Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

Part 1

Reading Check

1. 1981 (Part 1)

2. Ramallah (Part 1)

3. Mail from international pen pals (Part 1)

Short Answer

1. Ibtisam begins her memoir with a poem that underscores the idea that poetry and words are very important to her. Ibtisam’s free-verse poem involves a caged bird, thus also introducing the symbol of a bird and its relationship to notions of freedom/capture. (Part 1)

2. Part 1 is titled this because it highlights the importance of writing as a kind of “letter”—the memoir is both a letter to the reader and to Ibtisam herself, as she works through the traumatic experiences she endured in Israeli-occupied Palestine. (Part 1)

Part 2, Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1. The Jordan River (Part 2, Chapter 2)

2. A donkey (Part 2, Chapter 3)

3. Hamameh’s kitchen (Part 2, Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. Ibtisam is just three and a half years old when news of the war reaches the family. Ibtisam’s older brothers play outside the family home; Ibtisam’s mother is making dinner and caring for her infant sister. Ibtisam’s father comes home from work, and delivers news to the family, disrupting an otherwise peaceful scene.