Young Adult (YA) Novel in Verse: Ronit & Jamil


 Summary

Ronit, an Israeli girl and Jamil, a Palestinian boy are separated by a barrier fence that  divides Israel and Gaza. Generations of conflict provide even more distance between them. Tensions rising between their fathers further complicate matters as the two teenagers fall deep into a forbidden love. Knowing that their love could create a rift between their families, Ronit and Jamil go to great lengths to keep their romance a secret. The story, told in novel in verse, mirrors the Shakespearean love story, Romeo and Juliet with a modern and duo-cultural lens.

Justification

I selected this book because it provides poetry, historical and cultural context in one text. Young readers (particularly those in 7th grades and up) could gain a great sense of culture from reading this book. Although it is short and written in verse format, readers can get a sense of how stories may be told in different ways.

How much does the text agree or clash with the readers' views of the world, and what they consider right and wrong?

Ronit & Jamil does provide context into what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is really like and how it can cause rifts in families. Many students may not be familiar with how far back in time the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began and how it still continues today. So, to combine this conflict with a love story of teenagers from both respective cultures, another dynamic is introduced further increasing the tension between two families. 

How well may the reader enjoy the text as a work of art?  

With the inclusion of novel in verse, the reader could really appreciate a story of romance intertwined with historical and generational conflict between two cultures from the perspective of someone who is already a fan of poetry or an avid learner of poetic prose and writing. This text would be a great tool for those students just learning about poetry.  

Overall Reaction to the Text

This text provides so many layers of poetry, historical conflict, romance, direct quotes to Shakespearean works, and ties it in with current pop culture references. All of these elements make this a valuable text for young readers (Grades 7 and up) to read and for school librarians to include in their middle school and high school library collections. This text is also applicable to poetry lessons in English/Language Arts classes as well as lessons about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in World History classes. 

Citation

Laskin, P. L. (2017). Ronit & Jamil. Katherine Tegen Books.

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