SECRET TERRITORY ( Citron Press 1999)

 

It is 1975 and this is a journey to the Promised Land – a circular journey, across generations, charting dreams and aspirations of father and daughter. Feeling she should have been born in the homeland, Eve travels to Israel in search of an identity, unaware that her quest will painfully expose her family’s hidden history.

Her father, Jack’s story, is of London in the 1940s –a time of idealism, political terrorism and conflicting values.

In their separate ways both confront the discord between collective ideals and personal needs; both must make their choices and live with them. This is their story – an honest and evocative account of what it means and feels to be Jewish in the second half of the twentieth century.

A fascinating time in history... and Halahmy conveys well the emotions of everyone involved in the turbulence. Adele Geras

A brilliant book...deserves a wide audience. Leslie Wilson

Miriam Halahmy’s sharp, concise style helps to sum up contemporary Jewish dilemmas.  Jewish Chronicle.

PEPPERMINT WARD

a story about children with cancer. (Cancerbackup 2006)

 

Peppermint Ward ( read the first part here) is an illustrated story for six-to-nine-year-olds and follows the story of Sam, a football-mad boy, through his diagnosis and treatment for cancer in his leg. The book tackles difficult issues around treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and lumbar punctures. The book also deals with some of the common side effects of treatment, like hair loss, fatigue and nausea.

“Being told you have cancer is scary but when you know what is going to happen it does not seem so bad. I was told I had cancer three years ago so I sort of know what to expect when I need to go to hospital. But for children who have just been told they are really ill they must be so worried, just like I was.So this is why Peppermint Ward is fantastic. I’ve read it loads and so has my little sister."

           Jack Walsh, aged 9 yrs.

GIVE ME SHELTER

stories about children who seek asylum

(edited by Tony Bradman)

Francis Lincoln 2007

Shortlisted for the UKLA award 2008.

 

‘Samir Hakkim’s Healthy Eating Diary’ by Miriam Halahmy

How do you explain life in Baghdad to your classmates in an English primary school? It is 2002 and Samir’s family have all been arrested by Saddam Hussein, so his uncle has smuggled him out of Iraq to save his life. All alone in England with no friends or family, ten year old Samir writes a diary to try and understand his new life.

 

CUTTING POMEGRANATES (David Paul 2003)

 

There are some poets whose voices ought to be heard urgently and Miriam Halahmy is one of them. 

John Rety, Hearing Eye Press

 

The vitality, freshness and originality of vision compels us to read on. Miriam invests everyday things with a life of their own. The pomegranate cut open reveals a bitterness of seeds, but also the promise of renewal. 

Wanda Barford