Blogs in February 2020

The Last of the Angels 15th February 2020

Set in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk during the 1950s, The Last of the Angels tells the slyly humorous tale of three strikingly different people in one small neighborhood. During a labor strike against the British-run Iraq Petroleum...

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Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam 15th February 2020

Forty years before the boy was born, a horde of bloodthirsty barbarians thundered out of the west and conquered his native land. They had succeeded because his people, ever at war with one another, had not fought together to...

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The Golden Bull 15th February 2020

5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia during a terrible drought, Jomar and Zefa’s father must send his children away to the city of Ur because he can no longer feed them. At fourteen, Jomar is old enough to apprentice...

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The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story 15th February 2020

Poor Maha! Her jealous stepmother makes her do all the housework while her selfish stepsister lazes about. Since Maha’s father is away fishing most of the time, there is no one to help or comfort her. All that begins...

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The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq 15th February 2020

“In the Koran, the first thing God said to Muhammad was ‘Read.'”* –Alia Muhammad Baker Alia Muhammad Baker is a librarian in Basra, Iraq. For fourteen years, her library has been a meeting place for those who love books....

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