![]() The thought of losing thousands of books, many of which were very old and very valuable, is almost too much to think about. She dreams of peace and of a new library, but takes comfort in knowing that her precious books are safe.įor those of us who treasure books, the idea of losing them is gut-wrenching. Alia moves all the books, thirty thousand of them, to her house for safekeeping. ![]() Soldiers come to the restaurant but do not find the books. ![]() Nine days after removing the books, the library is destroyed by a fire. Alia asks the restaurant owner next door to the library if he will help her with the books and they swing into action, with his brothers and neighbors wrapping the books and moving them to hide in the restaurant. War does, indeed, come to Basra and the city is besieged. ![]() Undaunted, she starts taking the books home to keep them safe. Alia, afraid for the safety of her books, asks for permission to move them to safety but is denied. Alia Muhammad Baker is the librarian of Basra, a port city in the sand-swept country of Iraq.Īlia’s library is a meeting place for people to talk together and share their thoughts and opinions, but more and more, the talk has turned to the dangers of war. ![]()
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