The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq by Jeanette Winter tells the story of a real-life hero, Alia Muhammad Baker, a librarian at the Basra Central Library who manages to save 30,000 of the library’s books from destruction. Prior to the war, government offices had been moved into the library, and Alia had the foresight to see that this put the library at risk of attack. Indeed, the library was subsequently burned to the ground, but the books had been safely stored in every nook and cranny of Alia’s home. The Librarian of Basra is based on a 2003 article in the New York Times by Shaila K. Dewan, telling Alia’s story of the British invasion of Basra.
This is a wonderful book to start young children thinking about the war in Iraq, and about how war can affect civilians on both sides. It also sends a universal message about the importance of books and literacy. Alia not only saved most of the books in the library, but she also preserved history by preserving books and manuscripts that were hundreds of years old.
Though The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq demonstrates the negative effects of war, it ends on a positive note with Alia dreaming of a new library and of peace. Let us all hope that someday soon her dreams will become a reality.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of Winter’s book goes toward a fund by the American Library Association, which is working to restore the 30 percent of the collection in the Basra Central Library that was lost on the fire.
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq by Jeanette Winter tells the story of a real-life hero, Alia Muhammad Baker, a librarian at the Basra Central Library who manages to save… Continue reading →
