Little Piece of Ground, A

A touching novel, written for young adults but immensely relevant to all ages. The author has successfully captured the hopes, the despair, the national pride, and the sheer endurance of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. The humanity of the jittery and frightened young Israeli soldiers is also exquisitely and poignantly portrayed. I am surprised that this book has not yet been published in the US, as I consider the subject matter to be generally relevant to today's situation in the Middle East. In fact, the topic is universal, describing with direct story telling, the psychological effect of war, oppression, humiliation, and discrimination on real people, whether in Palestine, the former apartheid South Africa, or occupied Europe during World War II. This book ought to be required reading in all high schools in all countries, including Israel.

"A Little Piece of Ground", by the well respected author Elizabeth Laird, confirms her place in the English speaking world as a major writer of childrens literature. With over one hundred published titles she once again proves that she is not afraid to tackle difficult and controversial subject matter. She continues to be interested in children that are placed in harm's way or who have to make difficult decisions. She never talks down to her readers. In her book "Loving Ben" she tells the sory of a girl who must come to terms with the birth of a hydrocephalic brother. In "Jakes Tower" she tells the story of a boy living with an abusive father and in "Kiss the Dust", the harrowing story of a young Kurdish girl in Iraq and her family's flight to safety. She continues this theme of learning to live with adversity in "A Little Piece of Ground" with the description of a young boy's life in war ravaged Palestine. While the book is aimed at younger readers it should be read by everyone who wants to be informed about the tragic situation and seemingly endless cycle of violence that has dominated that part of the world. It is welcome news that this book will finally be published in the United States in October of 2006 after a delay of three years.