What This Book Is About
In 1967, a young Palestinian man named Bashir al-Khayri knocked on the door of a house in the Israeli city of Ramla. The house had been his family's home before 1948, when they were expelled during the creation of the state of Israel. Now it belonged to Dalia Eshkenazi Landau, a Jewish woman whose family had fled persecution in Bulgaria. Standing in the doorway, Dalia and Bashir began a conversation that would span decades—about justice, about home, about whether two peoples who both claim the same land can ever find peace.
At the center of the story is a lemon tree that Bashir's father planted in the backyard before the family was forced to leave. Sandy Tolan traces the parallel histories of Bashir and Dalia through sixty years of conflict, showing how their personal friendship both transcends and is shaped by the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. The young readers' edition makes this complex history accessible without simplifying it, presenting both perspectives with equal empathy and allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. It is one of the fairest, most humane books about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever written.
Available at Popular bookstores, Kinokuniya, and the Singapore National Library.
Why We Recommend This Book
The Lemon Tree tackles one of the world's most contentious conflicts with extraordinary evenhandedness—presenting both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives without taking sides. For UWC, which brings together students from across the Middle East and around the world, this kind of balanced, empathetic approach to contested history is not just valuable but essential.
The book teaches students that understanding a conflict means holding two truths simultaneously—that both peoples have legitimate claims, legitimate suffering, and legitimate dreams. This is exactly the kind of nuanced thinking that UWC's peace education curriculum aims to develop.
Reading Level Guide
Quite challenging at B1. Recommended to build up through B2 books first.
Ideal difficulty for strong B2 and C1 readers. Stretches vocabulary and critical thinking.
Well-matched for advanced C1. Rich language and complex themes provide genuine challenge.
Other UWC Recommended Books for This Grade
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