<p> <b><i>Trained to hate, two boys discover friendship instead. </i></b> </p><p> Praise for Sharon E. McKay's previous book, <i>Thunder Over Kandahar</i>:<br> <b><i>This story, enhanced with black and white photographs and filled with drama and tension, realistically portrays contemporary life in Afghanistan. The oppression of women is one of the main issues in the book. Yasmine and Tamanna are brave young women with different opinions but with the same determination to overcome their struggles and hardships. Highly Recommended.</i><br> --Library Media Connection <i>(starred review)</i> </p><p> <i>This suspenseful tale of two young women on their own in modern Afghanistan makes riveting reading.... Well stocked with credible cultural detail and enhanced by black-and-white chapterhead photos, their high-tension odyssey leads to a violent climax and an aftermath marked by surprising twists. Readers will be caught up.</i><br> --Kirkus Reviews</b> </p><p> 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. </p><p> 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 and to defend 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. </p><p> 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. </p>