Levitin, Sonia. (1988). The Return. New York: Fawcett Juniper, 181 pp.

Grade Range: 6-9

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary and Critique

In this gripping story, Desta, a 12-year-old Ethiopian Jewish girl, finds herself on a long journey from her homeland in the mountains to Israel in search of freedom. Desta, her older brother, her younger sister, and other Jews in and around their village must leave behind loved family members and their village. The group is presented with numerous obstacles throughout their journey, including the murder of Desta's brother, and Desta must find the courage to lead those who remain to the promise land.

The exciting plot keeps ignites the reader's interest from the start of the novel. Because the book is based on true events, the students may be a little disturbed by the realistic details presented.

Awards

National Jewish Book Award in Children's Literature, 1987

PEN Los Angeles Award for Young Adult Fiction

Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award

Austrian Youth Prize

Germany, Catholic Children's Book Prize

Parents' Choice Honor Book

ALA-YASD Best Book for Young Adults

Nominee for Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award

Themes/Topics

Families

Generations

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Challenges and Triumphs

Love, Sex, and Romance

The Individual vs. Society

Author/Illustrator/Editor Information

Sonia Levitin was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1939. Sensing danger for the family, her father moved to the United States and sent for the family later. Her first book, Journey to America, is about this part of her life. Silver Days and Annie's Promise also were inspired by her life. Levitin has written many young adult books in wide variety of genres and currently teaches university level classes.

For more information on Sonia Levitin:

http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~slevitin/ Information about Sonia Levitin and her activities

Media Connections

Movies/ Documentaries

Exodus (1960) The story about the beginning of Israel as a nation. The movie depicts the struggle of European Jews looking to establish a homeland in the Middle East and their hardships along the way.

Modern Brides: Arranged Marriage in South Asia (1985) The film is about two Brahman marriages in Mysore, South India, in 1983. One is arranged on totally traditional methods, while the other had the consent of the two people being married.

Monsoon Wedding (2000) A young girl in a traditional Indian family resents the arranged marriage her parents want.

I tigerens oje (1999) The documentary is about the cast system in Nepal. People who are considered untouchables are exposed to things that everyday people would not have to endure, such as being put into slavery for debt.

Operation Moses A documentary about the escape and rescue of Jews in Ethiopia to Israel.

Routes of Exile: A Moroccan Jewish Odyssey (1982) The movie chronicles Moroccan Jewry from the beginnings of its history over 2,000 years ago to the founding of Israel and the immigration that it created. The video follows the social and political struggles in Morocco created by the founding of Israel.

Falashas: Exile of the Black Jews (1982) This documentary examines Ethiopian Jews and traces their roots to King Solomon and Queen Sheba

Braveheart (1995) A tale about Scots rising in rebellion against English after years of British subjugation and foreign rule. This would be good to compare and contrast with the story of Desta in The Return.

Television

Survivor: Any episode. The series is a reality TV-show about struggling to survive with little to no help. (Overcoming struggles and conflicts)

The Amazing Race: Any episode. Teams race each other around the globe with limited resources performing different tasks for a prize. (Overcoming struggles and conflicts)

Music/ Audio Recordings

"Rivers of Babylon." Lyrics by Sublime. From 40 Oz. To Freedom. 1992. (About people in captivity and singing for help)

Online Resources

http://iaej.co.il/index.htm An informative site about Ethiopian Jewry.

http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/1997popularpaperbacks.htm#multi Students and teachers can find young-adult literature.

http://faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/women.htm Gives many resources about women and their history (e.g., from investigating their roles in athletics to women's situations in Afghanistan and other countries).

http://hobbspublib.leaco.net/Teens.htm Provides young adults with information about a wide variety of interests from music, sports, hotlines and help, and current news events.

http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/ PBS Teachers Source, a site where teacher can find a variety of resources of all sorts to use in the classroom.

http://www.hud.gov/homeless/index.cfm A part of the "Homes and Communities: US Department of Housing and Urban Development" Web site. The page talks about the homeless in the U.S. and offers a variety of links related to the topic.

Related Texts

Divakaruni, Chitra. (1995). Arranged Marriage. New York: Anchor, 307pp. Short stories of different arranged marriages.

Rinaldi, Ann. (1991). Wolf by the Ears. New York: Scholastic, 252pp. A girl is suspected of being Thomas Jefferson's daughter. She faces difficult struggles and decisions while deciding to be accepted as a Caucasian citizen or to remain a slave.

Miklowitz, Gloria. (1987). After the Bomb. New York: Scholastic, 137pp. After a bomb has been dropped on his city, Phillip must find provisions in a ruined city to survive.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. (1999). What Have You Lost? New York: Greenwillow, 205pp. This collection of poems explores the serious and silly things we lose in our lives.

Asher, Sandy. (1999). With All My Heart, With All My Mind: Thirteen Stories About Growing Up Jewish. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 162pp. Stories about boys and girls in adolescent scenarios.

Cohen, Barbara. (1982). Gooseberries to Oranges. New York: Lothrop Lee & Shepard, 31pp. A girl must adjust to her new life in the United States after emigrating from a war-ravaged country.

Ellis, Deborah. (2001). The Breadwinner. Toronto: Douglas and McIntyre, 170pp. A young girl must take care her of family and brave the harsh realities of a society ruled by the Taliban after father is killed.

Lee, Marie G. (1992). Finding My Voice. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 165pp. Ellen is a Korean student who is trying to fit in among her peers and simultaneously honor her heritage during her senior year of high school.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "A Novel Approach to Movies" After reading and critiquing both a novel and a movie in the classroom, students discuss (1) the suitability of the actors playing the roles and (2) the movie's presentation of the different scenes of settings that relate to the novel. Next students put together a presentation under the guise that they are movie directors casting actors for the novel they have read. The students must analyze major characters based on looks and personalities, then cast real actors to play these roles. Students must explain their decisions. The students will also make a poster using magazine pictures or illustrations to reflect the three to five most important scenes from the novel. Finally, the students will explain why they chose those by explaining the important aspects of the plot as they relate to the scenes.

[Summarized from "A Novel Approach to Movies" by Mary Lee McCoy in Ideas Plus Book 11. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp. 24-25.]

(2) "Reading the Minds of Literary Characters" Each student chooses a character and writes at least five thoughts that the character might have had at some point during the story or novel. The student must be able to justify each thought using the text and his or her understanding of the character. Each student shares these thoughts with the class without revealing the character. Members of the class then guess the character. Class discussion focuses on whether the secret thoughts seem to be in character and on which thoughts most vividly evoke the characters. [Summarized from "Reading the Minds of Literary Characters" by Nana Hilsenbeck in Ideas Plus Book 6. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp. 36-37.]

(3) "Staging Classroom Protests" Assign small groups to plan and carry out protests on issues of interest to them. Classroom presentations may include speeches, posters, banners, pamphlets, etc. The issues may be local or nationwide in focus. Students need to determine things such as who will be affected by the particular injustice being protested, what steps will be taken towards a solution, the method of protest and media coverage expected, when and where the protest will be, and whether there will be long-term effects, etc. Class discussion follows each protest and helps students evaluate the effectiveness of their message.

[Summarized from "Staging Classroom Protests" by Suzanne Switzer in Ideas Plus Book 6. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp. 42-43.]

(Review written by Pamela Smith and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)