Blogs in February 2020

Sweet Dates in Basra 15th February 2020

“In this story of love and search for identity, Jessica Jiji succeeds fully in capturing passions, depth of feeling, and strong relationships beyond ethnic and religious differences.”–Naim Kattan, author of Farewell Babylon Jessica Jiji’s Sweet Dates in Basra is...

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Alia’s Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq 15th February 2020

The inspiring story of an Iraqi librarian’s courageous fight to save books from the Basra Central Library before it was destroyed in the war. It is 2003 and Alia Muhammad Baker, the chief librarian of the Central Library in...

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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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The Librarian of Basra 22nd July 2015

This is the true story of Alia Baker, written for children, who saved the books from the main library in Basra when war broke out in 2003. Told for children it conveys the value of books and reading, set,...

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