About this item
Highlights
- Translated from Arabic, Code Name: Butterfly is a captivating YA novel that transcends language to deliver a tale of love, loyalty, and coming of age in the midst of upheaval.Life in occupied Palestine isn't easy.
- 110 Pages
- Young Adult Fiction, Coming of Age
Description
About the Book
"With irony and poignant teenage idealism, Butterfly draws us into her world of adult hypocrisy, sibling rivalries, girlfriends' power plays, unrequited love...not to mention the political tension of life under occupation. As she observes her fragile environment with all its conflicts, Butterfly is compelled to question everything around her" --Book Synopsis
Translated from Arabic, Code Name: Butterfly is a captivating YA novel that transcends language to deliver a tale of love, loyalty, and coming of age in the midst of upheaval.
Life in occupied Palestine isn't easy. Butterfly is a spirited teenager grappling with the complexities of growing up. Tinged with irony and fueled by unwavering idealism, she navigates a maze of adult duplicities, challenging friendships, and volatile sibling relationships.
Butterfly confronts some of life's most profound questions: Are the whispers of her father's potential alliance with the occupiers true? And will Nizar ever return her feelings of affection?
Thrust into a whirlwind of emotions and doubts, Butterfly learns to face the storms of young adulthood where 'honour' becomes a word charged with peril and meaning.
Also available in an Arabic language paperback edition titled Ismee Alharakee Farasha.
Review Quotes
"Enlightening, funny and affecting, Code Name: Butterfly is a brief story that packs quite a punch."--School Library Association
"reveals the Palestinian daily life in a very real and simplistic yet compelling way."--Head of Arabic at Oundle School, UK
"We look out through the eyes of a 14 or 15-year-old girl who doesn't know what to think about her eyebrows, much less the two-state solution. We, like her, must start over with new vocabulary. Indeed, if Butterfly has a superpower, it's her mastery of the power of questions. ... the book's questions strip not just Butterfly of certainty but also the reader, making it a valuable read for a teen or adult."--The National
"speaks with intelligence, wit and irony about the injustices and implications of occupation."--Chairman of The International Board on Books for Young People Palestine Chapter
"a searingly honest and brave portrayal of the harsh realities of life living under occupation seen through the eyes of the young protagonist who is trying hard to make sense of it all.'--Outside In World
About the Author
Ahlam Bsharat is a Palestinian writer who grew up in a village in Northern Palestine. She completed her Master's Degree in Arabic Literature at An-Najah National University in Nablus. Besides poetry, picture books, short stories, novels, and memoirs, she has written a number of television and radio scripts. Her books have received many awards and recommendations.Nancy Roberts is a multi-award-winning freelance Arabic-to-English translator and editor. In addition to novels, she enjoys translating materials on political, economic and environmental issues, human rights, international development, Islamic thought and movements, and interreligious dialogue. Nancy lived across the Middle East for twenty-five years in Lebanon, Kuwait and Jordan, and is now based in the Chicago suburbs.