By Jeanette Winter
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.

Last week I was browsing the children’s section of my local bookstore when a beautiful book propped up on a display table caught my eye. The title of the book is The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq. The author and illustrator is Jeanette Winter. She calls The Librarian of Basra a picture book but it is much more than that, ma sha’ Allah.

This wonderful book is about librarian Alia Muhammad Baker and her moving struggle to save the collection of 30,000 books at Basra’s Central Library when the invasion of Iraq commenced in March 2003. Jeanette Winter bases her book on a July 27, 2003 New York Times article by Shaila K. Dewan. The first page of the book is a quote from Alia Muhammad Baker: “In the Quran, the first thing Allah said to Muhammad was ‘Read’.” The books at Basra Library and, more importantly, the knowledge contained in them are more valuable to Alia than mountains of gold. There are new books, old books, and books in many languages. There is also a 700-year-old biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Before the war began many people in Iraq were talking about the possibility of war and what might or might not happen. Alia decided to ask the governor of Basra for permission to move the books from the library to a safe place because she was worried that the library might be bombed. The governor rejected her request. Alia was determined to save the collection anyway and began to secretly fill her car with books at night to keep at her home. On April 6, 2003, the bombs fell on Basra. Workers at the library and soldiers who were positioned on the roof of the library ran for their lives. Alia did not run. Instead, she called over the wall of the library to a restaurant owner named Anis Muhammad for help. Anis called on his brothers and neighbors to carry the books, wrapped in curtains and stored in crates, to his restaurant for safe keeping.

On April 15, 2003, the Basra library was bombed and it burned to the ground. Alia and her friends and neighbors were able to save about 70 percent of the collection, al-hamdu lillah. Anis had the books stored in his restaurant. After the soldiers moved on north to Baghdad, Alia decided the collection of 30,000 books should be stored in her home and the homes of her friends. The collection of books are still in her home taking up almost every bit of space. Alia is now still waiting for peace and for a new library, in sha’ Allah.

The Librarian of Basra has been designated as juvenile literature but suitable for all ages. It is not easy to write about war and its effects for children but, ma sha’ Allah, Winter did an excellent job. Also, this wonderful book is relatively short and concise so it is well-suited for younger children who may have shorter attention spans than older ones. The illustrations are colorful and beautifully crafted using acrylic and pen on Arches watercolor paper. This book is also a valuable learning tool for teachers and school librarians. Much of the mainstream Western media portrays Iraqis and Muslims in general in a dehumanizing manner. I firmly believe that this book can help educate children, especially in the West, of the shared humanity of all human beings on the earth, in sha’ Allah. The love of books is a universal virtue as are caring and cooperation amongst neighbors.

I decided to purchase two copies of this beautiful book—one for my children and one as a donation for my son’s public school library. When I took the book to the school librarian I was uncertain as to what her reaction would be, but al-hamdu lillah she was thrilled to add it to the collection. She had already heard about The Librarian of Basra and was anxious to read it.

I highly recommend this book; and if anyone is able to purchase an extra copy to donate to any public library, that would be great too, in sha’ Allah. Another important benefit of purchasing this book is that part of the proceeds from the sale of it will be donated to the American Library Association who in turn will use the funds to help rebuild the book collection of Basra’s Central Library, in sha’ Allah.

Aisha Robertson is an American teacher and freelance writer based in Wisconsin, USA. She holds a BSc in Education from the University of  Wisconsin and she has worked as a teacher since 1991. Click here to read about Aisha's conversion to Islam. She can be reached at aishar@islamonline.net