We discuss The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter, which was the 96th most challenged or banned book from 2010 to 2019. First published in 2005, this picture book is based on the true story of Alia Muhammad Baker's experiences during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It won an ALA Notable Children's Book Award in 2006.
We discuss our opinions of the book's characters, themes, and significance. Please listen to the 15th episode for our discussion of why the book has been challenged.
Dorothy mentioned the song "Two Kids" by Anaïs Mitchell; the poem in the middle is in Arabic: https://genius.com/Anais-mitchell-two-kids-lyrics and https://open.spotify.com/track/4hNLoGBCtcsGwwyrrJRjGt.
Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather for running our Twitter page, and Lizzie for our audio editing! Please visit our website for a transcript of this episode.
If you would like to join our conversation, please visit theroguelibrarians.com or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
Linktree: @roguelibrarianspod
Instagram: @roguelibrarianspod
Facebook: @roguelibrarianspod
Twitter: @RLibrarians
Patreon: patreon.com/roguelibrarians
