Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq

This is the story of how Alia, the chief librarian at Basra Central Library manages to save 30,000 books from destruction. The community comes together to help her protect the books during the war so that they will not be destroyed. I liked the format of the book - graphic novel- but like the story book version better for younger students. I found the endnotes really interesting- it gives information about ancient libraries.

I liked Alia’s mission because it was written in a comic book fashion as opposed to the typical picture storybook way. It was an interesting diversion in my opinion. The book focuses on a woman who is living in a war-ridden Iraq and she is afraid that the library at which she works will be destroyed, ridding the world of the irreplaceable records of the culture and history of the country forever. The main ideas of the story are that you should stand up for what you believe in, and that if you think something should be done in any situation, sometimes it’s up to you to act on it. This historical fiction novel helped me as a reader understand what people who live in Iraq might have, or what they are currently going through. For show more example, at one point in the book, the main character Alia states, “With one bomb or one fire, all those books could be destroyed, just like the great library in Baghdad”. This made me see how people in other countries live in constant fear and have come to expect horrendous things to happen to their towns because of war. This is something that I have yet to experience personally and this book did a good job of making Alia’s situation seem relatable. show less

This book is based on a true story of a woman named Alia who works as a librarian in Iraq. She absolutely loves books and has learned so much from them. When she heard about the idea of a library being burned, she was fearful that that was going to happen. Saddam has placed his army on and in the library for the war effort. She decides to take books from the library everyday and when the opposing side ransacks the library, the only thing they leave are the books. The library ends up getting burned down but the community has helped her move a majority of the books to a restaurant and eventually to different members of the community. In the end she helps watch over the designing of a new library for everyone!
Critique (Genre)- This is a show more good example of a biographical book because it recounts the major events in Alia Muhammad Baker's life and the social/political context that she is living in. Not only is it informational on her own life, but also of a small glimpse into the war itself and what Saddam Hussein did in the country. show less

I really enjoyed this book for the overall message it teaches the reader. The setting takes place with a little girl whose father was taken by the Taliban. She started going to school and refused to talk to anyone at school or her grandma because she was so depressed. However, at the end of the story she took an absence from school and one of her classmates told her she missed her, and that made the little girl become unmute. It goes to show a little kindness goes a long way. This story also pushes the reader to think about very tough situations. For example, “Art and music and learning once flourished here. The soldiers came and changed everything. The art and music and learning are gone. Dark clouds hang over the city,” (Stamaty). show more Young students could read this and learn the harsh reality that is going on else where in the world. However, really young children may not understand what the Taliban is so an adult would have to read this story with them to help them understand. show less

This book stands out from most of the other books that I have read for this course in a unique way. This book is illustrated almost like a graphic novel and it details the story of Alia, a woman who tries to save all the books in Baghdad's great library from the threat of enemy siege. The comic-like illustrations really bring the story to life, by chronicling, panel by panel, the story of Alia's mission and what he daily like in Baghdad, Iraq is like. All of the illustrations are in black and white andI think that adds an element of seriousness, almost how one would look at pictures in a newspaper, to the situation that Alia faces. The writing is very relatable and easy to follow because most of the book is dialogue or Alia's own show more thoughts.

Overall, I enjoyed this book because it is multicultural and can teach children about an important event from another country's history. show less

This was a beautifully illustrated biographical comic book of the historical figure Alia Baker. This story is set in Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. From a early age, Alia had fallen in love with books.She decided to share her love of books by becoming a librarian. A war broke out and her library was in danger of being destroyed in the crossfire. With the help of some friends, Alia was able to save 30,000 books from beings destroyed. I thought the black and white cartoons were very realistic, without being overly terrifying for children. I would use this book to teach my students about loving books.

This is a pretty intense book. It reminded me of [book: Persepolis] because it's like a comic book about civil unrest in the Middle East. I wouldn't read this if you're feeling light-hearted. Best shared with kids who can handle a little scariness and drama.