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Soft pick - 3/5
Alia, librarian in Basra, Iraq, does her best to save the books of her library from being destroyed by the raging war.
Why soft pick? Not a fan of the illustrations and of the writing style.

As with all short story compilations, I enjoyed some more than others, but each one was unique. Each took place 100 years after the US and British invasion and it was eye-opening and thought-provoking to see how each author processed this and chose to represent the future — some shining light on the after effects of the war through speculative fiction while others leaned heavily into science fiction.

3⭐️

#Iraq #ReadtheWorld2025

"The world is not a rectangle. It is full of curves and angles waiting to be discovered."

This book is ideal for introducing students to the world of architecture and design. It can inspire lessons on creativity, perseverance, and thinking outside the box. Students can create their own architectural designs or learn about famous structures around the world.

This beautifully illustrated biography introduces children to Zaha Hadid, a groundbreaking architect known for her bold, futuristic designs. The book highlights her determination to follow her passion for architecture despite facing many challenges as a woman in a male-dominated field.

In war torn Iraq, a man puts together a creature made of body parts left uncollected after suicide bombings & it goes on a killing spree. It‘s more of a horror story than Shelly‘s novel. The use of Frankenstein in the title is misleading as it‘s thematically totally different. There‘s many interesting characters here but the author doesn‘t know what ones to stay with. It also goes from YA to something very dark. Another book with a naff ending.

The US occupied Iraq from 2003 to 2011 under the pretense that they they were saving the world from weapons of mass destruction. We know now that the US obliged the UN experts to do their dirty work and only when they were certain there was no nuclear weapons in Iraq, they unleashed their military onto the Iraqi population for 8 long years.

With its cast of characters, this examines what drives a man living in a bedouin town into a human bomb.

Alaska Battle of the Books High School list for 2024-2025. I am on maternity leave this semester, but I will help a bit when I‘m back in January before the battles. I am working on Sunrise over Falluja. I‘ve read Old Man and the Sea and Fighter in the Velvet gloves before.

#akbob2425 #battleofthebooks #alaskabattleofthebooks #teachersoflitsy

I am enjoying Robin‘s fresh voice. It‘s almost weird to hear the youth in the voice of an Iraq War soldier since this invasion happened when I was in 5th grade. I think Meyers‘ portrayal of the confusion and lack of knowing even in the soldiers rings true.

#akbob2425 #battleofthebooks #alaskabattleofthebooks