Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood

Tasting the Sky is a memoir, a first-person nonfiction account of a specific time in Ibtisam’s life. The word memoir comes from the French word “mémoire,” which means “memory” or “reminisce.” In her memoir, Ibtisam remembers and reflects on her experiences as a child during the Six-Day War.

Ibtisam uses techniques found in fictional narratives to tell the true story of her childhood. She is her memoir’s protagonist, and her family and other real-life figures are the three-dimensional characters in her narrative. Ibtisam depicts her memories as individual scenes that make up a whole. She carefully describes setting, utilizes visual imagery, and emphasizes the impact of her experiences on the child she was. Ibtisam, who became a college professor later in life, now offers seminars called “Write Your Life!” which help others explore their memories and find their voices.

Ibtisam’s memoir follows a story arc. Her narrative is framed by her experience, a decade later, of her bus being stopped by Israeli soldiers. This pivotal event allows her to look back and relive the memories of childhood losses that begin with the war and follow Ibtisam until her family are forced to flee again.