The Baghdad clock

The lives of two girls, the narrator and Nadia, born during the Iran-Iraq War are continuously delineated by conflict. As young children, they meet in a Baghdad air-raid shelter under siege in 1991's Operation Desert Storm and become best friends. Their growing up is marked by years of sanctions and the second Gulf War. Despite deprivation and terror, life continues: the girls go to school; they pass exams; they experience first love; they go to college. As their neighborhood empties, Uncle Shawkat and his prescient dog guard and maintain the abandoned homes of fleeing families until even that becomes untenable. In an act of preservation, as memory was at risk of passing away, the girls compose The Baghdad Clock: The Record of a Neighbourhood. Al Rawi's debut presents the so-called enemy imbued with childhood whimsy and human longing, their quotidian stories embellished with touches of magic realism. Rendered into English by Harvard professor Leafgren, who was inspired by 9/11 to learn Arabic, this international best-seller is both condemnation against politics and war and testimony to resilient humanity.--Hong, Terry Copyright 2018 Booklist

DEBUT Sharing dreams and stories of family bonds, two young girls forge a friendship that lasts many years. Initially introduced in an air raid shelter in 1991 during the Iran-Iraq War, they continue meeting at the Baghdad clocktower or at their homes, where they discuss their lives, loves, and memories. These conversations are chronicled in a book they call The Baghdad Clock: The Record of a Neighborhood. Throughout the harsh sanctions imposed on Iraq and the conflict with the United States starting in 2003, Baghdad suffers such devastation that their neighbors abandon their homes and immigrate to other countries. Before leaving, our narrator finds a copy of -Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and discovers "a spiritual prescription for escaping misery." Reading the novel several times, she regards herself as an honorary citizen of Macondo, feeling a deep connection to that magical story as she questions everything in her world. VERDICT With tremendous talent and a sharp intelligence, Rawi delivers an outstanding debut. Highly -recommended.-Lisa Rohrbaugh, Leetonia -Community P.L., OH © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.