THE SIRENS OF BAGHDAD

by Yasmina Khadra



The Sirens of Baghdad, the last in Yasmina Khadra's Islamic fundamentalism trilogy, is best described by a passage on the dust jacket of the hardcover: "A masterful and chilling look at violence and its effects on ordinary people." This book went where I thought The Attack was going to. It went into the mind of an ordinary young man from an ordinary Iraqi village. It showed me the horrors he sees as the Allies invade and occupy his country. And it showed me how a kind, non-violent person can be driven to commit a murderous and ultimately suicidal act.

There are good guys and there are bad guys, and the Allies are not always the ones in white. If that bothers you, skip this book. But if you would like to see the Iraq War from the other side, put any prejudices aside and open your mind to what this book has to say. I'm not saying it's always right, but sometimes we need a blatant reminder of the humanity behind the headlines.

Lezlie


The books in Khadra's trilogy:

Book One: The Swallows of Kabul (My Review)
Book Two: The Attack (My Review)
Book Three: The Sirens of Baghdad