I won this in a goodreads giveaway

People hate out of fear and ignorance. If they could just get to know the people they hate, and focus on their common interests, they could overcome that hatred.”

The Almond Tree follows the life of a young Palestinian boy. The Almond Tree follows Ichmad's journey through life. We see the hardship and devastation of his life when he was growing up, but finding a passion for knowledge, science and education. It also shows that a man born from war and hardship can still have hope and compassion. Ichmad is torn between his duty to his family, but his duty to himself. It is a inspirational story which brings a sense of humanity to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

I am a strong believer in equality, and this was a truly inspirational story. It is not a light hearted book and explores the issues of poverty and war and the hate which stems from it. But it is also about love, hope, friendship, family and education. It highlights the fact that education and knowledge is important if humanity is to overcome the hate that people feel towards others. Ichmad is a great protagonist and his character development was really impressive.

Michelle Cohen Corasanti drew me into a world which I had little knowledge on and it really opened my eyes to the hardship which these people faced. She writes so beautifully and it really flowed so well. It is a wonderful, riveting, yet shocking story which proves that good can be achieved, despite the situation or background of someone.