Writing in a passionate blend of poetry and prose, fifteen-year-old Randa Ghazy creates a convincing portrait of a group of friends who have grown up surrounded by fighting and know no other world than one with war or the threat of it. Ghazy draws a portrait of life in the Middle East that alternates the horrors of living amid war with the experiences of life-altering friendships, growing up, falling in love, and dreaming of the future. Ibrahim, Nedal, Ramy, Mohammad, Ahmed, Gihad, Riham, and Walid are characters with whom we can identify, even as they are experiencing the unimaginable. Imaging the day-to-day experience of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Ghazy presents us with a world in which misery, frustration, and a sense of duty are ever-present, but in which hope continues to exist. by boldly depicting a sometimes shocking reality, Dreaming of Palestine underscores the importance of balancing throught with feeling, and loyalty with sympathy.

Dreaming of Palestine bravely addresses a field of issues and feelings into which many writers would not even venture. A novel that demands reflection, the book gives voice to the voiceless. With the confidence and eloquence of a mature novelist, Ghazy offers a story that might astonish readers with its intensity, but offers hope.