Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Part 1

Reading Check

1. In what year does Ibtisam’s story begin in Tasting the Sky?

2. In Sundra, an Israeli soldier frightens Ibtisam when he tells her that what city has been destroyed?

3. What kind of mail does Ibtisam receive at her private post office box, PO Box 34?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Tasting the Sky opens with a free-verse poem written by Ibtisam. Why do you think she chose to begin her memoir this way? What is the primary imagery in the poem?

2. Part 1 is entitled “A Letter to No One.” What is the meaning behind this section title?

Paired Resource

“Songs of My Foreign Accent”

• In this 11-minute TEDxCoMo presentation, Ibtisam offers an overview of her life and story, as told through a discussion of her Palestinian accent.
• Throughout the talk, Ibtisam emphasizes that she has long held a belief that language is power and that there is a healing power in words that helped her overcome and process her trauma, reinforcing the theme of Finding Refuge: The Healing Power of Words.