Enemy Territory

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Description

Trained to hate, two boys discover friendship instead. Sam, an Israeli teen whose leg may have to be amputated, and Yusuf, a Palestinian teen who has lost his left eye, find themselves uneasy roommates in a Jerusalem hospital. One night, the boys decide to slip away while the nurses aren't looking and go on an adventure to the Old City. The escapade turns dangerous when they realize they're hopelessly lost. As they navigate the dark city-one of them limping and the other half-blind-their suspicions of each other are diverted. They band together to find their way home, defending themselves against unfriendly locals, arrest by the military police, and an encounter with a deadly desert snake. The boys' attempts to understand each other and the politics that divide them mirror the longstanding conflict in the Middle East. This powerful story, touched with humor, demonstrates how individual friendships and experiences can triumph over enormous cultural and political differences and lead to understanding and compassion.

Reviews

Full of grit and bursts of well-placed humour, Enemy Territory is a characteristically bold, thought-provoking, important novel from an author and Canadian war artist unafraid to use controversial issues as a platform to educate and enlighten.--Christina Minaki"Canadian Children's Book News" (01/01/2013)
McKay ably, though unconvincingly, illustrates the deep-seated hatred and misinformation each side has for the other in the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict.--Ed Goldberg"VOYA" (12/01/2012)
McKay weaves a story of depth and understanding, a beautiful portrait of reluctant friendship, of overcoming profound prejudices, misconceptions, and deep-seeded anger, even hate.--Kim Bewick"Resource Links" (12/01/2012)
Telling the story with sensitivity and humour, McKay brings to life, through the young men, both the dangerous and precarious situation in Israel, and the value of friendship in the face of crisis and deep-seated cultural instability.--Rob Bittner"Canadian Materials" (01/11/2013)
Two teenage boys, Sam, an Israeli Jew, and Yusef, a Muslim Palestinian, find themselves sharing a hospital room in West Jerusalem. Sam convinces Yusef to sneak out of the hospital with him, and the two set out for the Old City. What starts out as an adventure quickly develops into a dangerous journey. For a Palestinian traveling without official papers, Yusef fears arrest by the police; seeking help from locals proves threatening as well. The teens argue about their differences, yet all the while relying on each other. Eventually they realize that their lives are actually more similar than first thought... Recommended.--Susan Shaver, K-12 Library Media Specialist, Hemin"Library Media Connection" (04/01/2013)
The result is intense and leaves the reader with much to think about.--Cori Dusmann"Quill and Quire" (09/01/2012)

Author Bio

Sharon E. Mckay is a bestselling, award-winning author. In her teens she spent summers witnessing sectarian violence in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has also spent time in the Occupied Territories and Israel. In 2009, she was named as a Canadian War Artist, the first writer to hold this title. She lives with her family in Kilbride, Ontario.