The Librarian of BasraAlia Muhammad Bakers library in Basra, Iraq, has been a meeting place for those who love books for the past fourteen years. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the libraryalong with the thirty thousand books within itwill be destroyed forever. In this incredible true story of a war stricken country where civilians seem powerless in the face of battle, this feminist and inspirational tale about a librarians struggle to save her communitys priceless

It is the story of a young boy's determination to change South Africa

devising new strategies

in picture-book form

take control of their lives and stay true to their visions

peopled with stories of ex–postal workers turned café owners and prom queen waitresses

We see growing pressure to fight wars in Southeast Asia to stop communism

hoping the old building might also provide clues to her family’s shadowy history

unencumbered by the man who broke her heart

When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings

And while they stuck to the same old routine

a suspiciously sneaky girl

Troy is her last hope to clear her son's name before he is convicted of the heinous crime