occupiers (who know, in their heart of hearts what they are doing) react by fearing the occupied people - projecting onto them their own aggression. 'Round and 'round it goes, where it stops, who knows?Elizabeth Laird does an excellent job of depicting the crucible of escalating tensions - fear and anger on both sides - which leads to the deadlocked confrontation of the occupation. At the same time, she deftly portrays both sides as humans caught up in an overarching struggle that neither side understands. They share commonalities (one soldier looks like Karim's brother, for instance), but they are worlds away. Karim and his friends come of age amidst this complex backdrop, guided, wearily and warily, by the generation which has gone before them and learned how to navigate this fearful landscape with dignity intact. The soccer field Karim and his friends create at Hopper's ground, destroyed by Israeli tanks, and hopefully to be redeveloped in the future, symbolizes the strength and persistent endurance of the Palestinian peoples in the face of the adversity of the unending Israeli occupation.With one exception, Laird has created believable characters with whom the reader can identify and understand. The one exception is the youngest daughter Sireen who is supposed to be four-years-old, but the way she is depicted seems much closer to two. For instance, a four-year-old who has grown up in an occupied land would know better than to open her door and get out at a checkpoint. Sireen is a very minor character, so this flaw doesn't unduly mar the book, but I did find it annoying every time she appeared. But otherwise, Laird does an good job of presenting her characters' motivations and emotions, actions and re-actions, whether simply in "ordinary" family life (as ordinary as life can be in such a tense situation) or in the extraordinary confrontation with the occupying force that the family must deal with.The combination of rich and realistic characters and a well-paced plot make this book an engaging read for kids and adults alike. Most Americans, young and old (myself included), have little conception of what life is like outside the confines of our safe homes and neighborhoods. War has not touched our soil in so long that few have any conception what it is like to live day after day in a war zone. This book will open many eyes.

This is an extraordinary book about war and peace as seen through the eyes of a young Palestinian boy. It is beautifully written and is certain to hold the attention of any reader, though it is intended for our upper elementary and middle school students.Elizabeth Laird is the award-winning author of Kiss the Dust and The Garbage King. She received the 2004 Hampshire Award in the UK for A Little Piece of Ground, but we had to wait for a US publisher with the courage to pick it up. It has since received the MEOC Award here in the US for the category "Youth Literature".Teachers/Librarians: 5th-9th grade - social studies/language arts. SPECIAL ONLINE - FREE TEACHER'S GUIDE - just go to [...] to download a detailed, 57 page teacher's guide to A Little Piece of Ground

What I like most about this very simply written book is that it really makes the suffering of Palestinians real to young and old readers alike. I never really thought what it's like for a 14-year old to be cooped up all day in an apartment because there's a day and night curfew imposed by the Israeli army. And then the joy of having just a few minutes out of doors in the sun. Elizabeth Laird has an uncany ability to capture the feelings of the children affected by the Israeli occupation of Palestine. She keeps the book free of polemics. Very readable and very honest. I've recommended to several people already.

Thank you

Did you know that the war in Palestine started in 1948? Ever since, Palestine (based in South-West Asia) and Israel have been fighting for ownership of the heavenly earth.This book is based on a true story however the characters are fictional. The main character is Karim and he finds himself trapped in curfew and also split into three; his family, his best friend and a new mysterious associate. The story is set over an approximate two years in which Karim’s misery, grief and hardship are truthfully highlighted.The book centres on a heroic boy named Karim who is the protagonist, however, there are also more characters such as Joni (Karim’s trusted friend), Joni's family and Karim’s household. The characters were described amazingly and it felt like you were interacting with them in reality. Furthermore, there was a fair amount of conflict between the characters which was shown when Jamal, Kaim’s extravagant older brother, sold Karim’s favourite video game. This makes the book such a fun read. Throughout the story a strong family and friend unit has been formed.The setting was described with fantastic detail and it felt like I was there in the story, watching everything that happened at that time. This story was written in the third person which is a perfect match for this non-fiction tale. Personally, I believe that it was an exciting read and I would rate this book 5|5.After reading the story, I think that the author has written this book to inform the world about the arisings in Palestine and how the citizens’ lives have been affected by the war. The descriptions are phenomenal and the author (Elizabeth Laird) takes most of the credit for exposing the brutality that the Israeli soldiers have inflicted. I would recommend this book to a child of my age (11) and I think the age limit should be from 6 years upwards.

Es para el Instituto de mi hija

A worthwhile read when it comes to understanding how war impacts the children of the area.

This is an excellent book which I am currently using as a year 8 class novel. Not only is it well written and engaging, it teaches young people a great deal about history. Written from the point of view of a boy of 12, it is perfect for helping young people understand that not all teens have a protected, almost cosseted lifestyle. Enduring hardship is something mostly unfamiliar to UK pupils, so understanding how lucky they are in comparison to people their age in other parts of the world is a valuable lesson in gratitude. I cannot recommend this book enough, though it may be a bitter pill to swallow for people who are supporters of the Israeli takeover of Palestine!

A piece of reality - if only it's deep meanings were understood by those causing the destruction of a peoples land!An easy read and one that my children have also enjoyed and been able to relate to from a child's perspective.What a writer!