The Librarian of Basra
by Jeanette Winter
“The Librarian of Basra” by Jeanette Winter. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. A story based on true events from Iraq about a librarian’s struggle to save her community’s priceless collection of books when war broke out.
Alia Muhammad Baker was the librarian of the port city of Basra in Iraq. Her library was a meeting place for all those who loved books. They would all gather there for reading and having discussions. There was panic when war broke out. Alia was worried that the library would be a susceptible target. The library had a huge collection of both new and ancient books.
She tried seeking help from the governor to move the books to a safe place. But he didn’t bother to do that. Could Alia just wait and watch? Did she take matters into her own hands? Who else would help her? Where and how could she move the books? Would war affect the city and the library as she feared? Did she manage to save the books? Read the book to find out what happened.
My son has loved reading this book for the last three years. It was his first book set in Iraq and he was curious to see where it was in the map. Wars and the effects of it on normal lives are so painful. Taking huge risks for the sake of protecting the books takes immense courage and isn’t easy. He wanted me to find out more about Alia and what happened after the events mentioned in the book. Today when I was writing this, my son and I went back together to check on Alia and figured that Alia passed away in August 2021 due to COVID-19 :(
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 5/6 and above.
Reasons to Read
To hear the true story of a person who loved books so much that she took such a big risk for the sake of protecting them.
For realising the importance of libraries and the role that they play in our lives.