Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein: Based on a True Story

Ali is 14 when Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in early 1991. War is not new to Ali. He and his family endured the eight-year war with Iran when he was little. He doesn't see how Saddam can win against American military power. But in the meantime, the family takes refuge at night in the safe room of their house. They line up for rations when supplies get low. They worry about Baba while he's away with a medical team, helping injured soldiers. The stress of war affects the kids' behavior. Young readers will get a sense of the impact of war on everyday life. The book is not particularly graphic in describing the war--Ali's neighborhood is relatively untouched by the bombings. The most graphic moment is when Ali witnesses several men being show more executed by soldiers in the street show less

This is not a book that was ever on my radar. Until it was picked as a #MGBudyReady I had never heard of it. And it wasn’t popular at my local bookstore or library. I had to interlibrary loan a copy from Bradley University. But I am so glad I did. This book is a look at the day to day life of the first fight between the US and Saddam Hussein. We see the world though the eyes of Ali, as he experiences the second war in his life. Both the good things like New Years at the Governor’s mansion and the bad things, like being forced to watch horrific acts of war on the streets you live and play.

This book is a super fast read. You get pulled into the action and the waiting hoping for a happy ending. The book is based on a true story, and show more those rarely have happy endings in a war zone. The title was a little odd, but it is a played out perfectly in the pages. At various times Ali can see the action taking place as various games on his Atari system. Plus, I had no idea that the first conflict between Hussein and the US was called a “video game” war. The way it was reported in the media looked like still taken from a videogame, rather than a bloody war depicted in a movie theater.

For those who worry about trigger warnings, there are some scary things. It is war time. There is no blood and guts, just facts that are put in an easy to understand format. This book is emotional, it is necessary. It is about life. Ali and I would have been about the same age when this book takes place. Actually I would have been his brother Shirzad’s age. I was an active Navy brat. I think we were stationed in Washington at the time, and worried dad would be called over. My dad may be a land lover but he had been in the middle east many times, as part of a crew that puts things back together after conflict. I understand Ali’s worry for his father in the pages of this book. I can never truly understand what his life was like, but I am very glad I got to take a walk in his shoes, even it if was just a short trip. To see history as a child, and to look back on it and realize what you missed, how much your parents shield you, protect you, keep your world as happy as they can. This book shows me what I missed. It shows me what I wasn’t thinking about.

Thank you Ali for sharing your story with the world.

#NancyDrewChallenge #Twins
#KillYourTBR #written by an Immigrant show less

Rarely are young people given a chance to read about a pre-teen growing up in Iraq. Readers will see that the 11 year old's life - and the others' lives changed drastically when Saddam Hussein went to war. I think the cover is lacking for drawing young people in, but the book is great.

An eleven-year-old boy tells his account of living through the war in Iraq in 1991.

Please see my review posted on Amazon.com under C.Wong.