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    Ronit & Jamil
    Ronit & Jamil
    Ronit & Jamil
    Ebook201 pages1 hour

    Ronit & Jamil

    By Pamela L. Laskin

    3/5

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    About this ebook

    Pamela L. Laskin’s beautiful and lyrical novel in verse delivers a fresh and captivating retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that transports the star-crossed lovers to the modern-day Israel-Palestine conflict.

    Ronit, an Israeli girl, lives on one side of the fence. Jamil, a Palestinian boy, lives on the other side. Only miles apart but separated by generations of conflict—much more than just the concrete blockade between them. Their fathers, however, work in a distrusting but mutually beneficial business arrangement, a relationship that brings Ronit and Jamil together. And lightning strikes. The kind of lightning that transcends barrier fences, war, and hatred.

    The teenage lovers fall desperately into the throes of forbidden love, one that would create an irreparable rift between their families if it were discovered. But a love this big can only be kept secret for so long. Ronit and Jamil must face the fateful choice to save their lives or their loves, as it may not be possible to save both.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 21, 2017
    ISBN9780062458551
    Author

    Pamela L. Laskin

    Pamela L. Laskin is a lecturer in the English department at City College of New York and directs the Poetry Outreach Center. A published poet and author, she has written several poetry chapbooks and children’s books, including Homer the Little Stray Cat, and short YA stories for both Sassy and Young Miss magazines. She is currently a Colin Powell fellow and a SEED grant recipient for Poetry Outreach, and she has received three RF CUNY grants for completion of creative work. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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    Reviews for Ronit & Jamil

    3/5

    18 ratings3 reviews

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    • 2/5
      The premise of this book was amazing! A modern day re-telling of Romeo and Juliet with a Palestinian Boy and an Israeli girl falling for each other in Israel. It's written in verse and intended for teens, but honestly this whole book just fell short for me. The poetry was clunky rather than fluid, they were using cell phones to communicate, and honestly it was more about their differences than their love. I feel like this book was aimed to get teenagers to learn about the conflicts in Israel, but it didn't do anything for the heart of the story, the romance, the Romeo and Juliet vibe. Great concept, just sad it fell short of the mark. If you really want to check it out though it is a SUPER quick read and can be gotten through in an hour.
    • 3/5
      received as a giveaway through Goodreads. Retelling of Romeo and Juliet written in verse!
    • 2/5
      I don't know. I thought the bad ratings were maybe high expectations unmet, but now that I read it, I see the problems.
      It's all so unrealistic. Yes, there's insta-love, but just the situation doesn't feel right. I think this could have been better in a more traditional format, rather than prose.
      I don't know. Overall, I'm just unimpressed. It's a great concept, I just think the product was lacking.

    Book preview

    Ronit & Jamil - Pamela L. Laskin

    DEDICATION

    To Ira—my beginning, middle, and ending

    To Ella—you have awakened a world of possibilities

    CONTENTS

    Dedication

    Introduction

    Reader’s Note

    Epigraph

    Ronit

    Jamil

    Act I: Naming Things

    To Work

    To Work

    The Clinic

    The Clinic

    Ronit’s First Glance

    Jamil’s First Glance

    Naming Things

    Naming Things

    Dinner Chatter

    Dinner Chatter

    Ma’ale Adumim (West Bank Settlement)

    Two Selves

    Homes

    Home

    Ma’ale Adumim (Jamil)

    Ronit

    Jamil

    Wolf

    Father of Light

    Tiger

    My Great Father

    Imah

    Ommi

    Zayde

    Imagine: The Pharmacist’s Profession

    When His Abi Isn’t Looking

    When Her Abba Isn’t Looking

    Let’s Meet

    The Gift

    Spices

    Spice Market

    Hands

    He Touched My Hand

    Lightning Strikes

    What I Love

    What I Love II

    What I Love

    What I Love II

    What I Hate

    What I Hate II

    What I Hate

    What I Hate II

    Ronit Goes to the Market

    Jamil Goes to the Market

    Shell-Struck

    Jordan

    Sweet Statue

    No More

    Hunger

    Hunger

    The Enemy: Ronit Speaks

    The Enemy: Jamil Speaks

    Street Walk: Ronit

    My Sister Told Ommi

    From Her Sweet Body

    From His Sweet Hands

    Ronit Texts

    Jamil Texts

    Jamil and Ronit on an Afternoon Walk

    Shihab*

    Other Gardens: Ronit Speaks

    Ronit and Jamil

    Sun

    Moon

    Ronit’s Kiss

    Light

    Keys: Ronit Speaks

    Keys: Jamil Speaks

    Act II: Complications

    Ronit: A Walk in the Woods

    Jamil: A Walk in the Woods

    Another Glance

    Homeless

    Olive Garden: Ronit Speaks

    Another Garden

    Ronit’s Text

    Jamil’s Text

    No Work Today

    Jamil

    It’s Complicated

    It’s Complicated

    The Mount

    Dome of the Rock

    You Don’t Understand

    You Don’t Understand

    Not Just About

    Not Just About

    The Rockets

    Jamil

    Ronit and Jamil, a Walk in East Jerusalem

    Ronit

    Jamil

    Ronit

    Jamil

    A Day in the Desert: Ronit Texts

    A Day in the Desert

    Joined Bodies

    Land: Ronit’s Ghazal*

    Built of Bones: Jamil’s Ghazal

    Water: Ronit’s Ghazal

    River: Jamil’s Ghazal

    Desert: Ronit’s Ghazal

    In a Tomb: Jamil’s Ghazal

    Fences

    Jamil’s Fear

    Ronit’s Fear

    Through the Window

    Leaving: Ronit Speaks

    Away: Ronit Dreams

    Safe in My Skin: Jamil

    Imah Knows

    Ommi Knows

    Meteors: Ronit Speaks

    Names: Ronit Speaks

    Act III: Dreaming an Escape: Overlapping Voices

    Dreams

    Jamil’s Dream

    Ronit’s Dream

    Act IV: A Father’s Lament

    Chaim

    Mohammed

    Act V: Onward

    Afterword and Acknowledgments

    Back Ad

    About the Author

    Credits

    Copyright

    About the Publisher

    INTRODUCTION

    RONIT & JAMIL IS SET IN PRESENT-DAY ISRAEL, A REGION IN the Middle East facing many challenges and a conflict with roots dating back to the formation of the Jewish state. However, conflict has existed in this region for many generations. This book does not focus on the historical claims to this land, but rather how the declaration of Israel as a state in 1948 sparked a conflict that continues today.

    In 1948, the US Department of State recommended the creation of a UN trusteeship with limits on immigration and a division of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab provinces. Despite this resolution, an uprising began almost immediately, which officially ended the hostilities of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israeli forces and the Jordanian–Iraq forces. This was also known as the Green Line. Some Arab Israelis fled at this time, though some remained in Israel, not always with the same rights as Israeli citizens. In 1967, war broke out in the area, and Israel acquired additional land in this region. The UN Security Council’s solution to this acquisition did not

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