The Turtle of Oman

Naomi Shihab Nye is a well-established poet and author who was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Palestinian father and an American mother. In high school, she lived in Palestine, Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas (“Naomi Shihab Nye.” The American Academy of Poets, 2024). Nye is known for crafting children’s literature that addresses sensitive issues and cultural awareness. For example, Sitti’s Secrets (1994) focuses on a child’s relationship with her grandmother—a topic that is also explored in the relationship between Aref and Sidi in The Turtle of Oman. Sitti’s Secrets has been praised for focusing on relationships between the people of Middle Eastern countries and people of the US. In 1997, Nye published Habibi, a young adult novel focused on the experiences of an American teenager in Palestine who must contend with the violent activities occurring in Jerusalem (“Naomi Shihab Nye”).

After the destruction of the World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Nye became a vocal speaker on behalf of Arab Americans who were experiencing intensified prejudice as a result of the national and cultural identities of the perpetrators of the attacks.