Baddawi

Gr 7 Up— Abdelrazaq’s father, Ahmad, grew up as a refugee in Lebanon after his family fled Palestine in the 1940s, dividing his time between Baddawi, a refugee camp, and war-torn Beirut. Here, the author depicts Ahmad’s childhood and teenage experiences, from the celebration of Ramadan to nighttime raids of the camp. The story builds on this mix of mundane, day-to-day moments and singular, devastating events to create a picture of the life and struggles of a Palestinian refugee. This work is reminiscent of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (Pantheon, 2003), as it illuminates the experiences of a young person caught up in a country’s political conflict, although the vignettes and historical explanations are less refined. Like Persepolis, the events of Ahmad’s story are also still very relevant today. Abdelrazaq’s black-and-white drawings are evocative, and Ahmad’s tale serves as a solid foundation for an exploration of a part of the Palestinian experience in the second half of the 20th century. A glossary provides some context, defining Arab words and explaining key political players and places.