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.

Star-Crossed Lovers: Ronit is an Israeli girl; Jamil is a Palestinian boy. They live on opposite sides of a concrete barrier, separated by a conflict much bigger than them.
Forbidden Love: A secret romance blossoms against a backdrop of family distrust and political turmoil, where being discovered could mean losing everything.
A Modern Romeo and Juliet Retelling: Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is reimagined in the fraught landscape of the modern-day Israel-Palestine conflict.
Lyrical Novel in Verse: A beautiful and poignant story told through poetic language that captures the breathless intensity of first love and impossible choices.

Ronit & Jamil

Ronit & Jamil